Daylight Saving by Edward Hogan Read Free Book Online

through the woods, toward one of the grassy banks along a secluded bike path. She wanted to gather some more grass for her cooking pit. It felt good just to walk with her, and it felt good to talk about the problems I was having. I had so many questions to ask her, though. I wanted to ask if she’d carved the numbers and letters on the tree, and if so, what they meant. I wanted to ask her what she was doing here and who was looking after her. Every time I tried to ask a question, she held up a finger, and I soon stopped trying.
    She bent down on the bank and started pulling at the grass, tearing it up with her hands, and putting it in the pockets of her hoodie and her skirt. “You can help if you like, Daniel. Don’t be shy. It’ll grow back. Always does.”
    I pulled at the grass. After a few moments, a cyclist came into view. Lexi stopped her work and waited. It was Ryan. “Hi, Ryan,” I said, eager to impress Lexi with my first-name knowledge of the park staff.
    “Oh, hey, man,” he said, slowing down a little.
    “Thanks for yesterday,” I said.
    “What? Oh, no probs, dude. Any time. Fight the power, eh?”
    “Yeah,” I said as he went past. I turned to Lexi. “That was Ryan.”
    She smiled, and I looked down. We went back to picking the grass.
    “It’s just you and your dad here, then?” she asked.
    “Yeah.”
    “Must be difficult for you. Having to be his son, and his friend, and — you know — basically his wife,” she said.
    I laughed.
“What?”
I said, but I kind of knew what she meant. Dad had lost contact with all his friends because of the drinking, and without Mum in the house, I was sometimes the only person he spoke to all day.
    “It’s a shame there’s no one else for him to hang around with,” she said.
    It’s the same for me,
I thought. But I didn’t say it because I wanted to appear concerned. Besides, I had
her
to talk to, didn’t I? I hoped I did.
    “Hmm. Shame,” she said. “If he had some adult company, it’d sure take the pressure off you.”
    I sneaked a look at her watch. I saw a minute change from
43
to
42.
I shook my head. Then I remembered my appointment with Dad and looked at my own watch (a Swatch, with a canvas strap and two black hands). I was seriously late. “I have to go,” I said.
    She scrunched her hair. “So do I,” she said. “But meet me back here tonight. We’ll do something wild.”

Dad had already left by the time I got to the tennis courts, so I walked the bike back to the cabin. I knew there’d be an argument, but part of me felt light, like the whole world was a joke. Chrissy and Tash were sitting on their front lawn, drinking tea. They said hello and I nodded, quickened my pace, and then stopped.
    “Excuse me,” I said.
    They both turned to look at me. “Yes, Daniel?”
    “What are you doing tomorrow morning?” I said.
    They looked at each other. “We haven’t decided,” said Chrissy.
    Tash put her fingers on her chin and pretended to think hard. “Hmm. I know! Why don’t we participate in some sort of
sporting
activity?” she said.
    “Why, Tash,” said Chrissy, “what a wonderful idea! However did you think of such a thing?”
    They laughed.
    “Would you like to play volleyball on the beach with me and my dad?” I said.
    I had seen Dad play beach volleyball once, with a group of German men on the Costa del Sol. Mum and I had watched him join in. It had been a good day and couldn’t be ruined by hindsight.
    “That sounds lovely. It’ll be a bit cold, though. We’re not going to wear those skimpy little bikinis, like they do in Brazil,” said Tash.
    “That’s fine,” I said.
    They both laughed.
    Dad was sitting on the sofa when I walked in. He wouldn’t look at me. He had sucked in his lips, which meant he was disappointed. “Where were you?” I said, trying the oldest trick in the book.
    “Don’t give me that,” he said. “I don’t ask for much, do I?”
    You ask for everything,
I thought. But I shook my