Read Online We All Fall Down by Peter Barry - Free Book Online Page B

along the clifftop.
    On their return, Hugh made an effort to be polite to Jodie and John, steered clear of mentioning either advertising or the real estate business, and even made everyone tea. Not long after, holding a tired Tim, he stood next to his wife and watched their guests drive off in John’s new Mercedes-Benz SLK, a car that Hugh happened to regard as a Dinky Toy suitable only for women drivers. Absolutely perfect for an estate agent, he thought.
    As they disappeared out of sight, he reached out to put an arm round Kate’s shoulders. He was a little surprised when she responded by moving up against him. ‘They’re very nice,’ he lied, ‘but I’m still glad we have Sunday evening alone.’
    â€˜You always like Sunday evenings alone. You’re weird.’ They went indoors.
    â€˜I’ll give Tim something to eat and put him to bed.’ He was feeling generous.
    Later he came downstairs, his son still shouting, ‘Night, night, sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite.’ He asked Kate if he could change channels. ‘Fine. I’m not looking at anything in particular. What do you want to watch?’
    â€˜It’s our new Bauer commercial. It’s on for the first time – before the News. You can tell me what you think of it.’
    The commercial showed a Bauer speeding along a straight road while the driver speaks to the camera about the revolutionary technology. Without a break in what he’s saying, he opens the door and climbs out. Meanwhile, the background scenery continues to hurtle past, as do other cars. It appears that the Bauer is travelling at well over a hundred kilometers an hour, yet the driver’s walking around it.
    â€˜How did you do that? That’s amazing.’
    â€˜It’s some technical wizardry that I can’t even get my head around. It was Fiona’s idea, and she found some New Zealand production house that could do it.’
    â€˜It’s impressive. You haven’t told me about Fiona, by the way. Was she all right the other night?’
    â€˜Not really.’
    â€˜Why did Russell get rid of her?’
    â€˜I think he felt threatened by her. She certainly didn’t deserve to be fired. He can’t cope with opinionated women, that’s the problem.’
    â€˜Was she a feminist?’
    â€˜Not the burning bra type, if that’s what you mean. Just intelligent.’
    They picked at some leftovers for their dinner, and watched a DVD. She was lying on the sofa, her head resting on his lap. Half way through the film she said, ‘I’ve been thinking, we should go away over Easter – camping or something.’
    He glanced down at her. ‘All right.’
    â€˜I mean it.’ She twisted round to look up at him.
    â€˜So do I.’
    â€˜You hardly sound enthusiastic.’
    â€˜I am. Honestly, it’s a great idea. The forecast’s pretty good, I think.’
    â€˜Just the three of us. Special time together.’
    He warmed to the idea. ‘We’ll head up the coast. There might be a problem booking a campsite this late in the day, but we can head inland if that’s the case. It’ll be fun. We’ll drive wherever the fancy takes us.’
    They stopped the DVD. They told themselves it was boring. Instead they made plans. They were like kids. They were so excited they wanted to see if Tim was still awake so they could tell him the good news. Hugh went upstairs to check, but he was fast asleep. He struggled against the temptation to wake him. Tim had only been camping once before, and he’d had a great time. Every night he’d lain on his airbed and prodded the canvas above his head, unable to go to sleep for hours because he was so excited sharing the same sleeping area with his parents.
    They both went to bed that Sunday night looking forward to Good Friday. It was only four work days away.

4
    There was an exhilarating buzz about