they’d never thrown things; never walked out, never said the F word. She didn’t even think that grown-ups
knew
the F word. She thought about Mummy kissing a fancy man and tears welled up in her eyes and made the night into coal-coloured cobwebs.
‘I
hate
Mummy!’ she said, and burst into tears against his arm. ‘She didn’t even say thank you for the
flowers.
’ And another wave of weeping broke over her.
Daddy put his arm around her. ‘Women want a man who can take care of them, Rubes.’
‘But you
do
take care of us!’
Daddy just squeezed her against him while she cried.
She looked up when he stopped the car in a narrow lane between two high hedges.
‘Where are we?’ said Ruby, wiping her eyes.
‘Here,’ said Daddy and nodded at a gap in the hedge. ‘I ever show you this?’
Ruby looked across the road at a little white box of a guardhouse beside a red and white barrier. There was a light on in the hut, and Ruby could see an old man inside, drinking from a mug. His uniform collar was too big for his neck, which made him look like a tortoise.
‘What is it?’
‘This is where I used to work.’
She was confused. The hut was only big enough for one person. ‘Where?’
‘There.’ Daddy pointed.
Ruby looked beyond the hut. For a moment she thought she was looking into the black sky. Then she realized it was an enormous corrugated-iron shed – bigger than fifty houses – looming over the landscape.
‘Wo-ow!’ she said. ‘It’s
huge.’
He said, ‘Got to be big, see? We built proper big ships inside. Ships big enough to go all over the world. South America. Africa. Brazil. Places like that. Proper big ships.’
‘Bigger than the ones on the Quay?’
‘Some of ’em, yeah. Fifty thousand tonnes, some of ’em.’
‘Wo-ow!’ said Ruby again, although she had no idea what a tonne was. But fifty thousand of them was a lot.
The shed was gigantic, and being out here in the countryside made it look even bigger – towering over the high hedges, next to the narrow lanes and with no other buildings around it.
Ruby pointed down the lane. ‘How do they get the ships to the sea when they’re finished?’
Daddy laughed and told her they slid straight out of the shed and down into the river on the other side, dripping with champagne.
‘Wow!’ she said. ‘I wish I could see that!’
‘Me too,’ said Daddy sadly. He stared at the shed. ‘We used to have a right laugh here. I remember we used to send the new boys down to the stores for a long stand, or to get a bubble for the spirit level.’
‘Why?’
‘It was just a joke, see? Just a bit of fun.’
‘Ohhh,’ said Ruby, but she didn’t get it.
He wound the window down. The rain had stopped and the night smelled like green and river, and the hedges rustled with small, secret night things.
‘Daddy?’ said Ruby carefully.
‘Hmm?’
‘Are you and Mummy getting . . .
divorced
?’ The word was so hard for Ruby to say that it ended in a tearful squeak.
‘No,’ he said. ‘Never.’ He flicked his cigarette out of the window, and the night was so quiet that Ruby could hear it sizzle as it hit the ground.
‘Don’t you worry, Rubes,’ he said. ‘I’ll always take care of you. I just wish Mummy didn’t have to work. I wish I could keep her safe at home in a glass box.’
‘Like Snow White?’ said Ruby.
‘Yeah,’ said Daddy. ‘Like Snow White.’
Ruby imagined Mummy lying in a box on the kitchen table, with her hair all brushed and a little bunch of flowers on her chest.
It was so romantic that Ruby’s lip wobbled.
They drove back up to the main road and soon Ruby recognized the outskirts of Bideford.
Daddy stopped outside a shop and bought a six-pack of Strongbow for him and a Twix for her. He opened one of the cans and took a few gulps, then wiped his mouth on the back of his hand.
‘Now eat your Twix, and we’ll go home and have hot milk.’
‘With sugar?’
‘Yes.’
Ruby opened her Twix and took
knew
the F word. She thought about Mummy kissing a fancy man and tears welled up in her eyes and made the night into coal-coloured cobwebs.
‘I
hate
Mummy!’ she said, and burst into tears against his arm. ‘She didn’t even say thank you for the
flowers.
’ And another wave of weeping broke over her.
Daddy put his arm around her. ‘Women want a man who can take care of them, Rubes.’
‘But you
do
take care of us!’
Daddy just squeezed her against him while she cried.
She looked up when he stopped the car in a narrow lane between two high hedges.
‘Where are we?’ said Ruby, wiping her eyes.
‘Here,’ said Daddy and nodded at a gap in the hedge. ‘I ever show you this?’
Ruby looked across the road at a little white box of a guardhouse beside a red and white barrier. There was a light on in the hut, and Ruby could see an old man inside, drinking from a mug. His uniform collar was too big for his neck, which made him look like a tortoise.
‘What is it?’
‘This is where I used to work.’
She was confused. The hut was only big enough for one person. ‘Where?’
‘There.’ Daddy pointed.
Ruby looked beyond the hut. For a moment she thought she was looking into the black sky. Then she realized it was an enormous corrugated-iron shed – bigger than fifty houses – looming over the landscape.
‘Wo-ow!’ she said. ‘It’s
huge.’
He said, ‘Got to be big, see? We built proper big ships inside. Ships big enough to go all over the world. South America. Africa. Brazil. Places like that. Proper big ships.’
‘Bigger than the ones on the Quay?’
‘Some of ’em, yeah. Fifty thousand tonnes, some of ’em.’
‘Wo-ow!’ said Ruby again, although she had no idea what a tonne was. But fifty thousand of them was a lot.
The shed was gigantic, and being out here in the countryside made it look even bigger – towering over the high hedges, next to the narrow lanes and with no other buildings around it.
Ruby pointed down the lane. ‘How do they get the ships to the sea when they’re finished?’
Daddy laughed and told her they slid straight out of the shed and down into the river on the other side, dripping with champagne.
‘Wow!’ she said. ‘I wish I could see that!’
‘Me too,’ said Daddy sadly. He stared at the shed. ‘We used to have a right laugh here. I remember we used to send the new boys down to the stores for a long stand, or to get a bubble for the spirit level.’
‘Why?’
‘It was just a joke, see? Just a bit of fun.’
‘Ohhh,’ said Ruby, but she didn’t get it.
He wound the window down. The rain had stopped and the night smelled like green and river, and the hedges rustled with small, secret night things.
‘Daddy?’ said Ruby carefully.
‘Hmm?’
‘Are you and Mummy getting . . .
divorced
?’ The word was so hard for Ruby to say that it ended in a tearful squeak.
‘No,’ he said. ‘Never.’ He flicked his cigarette out of the window, and the night was so quiet that Ruby could hear it sizzle as it hit the ground.
‘Don’t you worry, Rubes,’ he said. ‘I’ll always take care of you. I just wish Mummy didn’t have to work. I wish I could keep her safe at home in a glass box.’
‘Like Snow White?’ said Ruby.
‘Yeah,’ said Daddy. ‘Like Snow White.’
Ruby imagined Mummy lying in a box on the kitchen table, with her hair all brushed and a little bunch of flowers on her chest.
It was so romantic that Ruby’s lip wobbled.
They drove back up to the main road and soon Ruby recognized the outskirts of Bideford.
Daddy stopped outside a shop and bought a six-pack of Strongbow for him and a Twix for her. He opened one of the cans and took a few gulps, then wiped his mouth on the back of his hand.
‘Now eat your Twix, and we’ll go home and have hot milk.’
‘With sugar?’
‘Yes.’
Ruby opened her Twix and took
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