Collecting his prescriptions earlier than he was supposed to meant of course, that Eddie ran out of them several days before he was allowed to get any more, and whereas he’d managed to convince the Doctor he’d made a clerical error the first time around, there was no way he would fall for it a second time. That meant a dreadful few days for everybody. Although it no longer did much to ease his pain his body still craved that particular drug, so when he ran out Eddie would try any and all of the over-the-counter drugs available, and literally anything else he could lay his hands on, including strong alcohol, but nothing seemed to help for any significant period of time. It’s harrowing to see someone suffering extreme pain and withdrawal symptoms, particularly when you can’t do anything to help. This situation went on for a long time, and Eddie became increasingly difficult to live with, the slightest thing would send him into a rage. Our own nerves became frayed too because of the constant stress, and we all eventually became just as highly-strung and irritable as he was.

As steadily as Eddies’ health and circumstances declined, Simons’ flourished. He was extremely clever and excelled in virtually every subject he took at his prestigious Grammar School. Mum was tremendously proud of him. He grew into a very handsome teenager, exuding the same sensuality that had always been his Mothers’ downfall. She bought him a beautiful racing bike and a two-piece cavalry twill outfit he looked incredibly good in. All the local girls were crazy about him! He looked just like a young Elvis Presley, whom he absolutely idolized at the time, he practised his walk, his sneer, and slicked his thick, black hair back just like him – he really did look the part! The atmosphere in the home though was still awful, you could have cut the air with a knife whenever Eddie and Simon were in the same room together however briefly, and Eddie had no choice but to pass through our room if he needed to get to the kitchen or the toilet. They bridled with scarcely veiled hostility at the mere sight of one another and Simon never failed to make some snide comment and Eddie never failed to react to it…always just a hairs breadth away from violence. Once they almost did come to blows, they had just grabbed hold of one another when I screamed for my Mother, who fortunately came running out of the kitchen and stopped them. It was a nightmare. It took a long time for Simon to realize that his rage and frustration had very little to do with Eddie, and everything to do with all that had happened to him during his childhood. I could probably say the same of myself too. I wasn’t necessarily as angry as Simon, being so much younger I was very insecure, and definitely emotionally scarred by some of my own experiences, but Simon had spent more time with my Mother, he had seen more, been through more, he had a right to be angry, but not with Eddie. Eddie ended up paying for far too many of my Mothers flaws and mistakes. We all have our flaws, but we owe it to ourselves and to those around us to at least do as little damage as possible on our journey through life! Our presence is meant to enrich peoples lives not ruin them!