One Night Only (239 page)

“An
d
yo
u
alway
s
le
t
i
t
happe
n
agai
n
an
d
agai
n
and again,
”
he
r
twi
n
brothe
r
Jac
k
woul
d
chir
p
u
p
i
n
support.
“
W
e should just walk home.
Y
es, next time this happens
we’l
l
jus
t
wal
k
t
o
Dad
’
s
wor
k
an
d
se
e
wha
t
h
e
say
s
then! Bette
r
tha
t
tha
n
bein
g
humiliate
d
an
d
travellin
g
i
n
this rus
t
bucke
t
anyhow!”

“Ris
e
abov
e
it,
”
Natali
e
woul
d
remin
d
hersel
f
and sometime
s
thei
r
accusation
s
an
d
outburst
s
woul
d
actually
mak
e
he
r
laugh.

Som
e
day
s
though
,
the
y
woul
d
mak
e
he
r
cr
y
.
Reall
y
.
Y
es
,
dail
y
battle
s
wit
h
Dougie
’
s
childre
n
wer
e
par
t
of
Natalie
’
s
everyda
y
existenc
e
an
d
a
t
time
s
sh
e
wondered
i
f
i
t
wa
s
al
l
reall
y
wort
h
it
.
Sometime
s
he
r
lif
e
wa
s
so predictable
,
sh
e
reall
y
di
d
fee
l
lik
e
sh
e
wa
s
livin
g
in
Groundho
g
D
ay
a
s
th
e
sam
e
thing
s
continuously
happ
e
ned
,
da
y
in
,
da
y
out.

Lik
e
th
e
argument
s
sh
e
ha
d
wit
h
he
r
overweight, overbearin
g
mothe
r
abou
t
whe
n
sh
e
wa
s
goin
g
t
o
give
u
p
o
n
Dougi
e
an
d
fin
d a
rea
l
ma
n
o
f
he
r
ow
n
wit
h
no baggag
e
wh
o
woul
d
giv
e
he
r
childre
n
tha
t
sh
e
would actuall
y
hav
e
t
o
giv
e
birt
h
t
o
an
d
therefor
e
b
e
force
d
to tak
e
thei
r
grie
f
an
d
tantrum
s –
a
t
leas
t
i
n
tha
t
wa
y
they coul
d
blam
e
he
r
fo
r
‘bein
g
born
’
i
n
th
e
firs
t
plac
e
when thing
s
go
t
reall
y
bad.

O
r
th
e
constan
t
worr
y
sh
e
secretl
y
ha
d
tha
t
Dougie didn
’
t
reall
y
lov
e
he
r
an
d
tha
t
h
e
migh
t
onl
y
b
e
usin
g
her a
s a
surrogat
e
mothe
r
o
r a
stopga
p
solutio
n
o
r
was trainin
g
he
r
u
p
fo
r a
lif
e
ful
l
o
f
dutie
s
lik
e
enforcin
g
the schoo
l
ru
n
an
d
thinkin
g
u
p
ingredient
s
fo
r
packed lunches.

He
r
weigh
t
wa
s
anothe
r
worr
y
an
d
th
e
wa
y
she
habituall
y
stuffe
d
he
r
fac
e
wit
h
a
t
leas
t
tw
o
chunk
y
Kit
Kat
s
afte
r
he
r
evenin
g
mea
l
a
t
th
e
sam
e
tim
e
ever
y
day
t
o
tr
y
an
d
mak
e
hersel
f
fee
l
bette
r
.

Actuall
y
,
tha
t
wasn
’
t
reall
y a
worr
y
.
Th
e
Ki
t
Kat
s
she enjoye
d
immensel
y
,
bu
t
th
e
res
t
sh
e
couldn
’
t
sa
y
the sam
e
fo
r
a
t
all.

It
’
s
no
t
tha
t
sh
e
didn
’
t
enjo
y
Dougie
’
s
children
.
She
just
didn
’
t
enjoy
them
as
much
as
she
did,
sa
y
,
chocolate
bar
s
dunke
d
int
o
te
a
o
r
walk
s
o
n
th
e
beac
h
i
n
summer o
r
–
o
r
trip
s
t
o
th
e
dentist
.
Sh
e
enjoye
d
the
m
i
n
a
way tha
t
anyon
e
woul
d
enjo
y
prepubertal
,
attention-seeking
twin
s
tha
t
weren
’
t
you
r
ow
n
an
d
wh
o
calle
d
yo
u
fa
t
and
reminde
d
yo
u
tha
t
yo
u
ar
e
“no
t
ou
r
mothe
r
anywa
y
so don
’
t
dar
e
tel
l
u
s
wha
t
t
o
do”
.
Sh
e
enjoye
d
the
m
th
e
same wa
y
sh
e
enjoye
d
goin
g
fo
r
a
smea
r
tes
t
o
r
runnin
g
ou
t
of petro
l
i
n
th
e
sno
w
whe
n
he
r
mobil
e
phon
e
ha
d
gon
e
flat.

Sh
e
enjoye
d
the
m
becaus
e
the
y
reminde
d
he
r
o
f
his
lif
e
befor
e
he
r
,
wit
h
hi
s
prett
y
red-haire
d
wif
e
wh
o
was
alway
s
smiling
,
alway
s
happ
y
,
alway
s
o
n
to
p
o
f
her
gam
e
befor
e
sh
e
die
d
an
d
lef
t
Dougi
e
heartbroken.

Y
es
,
sh
e
enjoye
d
them
.
Sh
e
reall
y
did.

Sometime
s
th
e
thing
s
the
y
sai
d
di
d
mak
e
he
r
laugh,
bu
t
mos
t
o
f
th
e
tim
e
i
t
mad
e
he
r
wan
t
t
o
screa
m
an
d
run fo
r
th
e
hill
s
o
n
ba
d
day
s
whe
n
sh
e
burn
t
th
e
dinne
r
or bough
t
th
e
wron
g
chicke
n
nugget
s
o
r
faile
d
t
o
iro
n
their
schoo
l
uniform
s
properl
y
.