brain with endorphins and she felt almost reborn. She used the handrail on the back porch to bend forward and stretch out her thighs, breathing deeply to bring her heartbeat down.
The house was quiet inside – no one else was up. Again, she marvelled at the ability of her family to sleep through jet lag. As she crossed the kitchen to fetch herself a glass of water, she heard a scratching at the front of the house. She went through to the nasty hallway and pulled the door open to find Dog standing there, looking at her, his paw held up again.
‘Hello,’ she said, scratching him behind the ears. ‘I’d invite you in, but I’m afraid I can’t because of Mr and young Master Wayland’s allergies to fellows like you. Wait there, though, boy.’
Seeming to understand what she was saying, the dog made no attempt to cross the threshold. Lara went back into the kitchen, found a plastic bowl, filled it with water and carried it through to the front deck. Dog, clearly thirsty, lapped it up.
Lara spent the next two hours using her post-exercise energy to scrub out the mouldy fridge and the kitchen cupboards, with their greasy fifties plastic lining and litter of dead flies.
She was on her hands and knees reaching into the last cupboard when she felt a presence behind her.
‘Nice arse,’ Marcus said.
She ducked up and looked at him, brushing her hair back with her forearm.
‘Is Jack all right?’
‘Fine. Sleeping like a baby. What are you doing?’ he said, looking down at her. He was wearing his T-shirt and underwear from the day before.
‘What does it look like?’ she said. ‘It’s going to take quite a bit of work to make this place bearable.’
‘It’s fine,’ Marcus said. ‘Relax.’
‘That’s easy for you to say.’
‘Did you get any coffee?’ He rummaged in the grocery bags still waiting to be unpacked on the table. ‘Ooh, fancy,’ he said, finding the brown bag Lara and Jack had filled fresh from the supermarket grinder.
‘It’s not all that expensive,’ she said.
‘Did you get milk?’
Lara pointed to the carrier bag she had lifted out of the fridge in order to clean it.
‘Shouldn’t that be in the fridge?’ Marcus said.
He set about making coffee in the ancient percolator and Lara went back to scrubbing the cupboard.
‘You haven’t been out for a run, have you?’ he said.
‘I couldn’t sleep, so I thought I’d go out before it got too hot.’
‘You should be taking it easy.’
‘I can’t. You know that.’
‘What are these?’ Marcus said, peering in another shopping bag and pulling out the toys she had bought in the supermarket.
‘I’ve got to have something to keep him busy.’
‘Of course. Just remember we’re on a tight budget here.’
Lara turned and concentrated hard on cleaning her cupboard. She could feel the last endorphin leave her brain.
‘Coffee?’ Marcus said.
‘Yes please.’
‘It’s on the side,’ he said, placing a steaming mug just out of her reach. ‘I’m going back to bed to look at my lines.’ And he wandered off towards the hallway.
Unbelievable, Lara thought. Just unbelievable.
A little while later, Jack appeared. He held Cyril Bear close and was scratching his sweat-slicked hair, but his eyes seemed to have settled down from the day before.
‘Morning.’ Lara gave him a kiss.
‘I’m hungry,’ he said.
She poured him a bowl of Reese’s Puffs and sat him down with his new colouring book and paints while she finished putting away the shopping. Then, checking he was still busy, she took a glass of water out on to the front deck, to sit in the shade and cool down in the mild breeze filtering down the street.
But for the orange rubbish bags and wheelie bins put out since she set off for her run, she would barely have believed anyone lived here. She held her breath and listened. Beyond the hiss and click of cicadas and other, louder insects, she could hear the buzz of a TV – a distant canned laughter, carried on the
The house was quiet inside – no one else was up. Again, she marvelled at the ability of her family to sleep through jet lag. As she crossed the kitchen to fetch herself a glass of water, she heard a scratching at the front of the house. She went through to the nasty hallway and pulled the door open to find Dog standing there, looking at her, his paw held up again.
‘Hello,’ she said, scratching him behind the ears. ‘I’d invite you in, but I’m afraid I can’t because of Mr and young Master Wayland’s allergies to fellows like you. Wait there, though, boy.’
Seeming to understand what she was saying, the dog made no attempt to cross the threshold. Lara went back into the kitchen, found a plastic bowl, filled it with water and carried it through to the front deck. Dog, clearly thirsty, lapped it up.
Lara spent the next two hours using her post-exercise energy to scrub out the mouldy fridge and the kitchen cupboards, with their greasy fifties plastic lining and litter of dead flies.
She was on her hands and knees reaching into the last cupboard when she felt a presence behind her.
‘Nice arse,’ Marcus said.
She ducked up and looked at him, brushing her hair back with her forearm.
‘Is Jack all right?’
‘Fine. Sleeping like a baby. What are you doing?’ he said, looking down at her. He was wearing his T-shirt and underwear from the day before.
‘What does it look like?’ she said. ‘It’s going to take quite a bit of work to make this place bearable.’
‘It’s fine,’ Marcus said. ‘Relax.’
‘That’s easy for you to say.’
‘Did you get any coffee?’ He rummaged in the grocery bags still waiting to be unpacked on the table. ‘Ooh, fancy,’ he said, finding the brown bag Lara and Jack had filled fresh from the supermarket grinder.
‘It’s not all that expensive,’ she said.
‘Did you get milk?’
Lara pointed to the carrier bag she had lifted out of the fridge in order to clean it.
‘Shouldn’t that be in the fridge?’ Marcus said.
He set about making coffee in the ancient percolator and Lara went back to scrubbing the cupboard.
‘You haven’t been out for a run, have you?’ he said.
‘I couldn’t sleep, so I thought I’d go out before it got too hot.’
‘You should be taking it easy.’
‘I can’t. You know that.’
‘What are these?’ Marcus said, peering in another shopping bag and pulling out the toys she had bought in the supermarket.
‘I’ve got to have something to keep him busy.’
‘Of course. Just remember we’re on a tight budget here.’
Lara turned and concentrated hard on cleaning her cupboard. She could feel the last endorphin leave her brain.
‘Coffee?’ Marcus said.
‘Yes please.’
‘It’s on the side,’ he said, placing a steaming mug just out of her reach. ‘I’m going back to bed to look at my lines.’ And he wandered off towards the hallway.
Unbelievable, Lara thought. Just unbelievable.
A little while later, Jack appeared. He held Cyril Bear close and was scratching his sweat-slicked hair, but his eyes seemed to have settled down from the day before.
‘Morning.’ Lara gave him a kiss.
‘I’m hungry,’ he said.
She poured him a bowl of Reese’s Puffs and sat him down with his new colouring book and paints while she finished putting away the shopping. Then, checking he was still busy, she took a glass of water out on to the front deck, to sit in the shade and cool down in the mild breeze filtering down the street.
But for the orange rubbish bags and wheelie bins put out since she set off for her run, she would barely have believed anyone lived here. She held her breath and listened. Beyond the hiss and click of cicadas and other, louder insects, she could hear the buzz of a TV – a distant canned laughter, carried on the
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