One Night Only (28 page)

.
oh
,
Rut
h
didn
’
t
eve
n
wan
t
t
o
thin
k
abou
t
wha
t
Ben
though
t
o
f
whe
n
h
e
wen
t
t
o
bed
.

N
o
wonde
r
sh
e
spen
t
fa
r
to
o
muc
h
tim
e
i
n
th
e
Spar
a
c
ros
s
th
e
roa
d
talkin
g
t
o
Sheil
a
th
e
sho
p
assistant
.
Getting
conversatio
n
ou
t
o
f
he
r
childre
n
wa
s
a
s
challengin
g
a
s
a
Countdow
n
conundru
m
an
d
sh
e
jus
t
fel
t
s
o
l
o
s
t
,
s
o
lonely
an
d
s
o
goo
d
fo
r
nothing
.
Sh
e
wa
s
thirty-fou
r
year
s
old,
livin
g
i
n
a
tow
n
wher
e
hardl
y
anyon
e
remembere
d
he
r
–
an
d
thos
e
wh
o
did
,
di
d
s
o
fo
r
al
l
th
e
wron
g
reasons
.

Sh
e
lifte
d
he
r
mobil
e
phone
,
scrolle
d
throug
h
the
numbers
and
stopped
at
‘Mum’.
Her
thumb
hovered
over
th
e
dia
l
button
.
Sh
e
close
d
he
r
eyes
.
Jus
t
pres
s
it
,
sh
e
told
herself
.
Jus
t
pres
s
it
.

Sh
e
presse
d
th
e
butto
n
an
d
scrunche
d
he
r
eye
s
tighter an
d
the
n
hun
g
up
.
Sh
e
couldn
’
t
d
o
it
.
Sh
e
woul
d
on
e
da
y
,
bu
t
no
t
jus
t
yet
.

“O
h
God
,
ho
w
di
d
I
com
e
t
o
this?
”
sh
e
said
,
staring ou
t
th
e
windo
w
ont
o
unfamilia
r
street
s
an
d
th
e
clenched
fis
t
o
f
lonelines
s
squeeze
d
he
r
insides
.

Sh
e
stoo
d
i
n
he
r
ne
w
kitchen
,
poure
d
hersel
f
a
second
gi
n
an
d
toni
c
and
,
knowin
g
tha
t
Coldpla
y
wer
e
upstairs kindl
y
drownin
g
ou
t
an
y
soun
d
effect
s
sh
e
migh
t
make,
sh
e
crie
d
he
r
eye
s
out
,
longin
g
fo
r
someon
e
t
o
tal
k
t
o
that d
i
dn
’
t
involv
e
a
phon
e
o
r
a
compute
r
.
Sh
e
coul
d
fee
l
herself
s
lippin
g
deepe
r
an
d
deepe
r
int
o
a
horribl
e
depressin
g
cocoo
n
-
lik
e
stat
e
an
d
sh
e
ha
d
n
o
ide
a
ho
w
t
o
sto
p
it
.
Lonelines
s
was
engulfing
.
I
t
coul
d
swallo
w
yo
u
u
p
an
d
brea
k
yo
u
down
i
f
yo
u
le
t
i
t
an
d
Rut
h
Monagha
n
kne
w
al
l
abou
t
that
.

Sh
e
neede
d
someone
.
Sh
e
neede
d
someon
e
t
o
tal
k
to so
,
s
o
badl
y
.
An
d
n
o
har
m
t
o
Sheil
a
th
e
lovel
y
Spa
r
lad
y
,
bu
t
sh
e
jus
t
wasn
’
t
doin
g
i
t
fo
r
he
r
an
y
more
.

Rut
h
Monagha
n
neede
d
a
friend
.
A
rea
l
friend
.
And
sh
e
neede
d
on
e
no
w
.

Poll
y
didn
’
t
spea
k
t
o
Jame
s
fo
r
tw
o
whol
e
day
s
after
‘Spaghetti-Gate
’
a
s
sh
e
ha
d
sinc
e
though
t
o
f
it
.
Living
wit
h
someon
e
an
d
no
t
speakin
g
t
o
the
m
wa
s
muc
h
more
difficul
t
tha
n
sh
e
though
t
i
t
woul
d
be
,
bu
t
that
’
s
wher
e
a
nine-yea
r
-ol
d
bo
y
cam
e
i
n
hand
y
.
I
t
wa
s
difficul
t
t
o
begin
with
,
bu
t
h
e
soo
n
go
t
th
e
han
g
o
f
it
.

“Frankie
,
tel
l
you
r
da
d
h
e
ha
s
t
o
cal
l
wit
h
Grann
y
to chang
e
a
ligh
t
bul
b
i
n
he
r
bedroom
.
Sh
e
can
’
t
reac
h
and
sh
e
can
’
t
se
e
i
n
th
e
dark.
”