The Missing Husband by Amanda Brooke

Author:Amanda Brooke [Amanda Brooke]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2015-04-04T04:00:00+00:00

19

Jo let the emptiness wrap around her. There had been a point earlier in the day when she was convinced there wasn’t enough oxygen in the house to support all the people who had squeezed into it. She had felt the walls closing in around her and her body had tensed as her unwelcome guests flapped and fussed around her. She wanted to release the scream building up inside her, wanted to tell everyone to get the hell out of her house. And yet her face didn’t give even the slightest suggestion of her inner turmoil; the gentle curve of the smile on her face lifted her eyes and the mask she had assumed was becoming such a permanent feature that it felt almost natural.

There was no mask now as Jo stood in the middle of the living room and let the empty spaces stretch the house back to its proper proportions. She closed her eyes and listened to the wind howling through the trees outside, which made the calm that had settled in the house all the more reassuring. Alone at last, she thought to herself, as she took a deep breath and opened her eyes. The house was a mess but she didn’t mind: here was a problem she could solve and she immediately set about putting everything back in order.

From the kitchen she grabbed a bin bag and then went through each room gathering discarded wrapping paper and abandoned scraps of food. There were even a couple of empty beer cans amongst the debris of what had somehow become a party, even though none of the visitors had been invited. She had returned from the hospital with only her mum and dad and then the whole world had descended on her.

School had broken up so Steph and Lauren had nowhere else to be on a cold and wet Friday afternoon; Irene couldn’t keep away and had brought along not only Sally and Steve but Luke too. When Heather heard what was happening, she rushed over to give Jo some moral support and of course she had no choice but to bring Max with her. Next the midwife arrived, and to top it all, Mary Jenkins had turned up to reassure Jo that even though David had yet to react to the birth of his son which had now made national news, they would be following up any leads from the public; leads that so far hadn’t materialized – much like her husband.

Jo couldn’t help wondering why on earth her house invaders didn’t have better things to do two days before Christmas and she dropped enough hints to that effect. When that didn’t work, she began to feign tiredness and eventually it was her midwife who made a firm suggestion that Jo should be given some space. Even her mum and dad were persuaded to start on the long journey home, although they were the last to leave.

But it was only when the mess had been cleared and

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