Joint win Rosemary and John 3 votes each.
Rosemary's story
John's story
NOWHERE TO WALK. JAKE BROWN WAS A TYPICAL SMALL TOWN CROOK WHO MADE A LIVING, STEALING OPPORTUNISTICALLY WHENEVER HE COULD, AND WHILST, LIKE LOTS OF HIS FELLOW CRIMINALS, HE HAD A DRUG DEPENDENCY, HE WAS IN SOME WAYS, QUITE A LIKEABLE CHAP. HE WAS WELL KNOWN TO THE LOCAL BOBBIES WHO HAD A TIRED ACCEPTANCE OF HIS WAY OF LIFE, AND THEY KNEW THAT IF JAKE WAS BANG TO RIGHTS, HE WOULD RESIGNEDLY ACCEPT HIS LOT, WHICH WAS USUALLY ANOTHER STRETCH INSIDE. THIS PATTERN HAD BEEN THE CASE FOR A GOOD FEW YEARS, AND SO LIFE FOR JAKE BECAME QUITE PREDICTABLE. HE HAD A FEW RELATIONSHIPS WITH WOMEN, WHO INEVITABLY USED TO GET TIRED OF HIS ACTIVITIES, BUT THEN ONE DAY A LADY CAME INTO HIS LIFE, WHO WAS DETERMINED TO CHANGE HIM. YES, WE ALL KNOW ABOUT THESE WOMEN, WHO FEEL SURE THAT THEY CAN CHANGE THEIR MAN FOR THE BETTER, BUT GLORIA SEEMED DETERMINED, AND JAKE CERTAINLY GAVE THE IMPRESSION THAT HE WAS PREPARED TO GIVE IT A GO. SO, FOR A WHILE HE EVEN GOT A JOB, AS A ROADSWEEPER, AND GLORIA WAS HAPPY. WHY, HE EVEN GOT HIMSELF SOME PETS. A LITTLE KITTEN, A TATTY OLD MONGREL OF DOG CALLED WAYNE, AND A PARROT. WELL, THIS WENT ON WELL FOR A FEW MONTHS UNTIL WITH THE ICY ROADS JAKE FELL WHILST SWEEPING AND WAS SUDDENLY LAID UP WITH A BROKEN LEG. HE THEN HAD NOWHERE TO WALK IN THIS CONDITION, AND SPENT HOURS WITH HIS PETS AND SOON HAD THE PARROT SPEAKING QUITE WELL. HE SPENT MANY A DAY WITH HIS PETS, ALTHOUGH GLORIA HAD TO TAKE THE DOG OUT FOR WALKS. UNFORTUNATELY, ALL OF THIS SPARE TIME COULD NOT BE TAKEN UP COMPLETELY WITH HIS PETS AND JAKES MIND TURNED ONCE MORE TO HIS CRIMINAL THOUGHTS. ONE DAY AFTER HE HAD HIS PLASTERCAST REMOVED, JAKE DID A LITTLE TRIP AROUND THE NEIGHBOURHOOD, AND MANAGED TO GET INTO A HOUSE AND GOT AWAY WITH A GOOD SELECTION OF JEWELRY AND WATCHES, GOT HOME AND QUICKLY PUT IT AWAY IN HIS SECRET CUPBOARD. LET THINGS SETTLE DOWN HE THOUGHT AND THEN HE WOULD CONTACT HIS FENCE AND SELL IT ALL OFF. NEEDLESS TO SAY THE LOCAL BOBBIES DIDN'T TAKE TOO KINDLY TO A ROBBERY ON THEIR PATCH, AND AFTER A BIT OF DIGGING JAKE'S NAME CAME INTO THE FRAME. HE HADN'T GOT RID OF THE ILL GOTTEN GAINS EITHER WHEN THEY PAID HIM A VISIT. GLORIA WAS SHOCKED TOO. SHE'D FELT THAT JAKE HAD BECOME A BETTER FELLOW UNDER HER WATCHFUL EYE, BUT OF COURSE HE COULDN'T RESIST THE CHANCE TO GET BACK TO HIS OLD WAYS. JAKE PLEADED HIS INNOCENCE TO THE LAW, AND ALL WAS LOOKING GOOD UNTIL HIS BELOVED PARROT SUDDENLY CHIRPED UP IN ANSWER TO THE POLICEMAN ASKING WHERE THE SWAG WAS, BY SQUAKING "ITS IN THE CUPBOARD". BLAST IT THOUGHT JAKE AS HE WAS LED AWAY LOOKING AT ANOTHER STRETCH INSIDE. GLORIA WAS DISTRAUGHT, BUT THE PARROT SEEMED TO HAVE A SORT OF GLOW ABOUT HIM AS JAKE WAS LED OUT OF THE DOOR.
No meeting December
January Became intrigued
