The Corner Shop

The Corner Shop. Part 1

My name is Susan Smith. and I go to a mixed secondary modern school near London.

I am fairly tall for my age with long blond hair and blue eyes like my mum, I suppose you could say I’m quite a pretty girl, possible a bit too slim but mum said that would change as I got older.

I lived with my mum and my younger sister in a rented terraced house with a small garden in front, not that far from the school.

So I was able to walk to school every day with my little sister.

We’d lost our father a year ago, he’d had a heart attack, the doctor said, he was very young for something like that to happen, but that didn’t help to bring my dad back.

Mum had a job in town and she was earning just enough money to keep us, but money was pretty tight and I didn’t get any pocket money.

At the end of our road was a corner shop that sold just about everything, the proprietor was a Mr. Hassan, He was Indian or Pakistani, quite old and a bit fat, bald headed and he had a gray mustache.

I didn’t like Hassan, he was sort of slimy and when I was in his shop. he always use to stare at my legs, I knew my school skirt was a bit short and in the last six months I’d gotten taller, mum was going to get me a new one but she just couldn’t afford it at the moment.

Mum had an account at the shop and often I would get the list of everything she needed and then mum would pay for all the groceries at the end of the month when she got her wages

Things went seriously wrong when she became ill and lost her job. Mum was now bed ridden and the doctor said it would be a long time before she got better.

The corner shop bill hadn’t been paid for two weeks; I didn’t want to go down there anymore because Mr Hassan kept asking for the money. But mum was insistent that I went and got some food, she wrote a note for Mr. Hassain telling him that a friend of hers was going to help and she would be able to pay the entire bill next week.

Mr. Hassan was very dubious, I had to sign some papers, which I didn’t really read, and I was too young and naive to know that a I couldn’t sign any kind of agreement. But he gave me all the groceries I needed and even some money extra for my mum’s medicine. I didn’t like the way he always looked at me, he wasn’t a very nice man.

Of course at the end of the week the money didn’t come, I don’t know if mum did have a friend or not.

Mum told me I had to go and see Mr. Hassan and tell him that she couldn’t pay him now. I didn’t want to go and see him, but I had to, so I told mum I would call in and see him on the way home from school the next day.

The next day after school I went into the shop and talked to him, he told me to come into his office so I went into the back room of the shop with him.

The back room wasn’t very clean he had a bed in the corner a table and two chairs a TV and lots of boxes and stores piled up around the room even the chairs were stacked up full with box’s. He got out the papers I’d signed, I had to set down on the bed next to him and he talked to me.

“You are in very serious trouble young girl, if your mother can’t pay her bill then I will take these papers to the police and you will be evicted from your home, you and your little sister will be separated and put in to two different children homes, your mother will be moved to a house for the poor”

He really frightened me.

He continued;

“All this will be very bad for your mother’s health; you don’t want this to happen do you”

I shook my head and he continued.

“Once they put you in a home you may never see you mother or little sister again, all I have to do is speak to the police and they will come round the next day and take you all away”

I got really upset, it would be terrible if something like that happened, I started crying then, and he gave me a tissue.

“Please Mr. Hassan. Don’t go to the police” I pleaded crying.

He looked at me up and down, and then stared at my legs, saying.

“You’re a very pretty girl Susan; you know, your mothers not going to get the money by the end of the week don’t you”

I nodded; I knew he was right it would be impossible for mum to pay the bill.

He continued:

“But I can help you, you’re going to need some food and money for you mums medicine until she gets better”

He put his hand on my bare knee, I wanted to push his hand away, I didn’t like being touched by him, he was a horrible man, but I knew, I better be nice to him or he won’t help us. He kept his hand on my knee telling me.

“You will come back here on Wednesday after school and I will give you all the food and groceries you need and even some money for your mum’s medicines”

I felt his hand slowly moving up my knee towards the hem of my school skirt, quickly I put my hands on my skirt to stop his hand going any further.

He stood up then and told me;

“So Susan I will see you on Wednesday to collect all the groceries, you will just have to go with me into this room for about half an hour and if you’re a good girl then I won’t have to go to the police on Thursday morning, because if I do, then they will be coming round to your house on Friday and you know what will happen, do you understand”?

I nodded. He added;

“Better you don’t say anything to your mother or anybody else about our agreement or I will have to go to the police straight away”

We went back into the shop. He even asked me if I wanted anything, so I took some potatoes with me.

Hassan watched the pretty young girl leave his shop, smiling to himself. He felt certain that his plan was going to work. He liked young white girls

When I got home I didn’t say a word to my mother, just when she asked about the bill; I told her that, Mr. Hassan said we could sort it out later.

It was Tuesday now and tomorrow would be Wednesday, I really didn’t want to go and see Mr. Hassan in his shop, I don’t really think I realized what he meant, about going into his back room with him for half an hour, I was still very naive and innocent for my age.

Wednesday came. It was a day that was going to change my life. At four o’clock the finishing bell went and I walked down to Mr. Hassan’s shop.