Page 13 (1/2)

He believed it

He had closed his eyes Now he opened the from its calm order Then he stood up, twisted this way and that a few ti the evening in, alone, watching a docuraphy of Stalin It was ti forward to, lio through his sketchbooks of his spring break in the Faroes where he had gulped in lungfuls of crystal-cold air and walked aorated and deeply peaceful He had an exhibition next year, half of which would be of these drawings, the rest of portraits, h the, careful time

He stretched out on the sofa It was not only time which he did not have He needed a calet one

His brother-in-law had a brain tuh to be aware that his chances were slim He was very fond of Chris, he would find it hard if he were not around, but it was his sister he had most in hischildren and a stressful job but without her beloved husband, was unith and time and love for all of them There was no one else

The cathedral bells started up Simon went to theand looked down on the close

Not true, a voice niggled, not true and you know it There is Dad And now there is Dad and Judith

Judith Connolly

She is a nice woly straightforward and she will do your father a power of good What possible reason is there for your being so antagonistic towards her? None

While as muddied and turbulent, while Chris was ill and very probably dying, and Judith was in hishere, could not take pleasure fro his next exhibition, could not relax and simply be

The phone rang

"Si?"

Cat

She was crying

"I’ll coht, another day had stretched out the long decline of su on through the evening Si He was neither musical nor spiritual--he left that to Cat She did music and God for both of the a horrible illness, and a horrible treathts were as close to prayer as he ever ca hith of time, he decided that he would ask to be left out He was needed here, not halfway across the country after an elusive and anonyh if he wanted one of those, he didn’t have far to look

As he sped through the narron streets, his ht now Cat cao to sleep"

He was a good sleeper If he hadn’t been, Bethan Doyle would have gone off her head He woke before six but in any case they had to be ready to leave the house at seven so it didn’t ht the bus to Bevhas were death but she’d rather that than depend on Foster, rather be independent, rather have no money Not that she had much money now by the time she’d paid for the nursery and her rent But she was her ooht even give up the day job

Jamie wailed She closed the door and switched on Corrie but the wails ca with hinature tune, drowning him out for a minute Bethan went into the kitchen and switched on the kettle, but when she ca

She went into the dark bedroom His cot was in one corner, her bed in the other Poky little roos around, she hated the pokiness so much And the street it was in and the people next door and the rest of them all round She was on the council list but they’d only offered her on the roughest estate in Bevham and she wanted to stay here Lafferton was a step up and it ay from Foster When the tiet a job here so she didn’t have to fork out for fares, it would be even better

She had plans It all took so long but she did have plans Jamie hadn’t been planned, far from it, but he was here so the plans had to be for theo to the college, do dress design and business studies andshop Already her ads had brought in soo now If she could just go out there and shout at all the girls as easily led by boys as she had been If she could force them to see But she’d make it She was sure

She pushed Jamie’s damp hair back from his forehead It was close in the rooet off

Bethan drew the curtains back and opened thea notch A war on the end of his cot, andin the smell of chips too

She could have killed for a packet of hot fish and chips but that was another thing you didn’t know about, how you were completely stuck, tied to them Some mothers would have left their babies, run out to the chip shop a couple of blocks away Some would stay out for a drink as well Soether with an older one supposedly responsible enough to look out for theed all of ten or eleven

The s her

"Jaht, it’s sleep time Lie down"