Free Starburst by Robin Pilcher

husband. “It would be for three weeks, Gary.”
    “Three weeks? No way, then! Ye can’t go off and abandon yer family for three weeks, especially not in August! That’s when Robbie and Karen’ll be getting ready to go back to school. Who’s going to manage all that?” Gary took another long drag from his cigarette and shook his head. “A nice thought, Terry, but it wouldn’t work out at all.”
    “Excuse me,” Rene exclaimed, her voice rising in volume, “but is there any good reason why you shouldn’t look after Robbie and Karen? After all, ye’re not doing owt else at the moment.”
    Gary leaned over, inches away from Rene’s face, his eyes pierced with anger. “It’s not my bloody fault I don’t ’ave a job. And anyway, what would ’appen if I got a job while ye were away? Who’d look after the kids then?”
    “ I don’t know, Gary. I haven’t given it that much thought yet!”
    “Well, forgive if I’m wrong, lass, but it sounds as if ye’ve thought about it good and proper!”
    Terry got slowly to his feet and pushed the stool under the table. “Look, I’d better get off and leave you two alone to talk about it.” He eased his way between them, and then, with another pensive scratch to his cheek, he turned back and smiled at Rene’s husband. “Listen, Gary, I know it’s ’ard for ye right now. I appreciate it all, mate. I got laid off at the shipyard back in ’92, and it took me an age to get back on me feet after that blow. But you ’ave a wife with an amazing talent, and to ’ave that locked away here in ’Artlepool is a real waste. I mean, she could make a whole load of money doing what she does.”
    “And are ye trying to tell me that I’m not capable of making the money then, is that it?” Gary replied irately, taking a step towards Terry.
    Terry held up his hands defensively. “No, I never meant that, mate.”
    “I’m the one who’s been bringing all the money into this family up until now, Terry, my friend. I wasn’t to know that the bloody Koreans were going to pull the rug out from under our feet because of some sodding ‘global restructuring’ plan.”
    “I know, Gary,” Terry said quietly. “I’m sorry, it was never meant to sound that way, ’onest, lad.” He gave Rene a sad smile. “I’ll let meself out.” He opened the door and closed it behind him, and as he stood on the step he blew out a long breath of both regret and relief. He walked around the side of the house, past the weed-ridden rubble and out through the paint-starved gate. The game of football had ceased in the road. No doubt a case of “bad light, stop play,” he thought to himself. He walked over to the van, jerked open the ill-fitting door and got in, cranking up the engine with a roar from the broken exhaust. He was just about to pull away from the curb when again he was made to jump at the sound of something heavy hitting the side of his van. He glanced in his wing mirror only to find Rene standing beside him on the pavement. He rolled down the window.
    “All right, lass?” he asked concernedly.
    She nodded. “Aye, I’m fine.”
    He flicked his thumb over his shoulder. “Sorry about that in there. I didn’t—”
    “I’ll do it.”
    “What’s that, lass?”
    “I’ll do it. I’ll go to Edinburgh for the whole bloody three weeks.”
    “What about Gary?”
    “For once in me life, Terry, I’m not even going to think about Gary. This is my chance, and I want to give it a go. Ye’re right, it’ll never come round again.”
    “Ye can still think about it, if ye like.”
    “I don’t ’ave to. I’ve made up me mind this is exactly what I want to do.”
    Terry gave her a wink. “And, by God, you’ll show ’em, lass.”
    He rolled up the window and took off up the cul-de-sac, and as he drew out into the street he couldn’t resist giving three long blasts on his feeble horn, even though he could hardly hear them above the noise from the broken exhaust.

SEVEN
     
    R