|
*** RECREATION ROOM - 3:10 AM *** |
| |
|
| |
Polly wakes up quietly, noticing the WPC fast asleep next to her. Managing to slide away from the officer, Polly pushes off the blankets and is in the process of sliding off the couch when the constable stirs. |
|
WPC Martella: |
Huh? |
| |
Viv yawns and brushes the sleep from her eyes. |
|
WPC Martella: |
Polly? What's the matter, love? |
| |
Polly sighs and sits back against the sofa. |
|
Polly Page: |
Nuffink. Did you fall asleep too? |
|
WPC Martella: |
I guess I must have. Don't tell anyone, though, or I'll be in trouble. |
| |
Viv smiles down at the girl. |
|
WPC Martella: |
How are you feeling? |
| |
Polly shrugs. |
|
Polly Page: |
I'm okay. I couldn't sleep, that's all. |
|
WPC Martella: |
I wonder what time it is. Do you have a watch, Polly? I left mine at home this morning. |
| |
Polly looks down at her left wrist. |
|
Polly Page: |
It's ten past three. Why? |
|
WPC Martella: |
I was just wondering how long we've been sleeping together. I'm surprised that June didn't miss us. |
| |
Viv bites her lip slightly. |
|
WPC Martella: |
Polly, about what you told me before. Have you ever told anyone else about that? |
| |
Polly sighs and shakes her head. |
|
WPC Martella: |
So you've been keeping it a secret for all these years? |
|
Polly Page: |
I guess. I had to though. |
|
WPC Martella: |
Did your stepfather ever threaten you so that you'd keep quiet? |
| |
Viv leans forward and wraps her arms around her knees. |
|
Polly Page: |
Well kinda, I mean, he said that no'one'd believe me and that Mum will fink I'm a slut. I hate her though, so I don't care what she finks. |
|
WPC Martella: |
Why do you hate your Mum, Polly? Don't tell me she knows about this? |
| |
Viv looks utterly horrified. Polly shakes her head. |
|
Polly Page: |
No, she's away all the time. She's always too tired to notice. |
|
WPC Martella: |
Did you ever try talking with her about it? |
| |
Viv's voice is tinged with sadness. |
|
Polly Page: |
No way, she wouldn't believe me. She'd stick up for Greg anyway. |
|
WPC Martella: |
That's terrible. Did you ever try to talk about it with one of your... clients? |
| |
Viv hesitates at the use of that word. |
|
Polly Page: |
Well, Charlie a bit. I mean, I asked him if he could make it so Greg wouldn't live with us but he said he couldn't. |
| |
Viv cringes at the thought. |
|
WPC Martella: |
So basically they all used you for sex... Even Mr Brownlow? |
|
Polly Page: |
Charlie was the nicest one though. He was the first. Some of the others were okay but most of 'em were really weird. |
| |
Viv sighs mournfully. |
|
WPC Martella: |
I can imagine. That Beech character sounds horrible. What did he make you do? |
| |
Polly screws up her nose. |
|
Polly Page: |
You said you wouldn't say about him. |
|
WPC Martella: |
I'm sorry. But you said the others were weird... I was just concerned. If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. |
| |
Viv manages to force a reassuring smile. |
|
Polly Page: |
Well some of the others were really strange. Like Carl. He was the one with the costumes. He was okay at first but then he was mean, just like the others. |
| |
Viv sighs again. |
|
WPC Martella: |
You've been through a lot, Polly. I can't believe that people like Mr Brownlow would be involved in this... Are you sure? I mean, he's a very well-respected police officer! |
| |
Polly shrugs. |
|
Polly Page: |
That's what I mean, he's okay. He's the nicest. He never hurts me or does weird stuff like the others. He used to bring me presents before, like he gave me a green bracelet and care bears and stuff. I always see him on Wednesdays and sometimes on the weekends. It depends. |
|
WPC Martella: |
So it's a regular thing? Have any of the other men ever given you anything before? |
|
Polly Page: |
Nope, only the costume. Charlie's the only regular who gives me stuff. And he was really good about it, like not telling Greg and stuff. |
