Page 60 of We Live Here Now

Forevermore.

They fly away and they don’t look back.

75

Freddie

“Another beer?” Emily nods at Paul’s empty bottle.

“I’ll go.” I start getting to my feet, the dutiful husband, but she waves me back down and smiles.

“I’ve got to keep moving. Been a lazy day and my leg is aching.”

“How’s she doing?” Paul watches her thoughtfully as she heads out to the kitchen. “She called me to say sorry for snapping in the car.”

“She was pretty dark this morning but seems better this afternoon. She’s got an appointment with her specialist next week, so once that’s done I’ll feel happier.”

As it happens, Emily hasn’t mentioned any strange events in the house for the past couple of days, and in fact she laughed it off the last time I mentioned it, saying how embarrassed she was that she got so worked up in her imagination. It’s been an odd few days. I tapped at one of the pipes that leads from the kitchen upstairs when she was in the bath last night, but she had no reaction. Maybe she didn’t even hear it.

“I still worry that she’s emotionally unstable,” I add. I don’t know why. Emily’s not suicidal, and I’m not going to kill my wife. Even if I really wanted to, she’s making it difficult. She’s been ridiculously nice over the past few days. Almost like the old Emily. She’s been affectionate. Joyful almost. “Not that I think she’s going to—”

I’m cut off by three loud toots of a car horn coming from the front of the house, and the moment is gone. “More visitors it seems,” I finish as we get to our feet.

Emily is already out on the drive, and we join her in time to see Joe and Sally getting out of an overloaded estate car.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

“We’re going on a road trip!” Sally smiles. “Rented a place in Scotland with a studio. Getting back to nature for a month. We’ve always wanted to go, and now the weather’s turned milder we figured why not. Joe’s going to paint me again.”

“Exciting.” Paul peers into where the back seat is covered in cases. “Are you sure you’re only gone for a month?”

“The plants from the studio are in the boot,” Joe says to Paul. “We wondered if you could look after them? You weren’t in so we thought we’d try here.”

“I can do my best. Hopefully I won’t let you down.”

“Brilliant. Jump in and we can go down to yours and unload them. Some of the pots are pretty heavy.”

“Sure.”

“I’ll give you a hand,” I say. It won’t take long to get the pots out between me and Paul, and then when Joe leaves to pick up Sally I can labor my worries about Emily more with Paul.

“Great,” Sally says. “I’ll stay here for a chat with Emily while you men do the manual labor.”

I look at Emily still hanging back on the house steps. “Is that okay?”

“Of course. Make sure you carry the heavy ones.”

I don’t know if it’s the sudden shadow of clouds across the winter sun, but she looks tense. I dash inside and grab my keys from the hook, then jump into my own car. “Okay, let’s go.”

As I wave goodbye out of the window, Emily half raises a hand back, then folds her arms protectively at her chest again. What is wrong with her? Her good mood has evaporated. I wonder if Paul notices it too.

76

Emily

“So,” Sally says as the cars round the corner onto the lane, disappearing out of sight. “Here we are.”

Her whole demeanor changes now that the men have gone. She slouches slightly, one hand on her hip, a wry smile on her face, but all hereasehas vanished. There’s a sudden hardness in her expression. Something brittle.

---