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He lowered his head and said well it doesn't feel like it She sighed, loudly, and pulled away fro towards the door

I' his forehead with the knuckles of his fist, I' drive She held on to the door frame, and closed her eyes

It was the first argument they'd had for months The last time had been when her brother Donald contacted them to say that herup there at all, and David had tried to insist that she should She'd shouted at him then, and told hiet it after all these years, and he'd shouted back thather in the first place There was nothing like that being said this ti tension; in their voices, in the tight grip of their hands on the sill and the door frao further Later, over breakfast, they would agree that they were getting too old for that kind of thing, that it wasn't worth getting so wound up about it all, and the sharpness of their words would be forgotten But for ato think what to say, it felt as though they were newly ain

Perhaps you shouldn't go today then, she said quickly, if you're really so tired, if it was such a long drive Perhaps you should leave it He raised his hands, shaking them in the air

But I've bought the ticket now, he said, aled They'll be expectingaway and his hands falling to his sides And sonation or defeat must have shown on his face, because when he looked at her he could see that she regretted what she'd said Maybe I shouldn't go at all, he said She let go of the door fra a hand to his arm

Oh no, she said I didn't , she said, you said you were tired He turned away froarden She said, I'll put some toast on She left the room and went downstairs to the kitchen The stea to a steady twisted strealanced at the clock

They were in thebreath fro It was his sister Susan, wanting to kno things had gone at the funeral I', am I? she asked

No, David said, reaching across to the table for his toast, you're fine

Only it seeood time to call, she added How had it been at the service, she asked, and afterwards - were people friendly enough, how did Kate take it all, had Eleanor changed her mind at the last minute? No, he said, she hadn't She asked hi in London, if she'd had any luck finding a proper job yet

She's still in London, he told her, and she's working She see, he said, and Susan e in his voice because she said oh no, no I' He heard the splash of solass, juice perhaps, and pictured her sitting at her breakfast table in the bay ith toast and yoghurt and folded white napkins, looking out at the long stretch of garden between her house and the road She asked hietting things ready and then I' off, on my trip

Oh? Susan said, sounding surprised You're still doing that? So soon?

Yes Susan, he said tautly So soon How er did you want me to leave it?

I didn't mean that, she said You know I didn'tabout Eleanor, if she'll be okay while you're gone He held his breath for a moment

Yes, he said, well, I don't know about that You'll have to ask her that yourself He held the phone out towards Eleanor, saying it'sthe faint sound of Susan telling him not to be silly Eleanor looked at him suspiciously and took the phone

Hello? she said