Page 6 of The Stranger in Room Six
Part of me desperately hopes he’ll deny it. But he doesn’t.
His face looks as if he has stepped through an upstairs door to find that there is nothing between him and the ground, twenty feet below. ‘I can explain,’ he croaks.
So it’s true.
‘How could you, Gerald? How could you?’
He shakes his head. ‘It’s complicated.’
Then, to my astonishment, he bursts into tears and opens his arms to hold me. Gerald hasn’t cuddled me for years. And he bloody well isn’t going to do it now.
‘Get away!’ I scream, pushing him. ‘I hate you.’
He falls sideways as if in slow motion. There’s a crack as his head hits the pavement. Blood gushes out.
‘Gerald!’ I scream, dropping down to his side. ‘Gerald! Oh my God. Gerald … Please!Saysomething.’
But my husband’s eyes are open, staring up to the sky as if in surprise that his past has finally caught up with him.
5
Gerald’s eyes are still open when someone helps me to my feet. His body lies motionless, blood streaming down the side of his face onto the pavement.
A man in a pale blue anorak is kneeling next to him, holding his wrist. ‘I’m a doctor,’ he says, looking up with anguish in his eyes. ‘I’m afraid I can’t feel a pulse.’
This can’t be happening. I know people use that phrase all the time, but this time I really mean it. This just can’t be real.
‘She did it,’ screeches a woman pointing at me. ‘I saw her. She pushed him.’
It’s the blonde from the photograph. ‘Karen!’ I gasp.
Tears are streaming down the woman’s cheeks. ‘You killed the man I loved.’
I feel like I’m in a crazy pit of madness.
‘He’smyhusband,’ I scream. ‘And I didn’t mean to hurt him. I was just angry.’
Of course I was. Who wouldn’t be after learning their husband had been unfaithful? They’ll believe me, won’t they? They have to.
A police car is pulling up, followed by an ambulance. Again, I tell myself this can’t be happening. Any minute now, Gerald will get up. He’ll dust himself down (Gerald’s fastidious about not getting dirty). He’ll be a bit stunned after passing out, but his heart will be beating. We’ll sort out the confusion over this horrid woman with the dark roots. We’ll have to, for the girls’ sake. Then we can continue withour quiet lives and I’ll never, ever harbour ridiculous middle-aged dreams about Imran again.
But instead, two paramedics leap out of the ambulance. One starts trying to resuscitate him. My whole body shudders with terror as I watch. Eventually – I’ve no idea how long but it seems ages – he shakes his head. ‘I’m sorry.’
Karen begins to wail, loud, high and hysterical. I want to cry but I can’t, I’m too numb.
A crowd begins to gather. ‘Why’s that woman screaming, Mummy?’ asks a child in a pushchair.
‘Shh,’ she says, putting a hand over his eyes and hurrying on.
They put a blanket over him.
I sink to the pavement next to the red shroud. Only a few minutes ago, I hated Gerald with all my heart. Now, I just want him here. We can start again. I’ll begin to show more affection; he will do the same. We will learn from what we almost lost. Couples do that, don’t they? This can be our second chance.
‘Gerald,’ I whisper. ‘Speak to me, please.’
Above me is the same screechy voice. ‘That’s the woman you want. She did it. She murdered the man who loved me.’
I shake my head. ‘It’s not true. She’s lying.’
