慖 hope Laura抯 OK,?she says now.
Nelson turns around, looking almost surprised to see her there. You抮e still in my house, Ruth wants to tell him. You抳e just got out of my bed.
慡he will be,?says Nelson. 慖t抯 just lockdown and being in that flat. I think she just needs some space.?
慖t must be hard,?says Ruth. She has too much space, she thinks. Her cottage is surrounded by space, the marshes, the sea and the sky. Sometimes it feels as if she and Kate are on another planet. Well, at least she now has Zoe next door.
慖抦 sorry, love,?says Nelson. Though he doesn抰 say what for. He kisses her quickly, his lips hardly touching hers. And he抯 gone.
Laura arrives home at ten a.m. Nelson has already been back for three hours, trying to make the place look lived in.
慖 think you should go now,?Ruth had said last night. Her voice was perfectly pleasant, and he couldn抰 tell if she was annoyed or not.
慜h no, Dad,?said Katie. 慞lease stay. We haven抰 got to the six-fingered man yet.?
So Nelson had stayed the night but he got up at six to drive home. Ruth had still been pleasant in the morning but it was as if all the intimacy had vanished. She sat up in their still rumpled bed, looking, in her white nightdress, like a statue of virtue. 慖 hope Laura抯 OK,?she said, as if asking after an acquaintance.
Nelson had tiptoed in to kiss Katie goodbye then he抎 walked out to his car. Looking back, he saw the devil cat at the window, obviously planning a party to celebrate his departure. Was there a flicker at the next-door window too, a hand pulling back a curtain, a white face looking out? Nelson still isn抰 sure. As he drove along the coast road, the mist lifted and the sea was smooth and clear, like a mirage. He didn抰 see a single other car.
慦here抯 Bruno??says Laura as soon as she comes through the door.
慗an抯 looking after him. I抳e got a lot on at work.?
慦hat about Maura??
慖 thought Jan was easiest. What with lockdown and everything. And she抯 got Barney too.?
慦e could get him back now I抦 here.?
慪ou抣l be working too, won抰 you??
He knows that Laura is still going into school, teaching vulnerable children and the children of key workers. The strain of this and coming home to a shared flat with no outdoor space is clearly what is making her feel stressed. Nelson has always worried about his eldest daughter who has struggled in the past with anxiety and eating disorders. She抯 hard-working, conscientious and sensitive and, five years ago, she saw a man die in this very room. It抯 no wonder that lockdown is proving hard for her.
慖t would be nice to take Bruno for walks,?she says.
慪ou can take me for walks.?
慪ou! Go for a walk without Bruno! That抣l be the day.?
I went for a walk yesterday, Nelson wants to say. Katie found a revolting object called a mermaid抯 purse and I had to put it in my pocket along with several lucky stones. But he just gives Laura a hug. 慖t抯 good to have you home.?
慦ere you lonely on your own??
慥ery lonely,?says Nelson.
慖抣l look after you now,?says Laura. 慖 bet there抯 no food in the fridge.?
Ruth is left to face Sunday, never her favourite day, on her own. Kate is whiny and bored, missing Nelson. Even Flint looks disappointed. Ruth is at a loss as to how to distract her daughter. Normally, they抎 drive into Lynn, look at the shops or go to the cinema. Or they抎 go to the swimming pool and race each other up and down the lanes before having frothy cappuccino and KitKats in the caf? There抯 still the sea, Ruth tells herself, but Kate greets the prospect of another beach walk with disdain.
慪ou could take your wetsuit,?says Ruth. 慡ee if it抯 warm enough to swim.?
She knows the water will be absolutely freezing. Ruth doesn抰 have a wetsuit but will be forced to go in if Kate does. She抯 slightly relieved when Kate dismisses that idea. Ruth knows not even to mention homework.