warrants a search and rescue team.’
Nina threw her arms around her friend. ‘Oh Laura,’ she said. Their faces were close, a mass of tangled hair and tears. Laura let it all out on Nina’s shoulder.
‘You’ll get through this,’ Nina whispered. She held Laura at arm’s length and laughed when she saw the scribbles of mascara on her cheeks. ‘It takes me hours to achieve that look,’ she joked, but then she was reminded of what happened at the theatre.
‘I’d better get going,’ she said. ‘Hungry hordes at mine too, you know.’ She pulled her car keys from her trouser pocket.
‘Wait. Are you OK? Really?’ Laura asked, noticing Nina’s deep sigh.
‘Yeah. It’s nothing,’ she said, smiling brightly.
Laura shrugged. ‘Get out of my house and go back to yours. Hug Josie and Mick for me and send Natalie home when you see her. That girl would live at your house if she could.’ She gave Nina a tight squeeze.
‘I will.’ Nina went outside and got in her car. Laura waved and closed the front door.
The street, similar to Nina’s only a short distance away, was deserted apart from another vehicle about fifty yards along the road. The car was stationary so Nina continued rolling backwards out of Laura’s sloping drive. She wondered what was in the refrigerator at home.
Suddenly, her head was jolted as her car was clipped from behind. Her foot instinctively jabbed the brake as she was knocked sideways.
‘Christ! Watch out!’ she cried, rubbing her sore neck. The impact rang in her ears and it took her a moment to regain her senses. She turned and stared down the road, watching the big dark car driving off at speed. She saw 5 and 7 and M in the number plate, but that was all.
‘Stupid, stupid man,’ she wailed, pumping the horn way too late. ‘Damn him,’ she said, slumping forward, wondering if she could offer even a vehicle type to the police.
Shaking, Nina got out of the car to examine the damage. There was a dent along the rear quarter of her small red car, framed by a dark green streak of metallic paint. She ran her finger along it, as if it might give a clue to the car’s owner. Was it a Rover? A Jaguar? she wondered. Definitely a male driver, she recalled, trying to re-create an image of the face she saw flash past, but it had been too fast.
Nina glanced at Laura’s house but somehow couldn’t face adding to her friend’s troubles. She got back in the car and drove off, slowing at every dark car she saw in case it had a dented front and she could get a number plate.
At home, the kitchen was a mix of teenage giggles, something burning, and a laptop balanced precariously on the edge of Natalie’s knee as she sat on the worktop, swinging her legs and kicking the cupboard doors with an annoying beat. The girl was hunched over the screen, her fingers jabbing at the keys with the skill of a speed typist.
‘What’s that smell?’ Nina asked. She had dumped all her make-up kit in the hall. It could stay there until morning.
‘Toast,’ Josie replied. A shower of black crumbs rained on to the floor as she scraped the blackened bread. ‘It burned.’
‘No way,’ Natalie cried. Without looking up from the screen, she pulled the toast from Josie’s fingers and bit into it. ‘You’ll never guess who Kat’s going out with?’
Nina shook her head and went into the downstairs toilet. Her head was throbbing from the wretched day she’d had. The girls’ voices faded to distant whoops and incredulous laughter as she locked the door.
Nina flicked on the light and leaned against the wall. She just needed a moment.
‘You in there, Mum?’ Josie said, hammering on the door. ‘Hurry up. I’m desperate.’
Nina stood and flushed the toilet. She was being ridiculous. She was tired, stressed about her extra workload, even though it was exciting. And she’d not been sleeping all that well. Mick had been restless because of his new commitments. They were no different to many families she
Nina threw her arms around her friend. ‘Oh Laura,’ she said. Their faces were close, a mass of tangled hair and tears. Laura let it all out on Nina’s shoulder.
‘You’ll get through this,’ Nina whispered. She held Laura at arm’s length and laughed when she saw the scribbles of mascara on her cheeks. ‘It takes me hours to achieve that look,’ she joked, but then she was reminded of what happened at the theatre.
‘I’d better get going,’ she said. ‘Hungry hordes at mine too, you know.’ She pulled her car keys from her trouser pocket.
‘Wait. Are you OK? Really?’ Laura asked, noticing Nina’s deep sigh.
‘Yeah. It’s nothing,’ she said, smiling brightly.
Laura shrugged. ‘Get out of my house and go back to yours. Hug Josie and Mick for me and send Natalie home when you see her. That girl would live at your house if she could.’ She gave Nina a tight squeeze.
‘I will.’ Nina went outside and got in her car. Laura waved and closed the front door.
The street, similar to Nina’s only a short distance away, was deserted apart from another vehicle about fifty yards along the road. The car was stationary so Nina continued rolling backwards out of Laura’s sloping drive. She wondered what was in the refrigerator at home.
Suddenly, her head was jolted as her car was clipped from behind. Her foot instinctively jabbed the brake as she was knocked sideways.
‘Christ! Watch out!’ she cried, rubbing her sore neck. The impact rang in her ears and it took her a moment to regain her senses. She turned and stared down the road, watching the big dark car driving off at speed. She saw 5 and 7 and M in the number plate, but that was all.
‘Stupid, stupid man,’ she wailed, pumping the horn way too late. ‘Damn him,’ she said, slumping forward, wondering if she could offer even a vehicle type to the police.
Shaking, Nina got out of the car to examine the damage. There was a dent along the rear quarter of her small red car, framed by a dark green streak of metallic paint. She ran her finger along it, as if it might give a clue to the car’s owner. Was it a Rover? A Jaguar? she wondered. Definitely a male driver, she recalled, trying to re-create an image of the face she saw flash past, but it had been too fast.
Nina glanced at Laura’s house but somehow couldn’t face adding to her friend’s troubles. She got back in the car and drove off, slowing at every dark car she saw in case it had a dented front and she could get a number plate.
At home, the kitchen was a mix of teenage giggles, something burning, and a laptop balanced precariously on the edge of Natalie’s knee as she sat on the worktop, swinging her legs and kicking the cupboard doors with an annoying beat. The girl was hunched over the screen, her fingers jabbing at the keys with the skill of a speed typist.
‘What’s that smell?’ Nina asked. She had dumped all her make-up kit in the hall. It could stay there until morning.
‘Toast,’ Josie replied. A shower of black crumbs rained on to the floor as she scraped the blackened bread. ‘It burned.’
‘No way,’ Natalie cried. Without looking up from the screen, she pulled the toast from Josie’s fingers and bit into it. ‘You’ll never guess who Kat’s going out with?’
Nina shook her head and went into the downstairs toilet. Her head was throbbing from the wretched day she’d had. The girls’ voices faded to distant whoops and incredulous laughter as she locked the door.
Nina flicked on the light and leaned against the wall. She just needed a moment.
‘You in there, Mum?’ Josie said, hammering on the door. ‘Hurry up. I’m desperate.’
Nina stood and flushed the toilet. She was being ridiculous. She was tired, stressed about her extra workload, even though it was exciting. And she’d not been sleeping all that well. Mick had been restless because of his new commitments. They were no different to many families she
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