said, pulling a notebook from her back pocket as she walked away.
Kit watched Romy’s housefrom his vantage point in the tree opposite as darkness fell and the road became populated with bands of miniature witches, vampires, superheroes and assorted ghouls. He burrowed closer to the trunk, clinging to the shadows of the branches as a group of children pushed through the green gate and ran up to the door with an explosion of giggles and squeals. He didn’t want to be seen, but he was glad of the opportunity to see Romy again when she came to answer the door. He watched her bend down, smiling brightly at the children as she held out a tray of treats. Her face was as warm and lovely as ever, and he felt happy to see her. Nevertheless, he was relieved when the children thundered off again, clanging the gate behind them, and he felt safe once more.
‘There’s a man upthat tree!’ squealed a high-pitched childish voice below him, making him jump and almost lose his balance. He looked down to see a tiny witch with a pointy hat and an elaborate cobweb painted on her face standing at the bottom of the tree and pointing up at him. Luckily, her fellow munchkins weren’t paying any attention and had already beetled off to the next house, oblivious to her shrieking. She was looking right up at him now and he put a finger to his lips to shush her.
‘What are you doing up there?’ she called to him.
‘Sssh,’ he hissed, shaking his head at her.
‘Are you stuck?’
‘No, I’m not stuck,’ he whispered. ‘Go away!’ He waved a hand, shooing her.
‘Why are you up a tree?’
Bloody little busybody!
Why wouldn’t she just piss off? ‘I’m hiding,’ he told her. ‘I’m … playing hide and seek.’
She looked around the road and then back up at him. ‘Who are you playing with?’
‘Shut up and go away. They’ll find me.’
‘Are you playing with your children?’
‘I don’t – yes!’
‘Oh.’ She looked up and down the road again. ‘Where are they?’
‘What?’
‘Where are your children? I don’t see anyone.’
For fuck’s sake!
‘They’re looking for me. They’re … here they come now,’ he said, waving vaguely to the end of the road, where a gaggle of trick-or-treaters had just rounded the corner.
‘Them?’ she pointed, peering at them closely as they drew nearer.
‘Yes,’ he hissed urgently. ‘That’s them. Now go away or they’ll find me.’
‘That’s Josh and Aliceand Gordon and Pearse. They’re in my class. You’re not their dad. I’ve seen their dads at school.’
‘Look, will you just—’
‘Why did you say you’re their dad when you’re not?’
She was looking up at him expectantly and he had no idea what to say. Then she suddenly gasped and he heard her mutter something to herself. ‘Stranger danger!’ she yelped, before letting out a blood-curdling scream and taking off down the road as fast as her little legs would carry her.
Thank fuck for that, Kit thought, relaxing back against the tree to watch the comings and goings at Romy’s party, grateful to have the darkness to himself again. He didn’t know quite why he had decided to hide in a tree and spy on her from a distance, but he felt weird about just marching up to her door and ringing the bell after half a lifetime. Yeah, this was definitely the not-weird option, he thought wryly – stuck up a tree in the sodium haze of the streetlights with fireworks exploding around his head while he spied on his ex-girlfriend. There was nothing weird about that.
His mother had been surprised when he had appeared downstairs and announced that he’d decided to go out after all. But when he’d said he thought he might take her advice and look up Romy, she had looked so pleased that it made him feel guilty – guilty that he could make her happy so easily if he tried, guilty that he hadn’t tried harder since coming home, and most of all, guilty because he knew she would read something into him looking up
Kit watched Romy’s housefrom his vantage point in the tree opposite as darkness fell and the road became populated with bands of miniature witches, vampires, superheroes and assorted ghouls. He burrowed closer to the trunk, clinging to the shadows of the branches as a group of children pushed through the green gate and ran up to the door with an explosion of giggles and squeals. He didn’t want to be seen, but he was glad of the opportunity to see Romy again when she came to answer the door. He watched her bend down, smiling brightly at the children as she held out a tray of treats. Her face was as warm and lovely as ever, and he felt happy to see her. Nevertheless, he was relieved when the children thundered off again, clanging the gate behind them, and he felt safe once more.
‘There’s a man upthat tree!’ squealed a high-pitched childish voice below him, making him jump and almost lose his balance. He looked down to see a tiny witch with a pointy hat and an elaborate cobweb painted on her face standing at the bottom of the tree and pointing up at him. Luckily, her fellow munchkins weren’t paying any attention and had already beetled off to the next house, oblivious to her shrieking. She was looking right up at him now and he put a finger to his lips to shush her.
‘What are you doing up there?’ she called to him.
‘Sssh,’ he hissed, shaking his head at her.
‘Are you stuck?’
‘No, I’m not stuck,’ he whispered. ‘Go away!’ He waved a hand, shooing her.
‘Why are you up a tree?’
Bloody little busybody!
Why wouldn’t she just piss off? ‘I’m hiding,’ he told her. ‘I’m … playing hide and seek.’
She looked around the road and then back up at him. ‘Who are you playing with?’
‘Shut up and go away. They’ll find me.’
‘Are you playing with your children?’
‘I don’t – yes!’
‘Oh.’ She looked up and down the road again. ‘Where are they?’
‘What?’
‘Where are your children? I don’t see anyone.’
For fuck’s sake!
‘They’re looking for me. They’re … here they come now,’ he said, waving vaguely to the end of the road, where a gaggle of trick-or-treaters had just rounded the corner.
‘Them?’ she pointed, peering at them closely as they drew nearer.
‘Yes,’ he hissed urgently. ‘That’s them. Now go away or they’ll find me.’
‘That’s Josh and Aliceand Gordon and Pearse. They’re in my class. You’re not their dad. I’ve seen their dads at school.’
‘Look, will you just—’
‘Why did you say you’re their dad when you’re not?’
She was looking up at him expectantly and he had no idea what to say. Then she suddenly gasped and he heard her mutter something to herself. ‘Stranger danger!’ she yelped, before letting out a blood-curdling scream and taking off down the road as fast as her little legs would carry her.
Thank fuck for that, Kit thought, relaxing back against the tree to watch the comings and goings at Romy’s party, grateful to have the darkness to himself again. He didn’t know quite why he had decided to hide in a tree and spy on her from a distance, but he felt weird about just marching up to her door and ringing the bell after half a lifetime. Yeah, this was definitely the not-weird option, he thought wryly – stuck up a tree in the sodium haze of the streetlights with fireworks exploding around his head while he spied on his ex-girlfriend. There was nothing weird about that.
His mother had been surprised when he had appeared downstairs and announced that he’d decided to go out after all. But when he’d said he thought he might take her advice and look up Romy, she had looked so pleased that it made him feel guilty – guilty that he could make her happy so easily if he tried, guilty that he hadn’t tried harder since coming home, and most of all, guilty because he knew she would read something into him looking up
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