Invisible by Christine Poulson

Author:Christine Poulson
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781783755981
Publisher: Headline
Published: 2014-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-four

The doorbell rang and when Lisa opened the door Barry was standing outside with a bunch of flowers. They were pink freesias and smelled glorious. He had remembered that they were her favourite flowers. He looked for all the world like an anxious suitor. And in a way he was, but it wasn’t Lisa he was wooing.

‘DVDs,’ he explained, holding up the plastic bag in his other hand. ‘You said Ricky likes Buffy the Vampire-Slayer, didn’t you? I’ve got the lot here.’ He handed her the flowers. ‘Oh, and did you know you’ve got a chip on your windscreen?’

‘Oh no!’

‘Low down on the passenger side. Best not to take it on the motorway until you’ve got it fixed.’ Barry fished out a set of car keys. ‘Take the BMW.’

‘What about insurance?’

‘Covered. It’s a company car.’

‘Surely you can’t just –’

‘Of course I can. I’m the boss, remember.’ He tossed her the keys.

‘Well, if you’re sure.’

‘I’m sure.’

She hesitated. She didn’t like being beholden to him, but ... ‘Thanks then. You’d better come and meet Ricky.’

She took him into the living room where Ricky was waiting, his wheelchair angled towards the door. Lisa saw Ricky as Barry must see him: legs at a slant, head tilted to one side, the clawed hand. She knew how nervous Ricky was. If Barry didn’t make a success of this, she would kill him. He’d agreed not to mention his idea that Ricky might study in the States, at least not yet. Maybe he’d change his mind when he realised what looking after Ricky meant – and she hoped that he did. Of course part of it was that she didn’t want to lose Ricky, she knew that, but it wasn’t just that. It wouldn’t work and it was better for Barry to realise that now.

‘Hey, Ricky.’ Barry’s tone was natural, casual.

Ricky’s face lit up in a smile. ‘Hey,’ he said in his own voice, a mark of favour.

Lisa hadn’t been aware that she had been holding her breath, until she let it out. It was going to be OK.

Barry fumbled in the pocket of his overcoat. ‘I thought maybe … your mum said your old one’s broken …’ He brought out a package.

‘Wow, an MP3 player!’

‘This is the best on the market right now. I’ve got one myself.’

Moments later they were deep in technicalities.

Lisa might as well not have been there.

Once she had got used to the BMW, she started to enjoy herself. It handled well and it ate up the miles. More than once she found herself pushing ninety on the motorway and had to rein herself in. She felt like a different person behind the wheel, more powerful, more confident. She remembered the pleasure that she used to take in driving, the sense of freedom. There was a trip she and Barry had taken in the early days of their marriage, driving down the coast of California. Golden days. They had been free spirits. They weren’t going to be tied down by domesticity and children.

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