The Rain Barrel Baby by Alison Preston Read Free Book Online Page B

could move smoothly into each other’s consciousnesses.
    “Good morning, Daddy.”
    “Good morning, Sadie dear.” Frank could hear the television. Garth must be up too.
    “Time to jump up,” Sadie said.
    Frank smiled. “Well, I don’t think I’ll be doing much jumping this morning, but I guess it is time I was up.”
    He got out of bed slowly, feeling a tight lump of pain between his shoulders. He pictured himself with ice for his neck, a huge cup of coffee and the newspaper, heading straight back to bed.
    When he looked in on Emma he saw her elfin face turned inward to a worrisome dream. Sadie started towards her, but Frank swept her up and away to her morning rituals, and closed the door so his other daughter might sleep on. His back was killing him so he took one of the anti-inflammatory pills that Dr. Kowalski had prescribed. They were pretty good and there wasn’t going to be time for ice.
    Sadie was soon set up beside her brother in front of the TV with a bowl of cereal. Garth had already eaten, judging from the small array of items laid out in front of him. There was an expertly opened empty tin of sardines, a spoon, and a glass of chocolate milk. Frank had to repress his gagging instinct, but admired his son for his expertise with the key on the sardine tin. Not a ripped finger in sight.
    “Howdy, Garth.”
    “Hi, Dad.” Garth’s eyes didn’t leave the TV . It was an Avengers rerun.
    “Mrs. Peel,” said Sadie happily as she settled in beside Garth.
    “Yup, that’s her all right.” Frank smiled down at his kids. “Don’t forget to clean up your breakfast stuff, Garth, before Hugh gets too interested.”
    Hugh was their one-year-old cat who sat in a corner of the room staring at the sardine tin.
    Frank made coffee and called the hospital. Denise had had a quiet night. He went back upstairs and looked in on Emma, who was now sitting at her computer in her pajamas.
    “Hi, Em. How’s it goin’?”
    She erased the screen. “Hi, Dad. Pretty good, I guess. I have to do a science project and I don’t know where to start.”
    “Science project, eh? Hmm.” Frank paused so his daughter would think he was giving this some serious thought. He also knew that she knew better. She was impossible to lie to, even silently. He supposed this was a good thing. It kept him on his toes.
    “I’m thinkin’ about a volcano,” she said.
    “That’s a good idea. It could erupt.”
    “Yeah. That’s what I was thinkin’.”
    “Would you mind coming downstairs for a minute, Em, so I can speak to all of you at the same time?”
    “What about?”
    “Well, your mum and stuff.”
    Emma sighed as she put on her robe and slippers to accompany Frank downstairs.
    “My head aches, Gus,” Frank said now, staring straight ahead into the darkness. “It aches all the time.”
    Gus grunted companionably and said, “How’re those kids of yours?”
    Frank turned to look at his neighbour. “God, I’m so worried about them, Gus. Em seems so old and Garth can’t take his eyes off the TV and all they ever seem to want to talk about is death. I don’t think I can bear it if Sadie ever gets less happy than she was first thing this morning. And it’s got to happen. It’s happening right now and I don’t feel as though I’m up to it.”
    Gus reached over and touched Frank’s shoulder. “It’s hard being a father, Frank. And you’re doin’ good. I know you are. You’re doin’ real good, in fact.”
    “Do you really think so, Gus? You’re not just saying that?”
    Frank recalled how adrift he had felt that morning as he gently pushed Emma ahead of him into the living room, where he turned off the TV in an effort to get everyone’s attention.
    “Hey!” shouted Garth.
    “Quiet,” Frank said. “I want your serious attention for a few minutes.”
    Emma and Sadie both looked at Garth to see how he would react to missing the resolution of Mrs. Peel and Steed’s latest adventure.
    “It’s okay,” he said.