The Man Who Built the World Read Free Page B

until it snapped)
    (NO!)
    He ignored his headache and went over to the sink, reaching into the murky water and pulling out a cloth. He had better clean up the mess.
    Otherwise it will just provoke another argument, and when you argue now, after that night, you feel a latent, smoldering power, the strength to crush words with your fists, opinions with your strong, wiry fingers. You do, don’t you? Admit it.
    On his hands and knees he scrubbed at the lino, using Dettox to remove the stains. He had stuffed the broken fragments of the cup down past the empty cans and cereal packets to the bottom of the bin. Luckily it was an old cup, not one of Rachel’s favorites.
    No.
    I hate it. We’re nothing alike. I’m nothing like him.
    And yet he couldn’t deny that tingle of pleasure he had felt as Rachel fell to the floor. It was always there; like a switch at the back of his brain, waiting to be turned on. A switch he had only just found, and like a new toy, ached to play with.

 
     
     
    ###
     
    Bethany’s Diary , October 24th, 1984
     
    Hello Diary, hello friend. Went out into the woods today, boo boo boo! Spooks and spooks, but they left me alone. I think they like me. I wanted to find Mummy. I see her watching me through the window at night, and I know she’s out there in the woods somewhere. Daddy tells me not to go, tells me to stay indoors, but one day I’ll wait until she comes then follow her back when she leaves, and find out where she lives now she’s gone away from us. Daddy said she went to the stars, but she must have come back down, just to say goodbye. That’s what I think, anyway.
    She has such beautiful eyes. I think she brought back two of the stars with her.

 
     
     
     
     
     
    3
     
    She let Luke sleep in on Saturday, but Sarah got up to say goodbye to her dad. She clutched at Rachel’s hand, wearing mittens to fight off the cold as Matt slung his cases into the back of the Vectra, wearing a thick coat himself and a scowl from yet another hangover. As he slammed down the boot and turned around, Sarah suddenly rushed forward across the driveway to wrap her arms around him. She hugged him fiercely, and for a moment Rachel recognised in his eyes a flash of love for his daughter that seemed so rare from Matt these days. Rachel had told her that Daddy was going on a business trip. She had no reason to tell her otherwise.
    Matt kissed his daughter goodbye then gave Rachel a tentative kiss on the cheek. Rachel had to close her eyes and concentrate hard just to stop herself from flinching. She felt relieved when he climbed into the car.
    As Matt adjusted the seat and strapped himself in, Rachel wrapped her arms protectively around Sarah’s chest, hugging the little girl to her. At three, Sarah still seemed oblivious to the tangible miasma that had been so prevalent in the house over the last few months, something Luke had clearly picked up. She sighed. Luke worried her. Although only at the start of his second year at school, his teachers had told her about a change in him over the past few months, and Rachel would bet it had something to do with herself and Matt. She knew young children were as astute as most adults, often more so when the something concerned their parents. She didn’t want his schoolwork to suffer because of them.
    The engine spluttered into life as the front window wound down. ‘I’ll see you either Sunday or Monday, then,’ Matt said, leaning out of the car.
    Rachel just nodded.
    ‘Bye, Daddy.’
    He smiled. ‘See ya, sweetie.’
    Sarah flapped both her mittens as the car pulled out of the drive. The horn honked once in response, then the Vectra turned out of their cul–de–sac and quickly disappeared from sight. The engine sound lingered a few seconds longer, before disappearing into the distant rumble of the traffic on the highway just outside of town.
    Rachel hugged Sarah tighter to her.
    ‘Take care, Matt,’ she whispered. ‘See you soon.’ Then as an afterthought,