[Short Story] - Radio Show
"Radio Show"
Provided by @mariannewest
Image courtesy of @rocking-dave
“Last week on the Give, get, never forget, we had John and Paula with us whose apartment had burned down, and I am delighted to say you have truly outdone yourselves yet again. So far you have raised a total of $3.347 and the sum just keeps on getting bigger and bigger. The couple has decided to renovate their apartment instead of moving to a new one, and need only $1.643 to go to buy all the materials! You know what to do to help out, folks! Just call 0042 000 000 042 and we’ll help you sort out all the details. Remember, even $1 dollar goes a long way when a disaster robs you of your savings. Speaking of disasters, this week we have one of the worst stories we have ever had on this show. Joining us in the studio are Martha and her 8-year-old daughter Carrie.”
“Hello!”
“Hi.”
“So, Martha, can you tell us a bit more about your situation?”
“I got divorced 2 months ago, and everything but the required 10 % went to my now ex-husband. Together with the lawyer we somehow accomplished that the van stayed with me, and the rest went to Richard. He also didn’t want to hear a word about Carrie and shared custody, so she stayed with me. Now, because I was unemployed at the time, I couldn’t afford a place to stay, and so we were both destined to life from the van until I found a job. I know you’re thinking that by now I should’ve found a job already, but it’s not that easy when you’re required to state your home address and can’t leave a blank field. I’ve tried several jobs from my field, but they all tell me I’m too inexperienced, and that there must be a good reason to why I’m homeless.”
“Okay, let’s take it one step at a time, okay? Your ex-husband knew you two would both end up on the streets when you divorced?”
“Yes. Full-well. He told us that was the reason we’re getting the van. It’s not that big as it might sound, though. It’s a standard Citroen Berlingo, and it’s hard for us both to both sleep and keep our stuff in there.”
“Your ex was an idiot. Excuse the word but nobody should ever do that to another human being, especially not to their daughter. Could you tell us a little more about what your day to day looks like?”
“Well, we’re parked next to Carrie’s school, so every morning I help her get dressed to go to school, then if I don’t have a job interview, I usually go out on the streets and beg before picking her up. Then I try to spend as much quality time as possible with her. We play at the nearby parks, I take her to see her friends, … Sorry. I get emotional at times.”
“No need to apologize, Martha, not at all! Take all the time that you need.”
“It’s just that… I want her to have a normal childhood, but I can’t afford it. I want her to have her own notebooks and pens, but I just can’t. And the children. Oh, the children.”
“Take your time, no need to hurry.”
“They found out we’re homeless and now they’re picking on her. They’re calling her names and everyone who is friends with her. I fear she’ll soon be all alone.”
“Carrie, how are you experiencing all this?”
“I do have some friends still but they’re all slowly distancing themselves from me. Since they found out we’re homeless almost everybody calls me Hobo, even my friends do sometimes when they are talking with others. At the beginning some boys stuck up for me, but then they just joined the rest. They’ll pretend I smell bad and that my clothes are all torn. They’ll come up with stupid jokes and laugh at me all day long. The teachers want to help sometimes, but they’re largely all the same. They know the school is giving free lunch to my mom and I every day, but not to them, and they hate on me for it.”
“Even the teachers are treating you badly?”
“Yes. When there’s something wrong I’m usually the first to blame, and the others have started taking advantage of that.”
“She’s the scapegoat in her class. She’s constantly accused of stealing. Money especially. The teachers then want us to return what she had presumably stolen, but we can’t even afford to clean our names.”
“How about child support? How’s that?”
“I tried enrolling, but they told me I need to be at least one full year without a job. We tried food centers and they tell us to leave because we don’t look poor and there’s other people who need it more.”
“Oh, shucks. What is your profession, though? Where did you work before?”
“I’m an accountant by profession, but worked all sorts of jobs beside that as well, usually administrative in nature. But as you can see I can’t really work physically demanding jobs, and like I said, nobody wants to trust their money to a homeless person."
“I saw that you limped into the studio today, yes. Care to tell us a bit more about that, please?”
“Well, when I was 11 I fell down the stairs playing with my brother and tore a tendon at the knee. We tried surgery, but this is the best it can get, so…”
“You mentioned your brother. Is there any family member of yours that could help you out, or has already helped?”
“My brother’s a waiter in Europe, so he can’t really help us out much financially, and my parents are both struggling, too. Besides, I couldn’t request such a thing from them. They’ve been through too much already.”
“Hopefully the listeners will have head your call and come to aid. To everyone listening, we have just opened the phone number 0042 000 000 043 for you to help out Martha and Carrie. That’s 0042 000 000 043, and remember, no sum is too small, and every cent and dollar count! As always, we’ll wire a call or two on air soon, but now I want to ask you, Carrie, what is it you’re interested in most? What is your passion?”
