Page 82 - My Home on the Earth

the pass. If you don’t use it you can buy yourself a hot-dog or a burger.’
John stared at her and then asked why. She didn’t answer at first and instead made a fuss of clearing the table. He asked a second time.
‘Don’t you think you are being a bit selfish, John? After all, I’ve never expected you to do things for me. I walk miles for you, buying food and taking it to your shed and I never complain. You come here every Tuesday for a bath and a breakfast at a great risk to me. I just want to know where Sunbury Avenue is and what the houses look like.’
John stood his ground. ‘No, not until you tell me why.’
For a second, Marissa felt trapped. She had to come up with a viable reason and blurted: ‘There’s a chance of renting a flat.’ It was a lie, but for John, the thought of finding somewhere to live satisfied his curiosity and he agreed. She opened her purse and gave him three pounds. In silence, they left through the kitchen door and Marissa went with him down the service stairway.
She let him out, said good luck and closed the door. The track he used to and from the old building was exposed and he’d already encountered two lads who wanted to know where he lived. Rather than return to the shed, he’d gone with them into the town. On Heath Road they’d larked around on the road and their off-hand language forced a car to stop. Thankfully, he’d lost them in a pocket park and headed back without bumping in to anyone else. Today, he squeezed through the wire fence, took a shortcut through a crumbling brick wall, and walked past the water’s edge until he reached the shed.
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