Clean Break by Tammy Cohen

Author:Tammy Cohen [Cohen, Tammy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Transworld
Published: 2018-02-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

KATE: Thursday evening,

eighteen days after the split

‘Sit down. Let me get that for you.’

Kate jumps up to snatch the kettle out of Mel’s hand.

Mel doesn’t bother to protest.

‘Thanks,’ she says, shuffling back to her chair, where she drops down with a sigh.

‘They said those would get easier in time, but I still can’t get the hang of them.’ She is pointing to the crutches which lean up against the table in her cosy kitchen.

It is three days after the accident and Mel is trying to put on a brave face, but Kate can see how shaken she still is. They have known each other too long to hide things from each other.

‘You still having flashbacks?’ she asks.

Mel nods. ‘Every time I close my eyes I’m back there at the bus stop. Feeling myself falling. Hearing the screech of the brakes. You know, if that driver had been going any faster, I’d be dead. That’s what the police said. He wouldn’t have been able to stop in time and I’d have gone under the wheels.’

As it was, the bus had almost stopped by the time it hit her. Even so, she was still thrown several feet, landing with her right leg bent underneath her.

‘I’ve been saying for ages that it’s an accident waiting to happen, that bus stop,’ says Kate. ‘The pavement is way too narrow. And when there’s a gap between buses, it gets really crowded. Especially at rush hour.’

‘That’s what the policeman said. He said you couldn’t blame the people behind me because they were also being pushed. There’s going to be an official investigation. To stop it happening to some other poor bugger.’

‘But are you OK? You still don’t seem to be back to your old self.’

‘I’ll live. And what about you, Kate? You haven’t ended up back in bed with Jack again, I hope.’

‘No way. That was a one-off.’

‘And Tom?’

Kate shakes her head. ‘To be honest, Mel, your accident shook me up so much I haven’t wanted to do anything except stay home and cuddle the kids. I’m still not sleeping well. My nerves are on edge. And the bloody squirrels in the roof don’t help much. As soon as I get paid, I’m going to get those sorted out. Do you know, I can’t wait for term to be over so I can get away with Ben and Amy and relax properly.’

She looks at her phone.

‘Shit. I have to go. I’m meeting Jack at the counsellor’s in twenty minutes.’

‘I don’t know why you still bother going to see her. It’s over, isn’t it? What’s the point?’

‘Jack is still Ben and Amy’s dad. It’s important to try to get on with him. And I don’t want to make an enemy of him. You know how he can be. There’s still so much to sort out. Like where he’s going to live. He can’t go on kipping at his mate’s for ever, but he goes crazy if I suggest he rents a room in a flat. I’m scared he’s going to try to force me to sell the house.

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