“I’ve always loved creating something with my own hands. I used to paint a lot, and even tried carving figurines out of wood, but we can’t afford any of these now. I now draw and write a lot, because that’s the only thing I can do. I also try and create some art out of litter, but it doesn’t always work out well. Oh, oh, and we even managed to sell some of the pieces!”
“That’s excellent! Do you have any more pieces up for sale? Maybe some of our listeners would be interested in that.”
“Maybe two of my favorite, but nothing else. We don’t have room to store them anywhere, so I only keep my favorites.”
“Okay, I think we’re ready for our first caller. Hello! Who’s on the line?”
“Hi, Gregory here.”
“Do you have any questions for Martha and Carrey, Gregory?”
“Yes. Martha, how would you like to work as an accountant for me? I’m looking for someone who knows how important it is to sometimes be conservative with money. I get carried away easily and need someone to hold my leash. Someone who will force me to take my time and really think about it. Martha? Hello?”
“She’s speechless, Gregory. She’s nodding yes!”
“Yes! I would very much like that!”
“That’s great to hear! Now, I can’t offer you two much else than a couch in the office at the moment, but I think that beats your van by a long shot. I’m sure we’ll figure something out with time.”
“Thank you! Thank you so very much!”
“Oh, and, Carrie. You said you enjoyed creating with your hands, right, and enjoyed woodwork? I run the Woodalp Company and I would very much like you to nurture that passion. I do have a plan for wooden artwork in the long run, so it would be an honor to me to have you on board as well.”
“Yes! Amazing! I accept too!”
“So, what do you say you stop by at Woodalp sometime tomorrow?”
“Of course! What time would be best for you?”
“Anytime you two can both come for a visit. Before school, after school, I don’t mind.”
“5 p.m.?”
“It’s a deal!”
“Wow! Now that’s a first we’ve had on our show! Gregory, thank you very much!”
“The pleasure’s all mine! You just helped me get a new employee.”
“Are there any other questions you might have, Gregory?”
“No, none at all. Thank you for having me, and I’ll see you two soon!”
“Bye!”
“Bye! Wow! Now that was surprising twist! Are you looking forward to it?”
“Yes! Very!”
“And you, Carrie? You’ll finally be sleeping some place different than a car seat.”
“I’m very much looking forward to it!”
“I think we’re all up with the time for today’s show, and what a show it was! For anyone who just joined us, we had Martha and Carrie joining us today, a homeless single mother with her 8-year-old daughter, suffering from what can only be described as an unlucky chain of events, but what a turn we’ve had! We got a call from Gregory from Woodalp who offered Martha a job as an accountant and her daughter, Carrie, the freedom to express her creative mind! I couldn’t have thought of a better ending! If you want to help out Martha and Carrie further, so that they don’t have to sleep on the couch or someplace worse, please call 0042 000 000 043, and remember, every dollar and every cent count! That’s 0042 000 000 043, and I’ve just been informed we’ve gathered $176 already, with more callers on the line as we speak! Thank you so very much everybody! And thank you Martha and Carrie for joining us today. It was a pleasure meeting you, and we all wish you all the best.”
“Thank you, and I hope we meet again soon, only in different circumstances!”
“I hope so, too! And good luck with your interview tomorrow! So, that was it from this week’s Give, get, never forget, and remember, if you want to help out Martha and Carrie, call 0042 000 000 043 any time you want! The lines are open at all times! It’s time for some commercials and music now, but don’t go anywhere! I’ll be back shortly!”
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Fire, Toilet, Flash, Soft feet, Pillow, Grounding, Surprise, Ending the pain, Going for a walk, Car Mechanic, Murderer, Dog hair, Ducks, Untested medicine, Forbidden love, Vacation, Awakening, Dentist, Wild west, Frozen Lake, Flea Market, Accident, The Gut Monster, Other Side, Late night walk, The Eternal Question, Warrant.
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I was waiting for the axe to drop and instead it just got better and better for her! It is believable for a radio show though, especially the publicity and exposure the man who offered her the job would be getting, jeez the cynic in me never gives up.
Well... I had to write one with a happy ending for once... Or else I'm really going to end up with a second collection of morbid stories before any other genre gets published.
But trust me... I did want to make this one end brutal too. ;)
I suppose they do happen now and then, although nothing wrong with making a beautifully morbid name for yourself ;) it does feel like it's building to something awful, so it not going that way makes for a good twist.
This is me failing at a self imposed night off but having to keep away from the laptop with discord :( I am feeling far too inspired and will definitely spend the night writing, tomorrow ;)
Honestly? You're right.
I'll rewrite it, and have it twist a different way, then publish it for you to judge which is better. :P
There's always tomorrow, .... :D