Read Online After the Storm by Jane Lythell - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jane Lythell
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with him. He’s a musician.’
She got out her festival programme and showed him the listing.
‘He plays lead guitar. They’re playing the second stage at seven so we must make sure we go see them.’
At 2 p.m. they were standing by the dodgems and she waved to a tall man in jeans wearing a full length embroidered Afghan coat. He came over to them and Rob saw that he had a strange mouth, full pouty red lips that looked odd on a man. The man was staring at his mum in a way he didn’t like.
‘Robbie, this is Elliot.’
‘Hey Robbie, I hear you’re a fan of the dodgems,’ the man said.
Rob nodded doubtfully. The man was holding a long cotton scarf which had small blue roses all over it.
‘I got this for you Robin,’ he said holding the scarf out to his mum.
His mum held the scarf up looking pleased. She wound it round her long pale hair. It was his first meeting with his future stepfather and he had wanted very much to punch him in the stomach.
Rob was fully awake now. Thinking about his stepfather always made him feel bad.
Up on deck Owen gripped the tiller and looked into the darkness. He was remembering an incident from long ago when he was little, maybe seven because his mom was pregnant with Megan. Dad had taken them out on a family outing, a picnic on the beach. As they walked back to their car his mom spotted a bird of prey circling overhead and she pointed her arm up at the sky and cried out in excitement.
‘Jim, Owen, look, over there.’
They all stopped in the road and watched the bird with its wings fully spread as it swept in a wide arc as though it owned the sky. It was surveying the ground below for any signs of life among the dunes.
‘Great bird. So proud, so majestic…’ his dad said.
They got into the car. It was very hot inside because the windows had been shut for several hours. Owen liked the hotness of the car but it made him sleepy. As his mom opened her window she let out a cry of distress. She was looking at the third finger on her right hand.
‘My ring, oh my ring. It’s gone!’
Dad had bought Mom an eternity ring with a red stone and it was gone.
Her eyes filled with tears.
‘I shouldn’t have worn it to the beach.’
‘When did you last see it?’
‘I think I had it when I was packing up the picnic.’
‘So it’s somewhere between the beach and here. We’ll retrace our steps.’
They all got out of the car and Owen followed them up the hill dragging his feet because he had wanted to sleep. Mom and Dad were looking in the banks on either side of the road. He thought about the moment when his mom had pointed up at the bird in the sky. He’d seen something move in the air as she swung her arm down. He got down on his knees and started to scrabble among the verges, pushing the grasses aside.
‘This is hopeless,’ Mom wailed. ‘Best we go home, Jim.’
But Owen didn’t want to give up now because his mom loved that ring. So he kept looking in the grasses, inching up the road and running his hands through the plants. And then he saw it. Lying in the dust and the dead leaves he saw his mom’s ring. He picked it up and held it above his head and the sun struck it and it gleamed so brightly. And Mom and Dad were hugging him tight. Finding something precious that was lost felt so good.
A large wave washed over the boat and hit Owen in the face so that his eyes stung. He grimaced and shook his head vigorously thinking how much his dad had changed only a few years later. No. He wasn’t going to let himself think about that.
It was an achingly long night for them all.
Day Four
At last tentative signs of morning came. The sky lightened slowly to dark purple and then to grey. The rain had stopped and they could see that the sun was obscured behind thick clouds. The sea became gradually less turbulent and the wind lessened in force. They were all tired and shaky. Kim went below to fire up the stove and make them coffee. Owen had hauled the mainsail up again
She got out her festival programme and showed him the listing.
‘He plays lead guitar. They’re playing the second stage at seven so we must make sure we go see them.’
At 2 p.m. they were standing by the dodgems and she waved to a tall man in jeans wearing a full length embroidered Afghan coat. He came over to them and Rob saw that he had a strange mouth, full pouty red lips that looked odd on a man. The man was staring at his mum in a way he didn’t like.
‘Robbie, this is Elliot.’
‘Hey Robbie, I hear you’re a fan of the dodgems,’ the man said.
Rob nodded doubtfully. The man was holding a long cotton scarf which had small blue roses all over it.
‘I got this for you Robin,’ he said holding the scarf out to his mum.
His mum held the scarf up looking pleased. She wound it round her long pale hair. It was his first meeting with his future stepfather and he had wanted very much to punch him in the stomach.
Rob was fully awake now. Thinking about his stepfather always made him feel bad.
Up on deck Owen gripped the tiller and looked into the darkness. He was remembering an incident from long ago when he was little, maybe seven because his mom was pregnant with Megan. Dad had taken them out on a family outing, a picnic on the beach. As they walked back to their car his mom spotted a bird of prey circling overhead and she pointed her arm up at the sky and cried out in excitement.
‘Jim, Owen, look, over there.’
They all stopped in the road and watched the bird with its wings fully spread as it swept in a wide arc as though it owned the sky. It was surveying the ground below for any signs of life among the dunes.
‘Great bird. So proud, so majestic…’ his dad said.
They got into the car. It was very hot inside because the windows had been shut for several hours. Owen liked the hotness of the car but it made him sleepy. As his mom opened her window she let out a cry of distress. She was looking at the third finger on her right hand.
‘My ring, oh my ring. It’s gone!’
Dad had bought Mom an eternity ring with a red stone and it was gone.
Her eyes filled with tears.
‘I shouldn’t have worn it to the beach.’
‘When did you last see it?’
‘I think I had it when I was packing up the picnic.’
‘So it’s somewhere between the beach and here. We’ll retrace our steps.’
They all got out of the car and Owen followed them up the hill dragging his feet because he had wanted to sleep. Mom and Dad were looking in the banks on either side of the road. He thought about the moment when his mom had pointed up at the bird in the sky. He’d seen something move in the air as she swung her arm down. He got down on his knees and started to scrabble among the verges, pushing the grasses aside.
‘This is hopeless,’ Mom wailed. ‘Best we go home, Jim.’
But Owen didn’t want to give up now because his mom loved that ring. So he kept looking in the grasses, inching up the road and running his hands through the plants. And then he saw it. Lying in the dust and the dead leaves he saw his mom’s ring. He picked it up and held it above his head and the sun struck it and it gleamed so brightly. And Mom and Dad were hugging him tight. Finding something precious that was lost felt so good.
A large wave washed over the boat and hit Owen in the face so that his eyes stung. He grimaced and shook his head vigorously thinking how much his dad had changed only a few years later. No. He wasn’t going to let himself think about that.
It was an achingly long night for them all.
Day Four
At last tentative signs of morning came. The sky lightened slowly to dark purple and then to grey. The rain had stopped and they could see that the sun was obscured behind thick clouds. The sea became gradually less turbulent and the wind lessened in force. They were all tired and shaky. Kim went below to fire up the stove and make them coffee. Owen had hauled the mainsail up again
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