That Magical Moment by Ann Reader

It was no surprise to anyone when DC Kate Chalmers volunteered to give the antidrug talk to the youth club on North Road estate. It was a rough estate with an entrenched drug problem. Kate had something of a crusade against drugs since losing her younger brother to a heroin overdose some five years ago. That was her motivation for joining the police force. She had been delighted when she was seconded to the drug squad from general duties a couple of years before. Technically it was a temporary position, but she had made herself so useful that nobody had suggested moving her.

She prepared carefully for the talk. She had been involved in more than enough arrests over the last two years to be able to describe in fine detail, some of the unfortunate addicts she had met and some of the cynical dealers. She wished she could use some of the mug shots taken of people in custody, often sick and withdrawing from their drug. She was not going to hold back from mentioning her brother, she felt that if they realised she had first-hand experience they might be more inclined to listen. She would just have to hope that her descriptive powers were sufficient to rob drug use of any of the glamour it seemed to hold for the young.

She would speak of skinny young men with sallow completions shaking and sweating and clutching their stomachs as the agony of heroin withdrawal hit them. Girls who might have been pretty but for the rashes on their faces from sniffing glue. Intelligent people who could not relate to reality or hold down a job due to the paranoia consequent on excessive cannabis use. The sad mindless ones who had gone on an LSD trip and never returned.

Kate spent time on her descriptions and on translating medical facts concerning the damage that drugs like speed and cocaine could do to the body. She wanted to make sure her audience understood clearly.  She included remedies such as methadone and described how this seldom stopped the craving and was addictive in its own right. She would include alcohol as many former addicts simply swapped their addiction for something else. Alcohol is legal but could be just as destructive of normal life. She would describe the sickness and the fitting that long term alcohol abuse causes. If that didn’t put them off nothing would.

Kate didn’t actually look at the invitation to speak until she was about to set out. She couldn’t help noticing that it was signed by a Simon Mattock. Her brother Andy had a friend of that name, when he was first at college, before he started using heroin and dropped out. She thought it unlikely it would be the same person but remembered her brother’s friend with some fondness. He had been instrumental in getting Andy into rehab the first time. It wasn’t his fault it didn’t work.

She found the youth club without difficulty and was delighted to find the youth leader was the same Simon, they recognised each other immediately but there was no time to catch up before the talk. Kate was pleasantly surprised at how attentive the group of youths were, they listened quietly, possibly she was right that mentioning her brother would catch their attention. There were even a few questions at the end.

Simon formally thanked her then asked the youths to put chairs away and get various things out for further activities while he showed her out. “That was quite some talk,” he said, “I can’t believe they sat quietly for so long. I can’t leave them for too long or pandemonium will break out. Are you by any chance free to meet next Sunday afternoon? I’d like a chance to catch up and there’s someone I think you will want to meet.”

Kate had nothing on that Sunday and thought why not, it would make a change from cleaning her flat and doing her laundry. They arranged to meet at the cafe on the park at 2 pm.

Sunday came around and they met as arranged. Simon confessed that the feelings of helplessness around Andy’s death had led him to train as a youth worker. He was older than Andy, in fact Kate’s own age so felt he ought to have been able to do something. Kate felt the same about herself and explained how it had led her to join the police force. Simon looked up and waved as the cafe door opened, a stunningly lovely woman came in and Kate knew she should recognise her, but it took a while.

“Kiera is it you?” she almost whispered, “but you’re beautiful,” slipped out.

The last time Kate had seen Kiera she had been using and would have been a prime example for her talk the other night. She had been thin to the point of emaciation with lank hair, baggy eyes and sallow skin. Now her clear bouncy hair was blond, and she looked fit and healthy.

Kiera had been Andy’s girlfriend; at the time of his death she had been   arrested for shoplifting. The police had found him when they went to search their flat for other stolen goods. Kate did not know what happened to her after that.

“I didn’t know if you would want to see me.” She blushed prettily. “Simon had to persuade me I hope it’s alright.”

“Of course! I never blamed you. You were a victim just as much as Andy, but I never knew what happened to you,” Kate replied.

“My parents picked me up from the police station and put me into rehab. Hang on a bit.” She broke off to wave at a woman coming across the park with a small child in tow. “I could never look at another man after Andy, but I found I didn’t have to. Let me introduce Georgina, we’ve been together some time now.”

Kate stood to shake hands with the tall clear eyed brunette, then looked down at the child in her other hand. He was so like Andy aged 4 or 5, she had to sit down rather quickly as she felt the colour draining from her face.

“You’ve guessed, haven’t you?” said Kiera then turning to the boy, “David come and meet your aunty Kate.”

Kate wanted hug the child but was uncertain, she didn’t want to frighten him. She held out her hand and he put his little hand into it. Then he held onto her and said, “I’ve never had an aunty before! will you come and play on the swings with me?”

It was a magical moment that Kate would treasure for the rest of her life.