| |
Viv's face tightens. |
|
WPC Martella: |
How did Greg react when he found out that you were pregnant? |
|
Polly Page: |
You mean when I saw the doctor? |
|
WPC Martella: |
Yeah, how did he react? |
|
Polly Page: |
He didn't really say much then, he just said that I was sick and that the doctor would fix me. I didn't know what it meant then, so I went along with it. It wasn't until I told Vicky and she told me what it was. Then when it happened again I knew. |
| |
Viv shakes her head in bewilderment. |
|
WPC Martella: |
I still don't see why Vicky didn't come forward. Did you ask her not to tell anyone? |
|
Polly Page: |
Nah, she knew not to. Mates are mates. |
|
WPC Martella: |
But it's still pretty shocking. I mean, she seemed like such an innocent girl when I saw her. |
| |
Polly scoffs. |
|
Polly Page: |
I guess. With a brother like that, I doubt it. Anyway, she's not about to help me, she's got her own problems. |
|
WPC Martella: |
She does? Don't tell me she's being abused too? |
| |
Viv is horrified. |
|
Polly Page: |
How should I know? She gets a right pasting from her Dad sometimes. They all do. |
|
WPC Martella: |
You mean her Dad's beating her up? I can look into it if you like. |
| |
Polly shakes her head. |
|
Polly Page: |
No way, he's seriously mental! I only met him once but he's drunk all the time and Vicky's always coming to school with bruises and stuff. Worse than me. |
|
WPC Martella: |
But surely we should do something about it? She can't go on living like that! |
|
Polly Page: |
Maybe, it's up to her. |
|
WPC Martella: |
I'll speak with her. |
| |
Viv sighs gently. |
|
Polly Page: |
But you can't, she'll kill me for babbling! She'll never talk to me again if I squeal! |
|
WPC Martella: |
Don't worry Polly, I'll keep your name out of it. I would never have thought that she was being abused, I thought she looked really cute and together when you introduced us, but I would never have guessed that you've been pregnant twice before either. |
| |
Polly shrugs. |
|
Polly Page: |
Why are you getting all involved in this? |
| |
Viv thinks before replying. |
|
WPC Martella: |
Because it's my job, Polly. And also... Because I want to stop this. I want to stop child abuse and the only way I can do that is to help little girls like you out of situations like this. |
| |
Polly looks confused. |
|
Polly Page: |
So it is bad then? |
|
WPC Martella: |
It's bad, Polly. It's the worst thing a person can do. Especially to an innocent child... That makes it all the more worse. |
|
Polly Page: |
So what's going to happen? Will I get in trouble? |
| |
Viv shakes her head. |
|
WPC Martella: |
You've done nothing wrong Polly, can't you understand that? It's Greg who has done something wrong. |
|
Polly Page: |
But I didn't come to the police straight away. I let it happen. I did all the bad fings. |
|
WPC Martella: |
You only did them because the men made you do them. You didn't have any choice in the matter. There's no blame that can be attached to that. |
| |
Polly shrugs. |
|
Polly Page: |
But I kept secrets and did fings that Greg told me to do. Isn't that bad? |
|
WPC Martella: |
No, because he made you do them. No one can hold you responsible for that, Polly. It's not you who has done wrong, it's them. |
|
Polly Page: |
But why? I went along with it. For awhile anyway. So how is it their fault if I let 'em? |
|
WPC Martella: |
Because they shouldn't have asked you to in the first place. |
| |
Viv replies crisply. |
|
Polly Page: |
But that's the way it goes. I mean, they paid the money and mostly they didn't do really bad stuff. So why are they in trouble? |
|
WPC Martella: |
How do you mean they didn't do really bad stuff? They had sex with you and you are too young to give your consent. It's technical but surely that's bad enough? |
| |
