Part Five Chapter VII

XII center(prenominal) down his packet of Rolos, Robbie became extremely thirsty. Krystal had not bought him a drink. He climbed off the terrace and crouched down in the warm grass, where he could still see her strategy in the bushes with the stranger. After a while, he locomote down the bank towards them.M thirsty, he whined.Robbie, suffer out of it screamed Krystal. Go an sit on the benchWanna drinkFuckin go an wai by the bench, an Ill gerra drink in a minute Go way, RobbieCrying, he climbed prat up the slippery bank to the bench. He was disposed to not being given what he wanted, and froward by habit, because grown-ups were arbitrary in their wrath and their rules, so he had learned to seize his tiny pleasures wherever and whe neer he could.Angry at Krystal, he wandered a little way from the bench a coherent the road. A man in sunglasses was move a keen-sighted the pavement towards him.(Gavin had forgotten where he had parked the car. He had marched out of bloody shames and walked straight down church building Row, single realizing that he was heading in the wrong focalisation when he pull level with Miles and Samanthas house. Not deficient to pass the Fairbrothers again, he had runn a circuitous route behind to the bridge.He saw the boy, chocolate-stained, ill-kempt and unappealing, and walked past, with his felicity in tatters, half wishing that he could drop g champion to Kays house and been silently cradled she had always been nicest to him when he was miserable, it was what had attracted him to her in the start-off military post.)The rushing of the river increased Robbies thirst. He cried a bit more as he changed direction and headed away from the bridge, back past the place where Krystal was hidden. The bushes had started shaking. He walked on, wanting a drink, then notice a hole in a long hedge on the left(a)field of the road. When he drew level, he spotted a scarpering plain stitch beyond.Robbie wriggled d mavin the hole an d contemplated the wide green length with its spreading chestnut tree and goal posts. Robbie knew what they were, because his first cousin Dane had showed him how to kick a football at the play park. He had never seen so much greenness.A woman came striding across the field, with her arms folded and her head bowed.(Samantha had been walking at random, walking and walking, anywhere as long as it was nowhere near Church Row. She had been inquire herself many questions and coming up with few results and one of the questions she asked herself was whether she might not have gone withal far in telling Miles about that stupid, sottish letter, which she had sent out of spite, and which seemed much less cagey now She glanced up and her eyes met Robbies. Children often wriggled through the hole in the hedge to play in the field at weekends. Her own girls had done it when they were younger.She climbed oer the gate and turned away from the river towards the solid. Self-disgust clung to h er, no matter how hard she tried to outrun it.)Robbie went back through the hole in the hedge and walked a little way along the road by and by the striding lady, hardly she was soon out of sight. The half-packet of remaining Rolos were dissolve in his hand, and he did not want to post them down, unless he was so thirsty. Maybe Krystal had finished. He wandered back in the opposite direction.When he reached the first mend of bushes on the bank, he saw that they were not moving, so he thought it was all objurgate to approach.Krystal, he state.But the bushes were empty. Krystal was gone.Robbie started to wail and shout for Krystal. He clambered back up the bank and looked wildly up and down the road, but there was no quality of her.Krystal he yelled.A woman with short bills hair glanced at him, frowning, as she trotted briskly along the opposite pavement.Shirley had left Lexie at the Copper Kettle, where she seemed happy, but a short way across the Square she had caught a glim pse of Samantha, who was the very ending individual she wanted to meet, so she had taken off in the opposite direction.The boys wails and squawks echoed behind her as she hurried along. Shirleys fist was clutched tightly around the EpiPen in her pocket. She would not be a dirty joke. She wanted to be clear and pitied, like Mary Fairbrother. Her rage was so enormous, so dangerous, that she could not think coherently she wanted to act, to punish, to finish. exactly before the old stone bridge, a patch of bushes shivered to Shirleys left. She glanced down and caught a disgusting glimpse of something dirty and vile, and it drove her on.Part Five Chapter septenaryVIIFuckin shurrup, Robbie ShurrupKrystal had dragged Robbie to a bus stop several streets away, so that neither Obbo nor Terri could find them. She was not sure she had replete money for the fare, but she was determined to depart to Pagford. Nana Cath was gone, Mr Fairbrother was gone, but Fats Wall was there, and she nee ded to make a baby. wherefore wuz e in the room with yeh? Krystal shouted at Robbie, who grizzled and did not answer.There was only a tiny amount of battery power left on Terris mobile phone. Krystal called Fats number, but it went to voicemail.In Church Row, Fats was busy eating toast and listening to his parents having one of their familiar, bizarre conversations in the study across the hall. It was a welcome distraction from his own thoughts. The mobile in his pocket vibrated but he did not answer it. There was nobody he wanted to emit to. It would not be Andrew. Not after last night.Colin, you know what youre vatical to do, his mother was saying. She sounded exhausted. Please, Colin We had dinner with them on Saturday night. The night before he died. I cooked. What if Colin, you didnt assemble anything in the food for Gods sake, now Im doing it Im not supposed to do this, Colin, you know Im not supposed to get into it. This is your OCD talking.But I mightve, Tess, I sudd enly thought, what if I put something Then why are we alive, you, me and Mary? They did a post-mortem, ColinNobody told us the details. Mary never told us. I think thats why she doesnt want to talk to me any more. She suspects.Colin, for Christs sake Tessas voice became an urgent whisper, in any case quiet to hear. Fats mobile vibrated again. He pulled it out of his pocket. Krystals number. He answered.Hiya, said Krystal, over what sounded like a chaff shouting. Dyou wanna meet up?Dunno, yawned Fats. He had been intending to go to bed.Im comin into Pagford on the bus. We could hook up.Last night he had touch Gaia Bawden into the railings outside the town hall, until she had pulled away from him and throw up. Then she had started to berate him again, so he had left her there and walked home.I dunno, he said. He matt-up so tired, so miserable.Go on, she said.From the study, he perceive Colin. You say that, but would it show up? What if I Colin, we shouldnt be going into this youre not supposed to take these ideas seriously.How can you say that to me? How can I not take it seriously? If Im responsible Yeah, all right, said Fats to Krystal. Ill meet you in twenty, front of the pub in the Square.