Riding the Storm Read Free

paying.’
    Robert’s expression cleared. ‘You mean it? For the whole day?’
    ‘No, Dad, of course not.’ Chrissie felt suddenly weary of his stingy attitude. ‘Just for the clothes.’
    He nodded and sat at the table, leaning back and addressing his wife. ‘Rustle us up some bacon an’ eggs, luv. I’m starved.’
    Obediently, Valerie stood up and went to open the fridge.
    ‘Leave it, Mum,’ Chrissie said, taking charge and reminding herself that she was, after all, a professional in her own right and capable of standing up for herself and her mother as well, if need be. ‘If Dad’s hungry, I’m sure he can make breakfast for himself. He’s probably already had one on the plane. I can’t put this off any longer. I’m going shopping for my wedding and I don’t want to do it alone. I need youropinion and you’re coming with me as we planned.’ She folded her arms and looked from one parent to the other, hoping her mother wouldn’t back down.
    Valerie bit her lip. ‘Oh, Chrissie, now your dad’s home I’m not so sure. Maybe this time you should go on your own.’
    ‘Leaving you here with him in this mood? I don’t think so.’
    ‘What are you implying?’ Robert’s face reddened with rage. ‘I’ve never raised a hand to your mother and don’t you dare suggest it.’
    ‘Not that you haven’t come close.’ Once more Chrissie squared up to him. ‘Children aren’t deaf, you know. As a kid, I used to lie under the covers and cringe when I heard you raging at her when you were drunk.’
    ‘I can hold my liquor – I never get drunk.’
    ‘Haven’t been caught yet, you mean. I’ve seen you driving under the influence more than once.’
    Robert sat back and smiled. It wasn’t pleasant but Chrissie held his gaze. ‘I hope young Tony knows what he’s let himself in for. You’re turning into a proper bully, my girl.’
    ‘Yeah, well. I’ve had a good teacher, haven’t I?’ This was Chrissie’s parting shot as she headed for the door. ‘Come along, Mum.’
    ‘But don’t you want to know why I’m home early?’ Robert was grasping at straws now, sounding almost plaintive.
    ‘I’m sure it’ll keep till tonight.’ Chrissie thrust her mother’s handbag into her hands and gave her a push towards the door. ‘Just hold the thought until then.’
     
    As they drove towards town, Valerie had little to say, remaining lost in her thoughts. Chrissie couldn’t help thinkinghow different it would have been if they’d been able to get away before Robert came home. Her mother would have been chattering happily, looking forward to window-shopping as much as anything else. It was a long time since she’d seen anything resembling luxury or visited a boutique. Chrissie had been looking forward to giving her mother this treat and was silently cursing her father for ruining it.
    She and Valerie were two of a kind, not exactly beautiful but also far from plain. The Welsh heritage they shared had given them small breasts and plump thighs. Chrissie had soft, brown curls, framing even features and a small but determined chin. Her greatest asset was a pair of soulful, dark-brown eyes, fringed with long lashes. It annoyed her when people assumed they were false. She tried to remember to smile, as she had been told often that she could look quite fierce and forbidding when her face was in repose. People were always making a joke of it, saying, ‘Cheer up – it might never happen’ and children in shopping centres would burst into tears when she glared at them for having tantrums and making a noise. Heads didn’t turn when she walked through a crowd and she knew herself to be unremarkable, forgettable even. But by some miracle Tony loved her and in less than two months now they’d be in Paris on their honeymoon. A warning voice at the back of her mind kept telling her it was all too good to be true but she did her best to ignore it.
    With a jolt, she realized they had both been lost in their thoughts for