Polly looks puzzled up at Viv, her big blue eyes narrowing in confusion. |
|
Polly Page: |
But if I let them and they didn't hurt me then why is it bad? |
| |
Viv blinks twice and tries to explain. |
|
WPC Martella: |
Because you are a child, Polly. You know how you're too old to drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes? |
| |
Polly looks nervously back up at her. |
|
Polly Page: |
You mean like the kids at the party did? |
| |
Viv nods her head slowly. |
|
WPC Martella: |
Well it's like that. You shouldn't be drinking or smoking until you are a certain age Similarly you shouldn't be having sex until you are old enough to understand what you are doing. |
| |
Polly looks slightly worried. |
|
Polly Page: |
But I know what I'm doing... it's easy. |
| |
Viv is slightly taken aback. |
|
WPC Martella: |
You might think you know what you are doing but can you fully appreciate the consequences of what you do? Did you know about the pregnancies, for example? |
|
Polly Page: |
Well, yeah that's just like a side-effect. Like getting a sprained ankle or somefink. That's what Greg said. |
| |
Viv coughs. |
|
WPC Martella: |
Not really, Polly. Pregnancy can be a wonderful thing but you have to understand it before you can get pregnant, otherwise it's not fair on you or the baby. How did you feel when you found out that you were pregnant? |
| |
Polly shrugs. |
|
Polly Page: |
I dunno. Bad I guess, because I'd get into trouble. |
|
WPC Martella: |
How did you feel about the baby inside you? |
|
Polly Page: |
Whatcha mean? |
| |
Polly looks awkwardly back at the officer. |
|
WPC Martella: |
How did you feel about it? The tiny human being inside you. Weren't you sad when they killed the baby? |
|
Polly Page: |
I guess so but they didn't really kill it as such. I mean it was just an accident that it happened so it had to go away. |
| |
Viv replies firmly. |
|
WPC Martella: |
Polly, it was a real baby. It just hadn't been born yet. When they gave you an abortion they had to kill the baby to remove it. Now do you see why it's wrong? |
| |
Polly looks disbelivingly at Viv. |
|
Polly Page: |
But I couldn't have a baby, so the doctor had to make it go away. And then Greg kicked me and stuff because I got pregnant again. Does that mean that they killed the babies? |
| |
Viv nods her head remorsefully. |
|
WPC Martella: |
I'm afraid so, Polly. Both times the baby died. Do you understand why it's wrong to have sex and become pregnant before you're ready to cope with being a mother? |
|
Polly Page: |
But it wasn't my fault that I got pregnant! None of the times! |
|
WPC Martella: |
Exactly, it was the fault of the men who did this to you. You were not to blame. That's why they will be punished but you've done nothing wrong so you'll be fine. |
| |
Viv gives Polly a small smile. |
|
Polly Page: |
So it wasn't my fault for getting pregnant? Like, I didn't know that I could get pregnant the first time and then the second time was all Russell's fault coz he wasn't meant to go all the way and then... |
| |
Polly trails off, biting her tongue. Viv frowns, her eyebrows clenched together. |
|
WPC Martella: |
Then? Is there something you haven't told me, Polly? |
| |
Polly shakes her head looking away quickly. |
|
WPC Martella: |
Polly? What did you mean by "and then"? |
| |
Viv is becoming concerned. |
|
Polly Page: |
Nuffink, forget it. |
| |
Viv turns her serious brown eyes towards Polly and stares at her. |
|
WPC Martella: |
Polly, what were you about to say? |
| |
Polly lets several tears slip from her eyes, chewing down hard on her lower lip as she shakes her head. |
|
Polly Page: |
Nuffink. |
| |
Viv softly brushes the tears from Polly's cheeks with her shirtsleeve. She sighs deeply. |
|
WPC Martella: |
Polly, what's the matter, love? Why are you crying? |
| |
Polly swallows, still shaking her head slowly. |
|
Polly Page: |
I can't tell you. |
|
Continue...
|
