Part Five Chapter VII

XIIHalf trend down his packet of Rolos, Robbie became extremely thirsty. Krystal had non bought him a drink. He climbed off the bench and crouched down in the fond grass, where he could still see her emergeline in the bushes with the stranger. After a while, he scrambled down the bank towards them.M thirsty, he whined.Robbie, halt 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 derriere up the slippery bank to the bench. He was accustomed to not being given what he wished, and disobedient by habit, because grown-ups were arbitrary in their wrath and their rules, so he had learned to seize his tiny pleasures wheresoever and whenever he could.Angry at Krystal, he wandered a little way from the bench along the road. A man in sunglasses was walking along 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 Row, only realizing that he was heading in the wrong direction when he drew level with Miles and Samanthas house. Not absent to pass the Fairbrothers again, he had taken a circuitous route natural covering to the bridge.He saw the boy, chocolate-stained, ill-kempt and unappealing, and walked past, with his happiness in tatters, half wishing that he could hasten gone 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 first coif.)The rushing of the river increased Robbies thirst. He cried a bit more(prenominal) as he changed direction and headed out from the bridge, back past the place where Krystal was hidden. The bushes had started shaking. He walked on, wanting a drink, then noticed a jumble in a long hedge on the left of the road. When he drew level, he spotted a takeing field beyond.Robbie wriggled by means of the hole and contemplated the wide green space wit h its spreading chestnut tree diagram and goal posts. Robbie knew what they were, because his cousin Dane had showed him how to kick a footb on the whole at the bend park. He had never seen so much greenness.A woman came striding crossways the field, with her arms folded and her head bowed.(Samantha had been walking at random, walking and walking, whateverwhere as long as it was right offhere near Church Row. She had been asking herself many questions and coming up with few answers and one of the questions she asked herself was whether she might not have gone too far in telling Miles about that stupid, intoxicated letter, which she had sent out of spite, and which seemed much less clever 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 over the entrance and turned away from the river towards the upstanding. Self-disgust clung to her, no matter how hard she seek to outrun it.)Robbie went back through the hole in the hedge and walked a little way along the road subsequently the striding lady, but she was before long out of sight. The half-packet of remaining Rolos were melting in his hand, and he did not want to put them down, but he was so thirsty. Maybe Krystal had finished. He wandered back in the opposite direction.When he reached the first patch of bushes on the bank, he saw that they were not moving, so he thought it was all decent to approach.Krystal, he said.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 thither was no sign of her.Krystal he yelled.A woman with short silver pilus 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 glimpse of S amantha, who was the very last person she wanted to meet, so she had taken off in the opposite direction.The boys wails and squawks echoed behind her as she go along. Shirleys fist was clutched tightly around the EpiPen in her pocket. She would not be a dirty joke. She wanted to be pure and pitied, like Mary Fairbrother. Her delirium was so enormous, so dangerous, that she could not think coherently she wanted to act, to punish, to finish. rightful(prenominal) before the old stone bridge, a patch of bushes shivered to Shirleys left. She glanced down and caught a disgusting glimpse of something sordid and vile, and it drove her on.Part Five Chapter cardinalVIIFuckin shurrup, Robbie ShurrupKrystal had dragged Robbie to a bus stop several streets away, so that incomplete Obbo nor Terri could find them. She was not sure she had enough money for the fare, but she was indomitable to sign to Pagford. Nana Cath was gone, Mr Fairbrother was gone, but Fats Wall was there, and she needed 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 spring left on Terris mobile phone. Krystal called Fats number, but it went to voicemail.In Church Row, Fats was lodge in eating toast and listening to his parents having one of their familiar, bizarre conversations in the force field 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 zip he wanted to talk to. It would not be Andrew. Not after last dark.Colin, you know what youre supposed to do, his mother was wording. 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 put 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 s uddenly thought, what if I put something because 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, too 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 tike 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. tolerate night he had pressed Gaia Bawden into the railings outside the town hall, until she had pulled away from him and thrown up. Then she had started to berate him again, so he had left her there and walked home.I dunno, he said. He felt so tired, so miserable.Go on, she said.From the study, he heard Colin. You say that, but would it show up? What if I Colin, we shouldnt be going into this your e 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.