Read Online Without Looking Back by Tabitha Suzuma - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Tabitha Suzuma
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got to work with a hammer, smashing up the large, cumbersome desk in the study to turn it into Millie’s room.
That evening everyone was shattered, and they went to bed after eggs on toast, with Dad promising to takethem into town to explore and do some more shopping the next day. Louis and Max flipped a coin for the single bed in their bedroom and Louis won, so Max got the mattress on the floor. In the ex-study, Millie found a spider, which produced much hysteria and resulted in her sharing the double bed with Dad. But as soon as Louis’ head hit the new pillow, he fell fast asleep.
Straight after breakfast the next morning, they got in the car and drove into town. Now that they were calling the farmhouse ‘Dad’s new holiday home’ he seemed to have relaxed a bit about it and was no longer being quite so cryptic. It was fun, furnishing a new home, and Max and Millie made long lists of all the things they thought he needed. Max’s list mainly involved electrical equipment – from computers to PlayStations to Xboxes. Millie’s list included a pet cat. Dad laughed as he drove and told them to go easy.
In the end they got a portable television with an inbuilt DVD player, a wooden dolls’ house that Millie almost collapsed over, two beds placed on order, and a washer-dryer. They walked around Kendal, sat on a bench and ate a strange meal of fried fish with chips, and then Dad took them to a bike shop and told them they could choose any bike they wanted. They were in seventhheaven. They hadn’t been allowed to have bikes back in Paris because the roads were too dangerous. Around the tiny village of Grasmere, it seemed, there were very few main roads, but lots of long, smooth paths weaving around the lakes and in and out of the valley. Millie found a pink bike with a wicker basket that seduced her almost instantly. Louis chose a robust-looking mountain bike with eighteen gears. Max took ages choosing his bike, reading all the literature available, going through the different gears and speeds and makes with the very obliging shopkeeper until they were all ready to throttle him. But when they were just about to leave, a strange thing happened. The shopkeeper asked them where they were all from and Millie had just started to say ‘Paris’ when Dad interrupted her with ‘New Caledonia’.
‘Oh, that’s a lovely part of the world,’ the shopkeeper began. ‘We have relatives over there who—’
‘Do excuse us but we must really get going,’ Dad said, ushering them all out of the shop.
Outside, Max was laughing at Dad. ‘Why did you tell that old man we came from New Caledonia?’ he asked.
‘I didn’t like him,’ Dad said quickly. ‘I didn’t like the way he was looking at you. I think there was something funny about him. I didn’t want him to know where we were from.’
‘But he seemed really nice!’ Millie protested.
Dad suddenly pointed out that because he hadn’t got a roof rack for the Peugeot yet, Max and Louis would have to cycle home. ‘I’ll drive as slowly as I can and you can follow the car,’ he said.
But Max had a better idea. ‘We can go and explore!’
‘You’ll get lost,’ Dad said.
‘No we won’t. I remember the way back – it’s not exactly far,’ Max retorted.
Dad looked reluctant but, after a moment’s hesitation, gave in. He unfolded his map over the bonnet of the car and talked them through the five-mile route home. Millie protested that she wanted to come too but Dad distracted her with talk of going home to erect her dolls’ house. With last-minute warnings echoing in their ears, Max and Louis cycled off.
As they came out of the town, Louis spotted a pay phone on a street corner and skidded to a halt.
‘What are you doing?’ Max demanded, slowing down reluctantly.
Louis dug his hand into the pocket of his jeans for the change Dad had let him keep when he’d paid for the bike.
‘I’m gonna call Pierre. Tell him I’ve gone on holiday. He’ll be so
That evening everyone was shattered, and they went to bed after eggs on toast, with Dad promising to takethem into town to explore and do some more shopping the next day. Louis and Max flipped a coin for the single bed in their bedroom and Louis won, so Max got the mattress on the floor. In the ex-study, Millie found a spider, which produced much hysteria and resulted in her sharing the double bed with Dad. But as soon as Louis’ head hit the new pillow, he fell fast asleep.
Straight after breakfast the next morning, they got in the car and drove into town. Now that they were calling the farmhouse ‘Dad’s new holiday home’ he seemed to have relaxed a bit about it and was no longer being quite so cryptic. It was fun, furnishing a new home, and Max and Millie made long lists of all the things they thought he needed. Max’s list mainly involved electrical equipment – from computers to PlayStations to Xboxes. Millie’s list included a pet cat. Dad laughed as he drove and told them to go easy.
In the end they got a portable television with an inbuilt DVD player, a wooden dolls’ house that Millie almost collapsed over, two beds placed on order, and a washer-dryer. They walked around Kendal, sat on a bench and ate a strange meal of fried fish with chips, and then Dad took them to a bike shop and told them they could choose any bike they wanted. They were in seventhheaven. They hadn’t been allowed to have bikes back in Paris because the roads were too dangerous. Around the tiny village of Grasmere, it seemed, there were very few main roads, but lots of long, smooth paths weaving around the lakes and in and out of the valley. Millie found a pink bike with a wicker basket that seduced her almost instantly. Louis chose a robust-looking mountain bike with eighteen gears. Max took ages choosing his bike, reading all the literature available, going through the different gears and speeds and makes with the very obliging shopkeeper until they were all ready to throttle him. But when they were just about to leave, a strange thing happened. The shopkeeper asked them where they were all from and Millie had just started to say ‘Paris’ when Dad interrupted her with ‘New Caledonia’.
‘Oh, that’s a lovely part of the world,’ the shopkeeper began. ‘We have relatives over there who—’
‘Do excuse us but we must really get going,’ Dad said, ushering them all out of the shop.
Outside, Max was laughing at Dad. ‘Why did you tell that old man we came from New Caledonia?’ he asked.
‘I didn’t like him,’ Dad said quickly. ‘I didn’t like the way he was looking at you. I think there was something funny about him. I didn’t want him to know where we were from.’
‘But he seemed really nice!’ Millie protested.
Dad suddenly pointed out that because he hadn’t got a roof rack for the Peugeot yet, Max and Louis would have to cycle home. ‘I’ll drive as slowly as I can and you can follow the car,’ he said.
But Max had a better idea. ‘We can go and explore!’
‘You’ll get lost,’ Dad said.
‘No we won’t. I remember the way back – it’s not exactly far,’ Max retorted.
Dad looked reluctant but, after a moment’s hesitation, gave in. He unfolded his map over the bonnet of the car and talked them through the five-mile route home. Millie protested that she wanted to come too but Dad distracted her with talk of going home to erect her dolls’ house. With last-minute warnings echoing in their ears, Max and Louis cycled off.
As they came out of the town, Louis spotted a pay phone on a street corner and skidded to a halt.
‘What are you doing?’ Max demanded, slowing down reluctantly.
Louis dug his hand into the pocket of his jeans for the change Dad had let him keep when he’d paid for the bike.
‘I’m gonna call Pierre. Tell him I’ve gone on holiday. He’ll be so
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