herself had lost her appetite, and she didn’t know what state Stephen would be in when he eventually arrived home.
She was still standing in front of the mirror when the doorbell chimed. She went into the hallway to answer it. Through the green and yellow stained-glass window in the front door she could a dark distorted shape.
‘Who is it?’ she called out.
There was a moment’s pause, but then a woman’s voice said, ‘ Don’t open the door. There’s no need to. But don’t take the children away .’
‘What?’ she demanded. ‘Who are you?’
She unfastened the latch and threw the door open wide. In the porch stood the woman in the grey hat and the grey raincoat, her face as grey as newspaper. As soon as she saw Lily, she screamed out, ‘ Don’t take the children away! Not tonight! Something terrible will happen if you do! ’
Terrified, Lily slammed the door shut. After she had done so, she stood in the hallway quaking. From upstairs, she heard Poppy calling out, ‘Mummy! Mummy! Jamie’s wet the bed!’
She approached the front door again. The light in the porch was shining through the stained-glass window, but she couldn’t see the shape of the woman any more. She slid the security chain into place, and then she opened the door a little way.
The woman had disappeared. All she could see were street lights flickering through the trees, and all she could hear was the muffled sound of traffic.
She switched off the lights in the living room and she was just about to go upstairs to run a bath when the front door burst open with a deafening crash.
‘Lily! Lily? Where the eff are you?’
She went through to the hallway. Stephen was leaning against the open door, his hair sticking up like a schoolboy’s, his tie crooked. She could smell alcohol and regurgitated curry.
‘Stephen,’ she said.
‘Oh, you recognize me! You know who I am! That makes a change!’
He took three stumbling steps forward, lost his balance, and almost collided with her.
‘Get away from me,’ she told him.
‘Get away from you? That’s not what you said on our wedding night, you bitch!’
‘Stephen, you’re drunk and you stink. Go upstairs and take a shower and go to bed.’
Stephen stood in the hallway, swaying. He had a faraway look in his eyes, and he was smiling.
‘Stephen,’ she repeated, and it was then that he slapped her so hard that she bounced against the wall, knocking her head and jarring her shoulder.
She fell to the floor, but Stephen gripped the front of her dress, tearing it wide open. He dragged her on to her feet and slapped her again and again.
‘ You know what you are? ’ he kept yelling at her. ‘ You know what you are? ’
Both Poppy and Jamie were crying as she bundled them into her Meriva. She heaved the big blue travelling bag into the back and slammed the door.
As she climbed into the driver’s seat, Stephen reappeared in the porch.
‘Lily!’ he shrieked at her. ‘You’re not taking my kids, Lily! You’re not going anywhere, you bitch!’
He staggered down the front steps towards them. Lily turned the key in the ignition and revved the engine. Poppy was screaming now and Jamie was crying in a high, panicky whistle.
Stephen banged his fist on the Meriva’s rear window, and Lily put her foot down so that it hurtled out of the driveway in a spray of pea-shingle.
There was a deep, clumsy thump, and Lily saw a body tumbling in the air in front of her. It turned over and over before it hit the road, but immediately, another car ran over it and its arms flew up and its hands clapped together, smack , as if it were applauding.
Shaking with shock, Lily climbed out of the driver’s seat and stepped out into the road. The woman in the grey woolly hat and the grey raincoat was lying on her back, staring up at her blind-eyed.
Lily turned around. A small crowd had already gathered and the driver of the second car was phoning for an ambulance. Standing next to her front gate,
She was still standing in front of the mirror when the doorbell chimed. She went into the hallway to answer it. Through the green and yellow stained-glass window in the front door she could a dark distorted shape.
‘Who is it?’ she called out.
There was a moment’s pause, but then a woman’s voice said, ‘ Don’t open the door. There’s no need to. But don’t take the children away .’
‘What?’ she demanded. ‘Who are you?’
She unfastened the latch and threw the door open wide. In the porch stood the woman in the grey hat and the grey raincoat, her face as grey as newspaper. As soon as she saw Lily, she screamed out, ‘ Don’t take the children away! Not tonight! Something terrible will happen if you do! ’
Terrified, Lily slammed the door shut. After she had done so, she stood in the hallway quaking. From upstairs, she heard Poppy calling out, ‘Mummy! Mummy! Jamie’s wet the bed!’
She approached the front door again. The light in the porch was shining through the stained-glass window, but she couldn’t see the shape of the woman any more. She slid the security chain into place, and then she opened the door a little way.
The woman had disappeared. All she could see were street lights flickering through the trees, and all she could hear was the muffled sound of traffic.
She switched off the lights in the living room and she was just about to go upstairs to run a bath when the front door burst open with a deafening crash.
‘Lily! Lily? Where the eff are you?’
She went through to the hallway. Stephen was leaning against the open door, his hair sticking up like a schoolboy’s, his tie crooked. She could smell alcohol and regurgitated curry.
‘Stephen,’ she said.
‘Oh, you recognize me! You know who I am! That makes a change!’
He took three stumbling steps forward, lost his balance, and almost collided with her.
‘Get away from me,’ she told him.
‘Get away from you? That’s not what you said on our wedding night, you bitch!’
‘Stephen, you’re drunk and you stink. Go upstairs and take a shower and go to bed.’
Stephen stood in the hallway, swaying. He had a faraway look in his eyes, and he was smiling.
‘Stephen,’ she repeated, and it was then that he slapped her so hard that she bounced against the wall, knocking her head and jarring her shoulder.
She fell to the floor, but Stephen gripped the front of her dress, tearing it wide open. He dragged her on to her feet and slapped her again and again.
‘ You know what you are? ’ he kept yelling at her. ‘ You know what you are? ’
Both Poppy and Jamie were crying as she bundled them into her Meriva. She heaved the big blue travelling bag into the back and slammed the door.
As she climbed into the driver’s seat, Stephen reappeared in the porch.
‘Lily!’ he shrieked at her. ‘You’re not taking my kids, Lily! You’re not going anywhere, you bitch!’
He staggered down the front steps towards them. Lily turned the key in the ignition and revved the engine. Poppy was screaming now and Jamie was crying in a high, panicky whistle.
Stephen banged his fist on the Meriva’s rear window, and Lily put her foot down so that it hurtled out of the driveway in a spray of pea-shingle.
There was a deep, clumsy thump, and Lily saw a body tumbling in the air in front of her. It turned over and over before it hit the road, but immediately, another car ran over it and its arms flew up and its hands clapped together, smack , as if it were applauding.
Shaking with shock, Lily climbed out of the driver’s seat and stepped out into the road. The woman in the grey woolly hat and the grey raincoat was lying on her back, staring up at her blind-eyed.
Lily turned around. A small crowd had already gathered and the driver of the second car was phoning for an ambulance. Standing next to her front gate,
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