Okay, I'm sooooooooooooo sorry that I've been neglecting this story. Please forgive me!
Katy
We drove to a hotel a long way from Leadworth. We got out of the car and gazed up at the large white building infront of us. "C'mon kids." I led them inside to a reception area big enough to hold 500 people. I walked over to the front desk and the man smiled up at me.
"May I help you, Ma'am?"
"Yes. Could I please have a room?"
"Of course. How many?"
"One adult, two children, a toddler and a baby."
"Certainly. Please fill out these forms." he slid some paper over to me and handed Amber, Jake and Luke a lolly-pop as I filled them out. "Room 105. second floor."
"Thank you." I led the children over to the lift and we loaded ourselfs and our bags in. Jacob found the room, bounding forwards to unlock it. It was a four room apartment. Two bedrooms, a kitchen and a bathroom. "Go unpack." I ushered the kids into their room and sat Sophie down in her cot. I then flopped onto the bed and pulled my phone out. I quickly dialled John's number and waited anxiously.
Hey, you've reached John Smith. Sorry I can't come to the phone right now. Busy busy. Leave a message though.
"Um, Hey John. It's me, Amy. Just thought I'd let you know that we got here alright and, that, um you're okay. So, yeah. Talk to you later then. Bye." I tried to sound cheerful about the whole deal, but I couldn't.
X
That night, when the kids were in bed and I couldn't sleep, I let myself out onto the small balcony. I looked out over the city we were in and thought about John. I couldn't see any stars right now. I wondered if John was asleep, it was 1:30 am, or if he was still up, like me. It had been the first time we'd been away from each other the whole time we'd been married. And it hurt. It hurt more than anything in the world.
X
I woke with a start, my head leaning against the railings of the balcony. Amber was leaning over me, breakfast in her hands. "Here you go mum. Dad called. He said not to worry and that everything's all right." I nodded.
"Did he say when he was going to work?"
"Yeah." she checked her watch. "He just left. Can me and the boys go for a walk?"
"No. stay here. This is the city, not Leadworth any more. You don't know it well enough." Amber looked dejected, but nodded and didn't say anymore. I couldn't eat my breakfast, so I pushed it to the side looking down through the railings at the already busy street. John had rang. But no one had woke me. I couldn't help the feeling that John had told them either not to wake me or just to say he said hi. Both translated into 'I don't want to talk to your mother.' I headed back inside and picked up my phone. I checked the call time; 10 minutes. Not very long though. But as I was about to delete it I stopped. The time read; 9:45-9:55 am. The time, according to my phone, was 9:57. He'd rang just before Amber had woken me, so that proved that he hadn't wanted to speak to me.
"Amber?"
"Yeah?" she turned in her seat at the table to stare at me with John's eyes.
"How come dad didn't want to talk to me?"
"He said not to wake you up."
"Amber, he was on the phone when you woke me up. Don't lie to me."
"Mum-" she cautioned me.
"No, Amber. I'm not in the mood for this. Just tell me what he said." I snapped at her, brushing her sigh away.
"He said that he didn't want to speak to you because you worry too much."
"He didn't go to work today did he?"
"No."
My mouth hardened into a straight line and I clutched the phone so tight it felt as though my knuckles were going to break through the skin.
"Mum?"
"Stay inside Amber." I said as quietly and calmly as I could before stalking out of the room. I made it up to the roof before I snapped. I punched John's number into the phone, so hard that it made my fingers hurt. Once again it got the answering machine.
Hey, you've reached John Smith. Sorry I can't come to the phone right now. Busy busy. Leave a message though.
"Okay John, listen here. I know your not at work and I know what you said because your eldest daughter told me. You are not going to take it out on her or the others. If you have a problem with me then you tell me. You don't back-stab me especially to the kids. Got that?" I hung up knowing too well that he'd listen to the message as soon as the phone told him he'd had a missed call. This was going round in circles. At this rate, a divorce was fast approaching. And I meant at something like 70mph and with no breaks.
Why did I have to open my large mouth?