Ben gripped the corner of his seat, unprepared for the barrage of questions. ‘It’s not that I don’t like him.’
‘Umm.’ Laura’s tone was laced with sarcasm.
Ben turned his head to the left. ‘Oh, you’re still with us? I thought you’d fallen out miles back.’
‘You’d love that,’ Laura said, a pert smile on her face.
‘He’s just, oh, I don’t know. Help me out here, Laura.’
‘I like him. You can dig your own hole,’ his wife instructed.
Ben took a deep breath. ‘Okay. A father… Most fathers, well, fathers I know anyway–’
Laura burst out laughing. ‘Go on. This will be interesting.’
‘No one is ever good enough for their princess. That’s all I’m saying. Plus his eyes are a little close together.’
Laura winced at her husband’s remark as she placed the Kindle back on her lap, stretching her arms above her head. ‘Come on, Ben. Let’s face it. You’ll never get used to the attention Milly gets. It’s natural. I know where you’re coming from–’
‘Dad, look out!’
Ben slammed the brakes. A man was standing on the road, a bright neon jacket glinting in the darkness. He had a hood pulled over his head; only his thick stubble was visible. He was swinging his right arm, beckoning for the car to turn left.
Ben wound the window further down and rolled the car to where he was standing. ‘Hi. What’s the problem?’ The wind pounded rain against Ben’s face.
‘The road’s shut ahead. There’s a tree down. You need to take this route.’ The guy’s voice was deep, unfriendly. The instruction was a quick order and a get going type of statement.
Ben had stopped in the middle of the road. He was tapping the screen of the satnav. He waited a couple of seconds, looking in the rear-view mirror for any other vehicles. He hadn’t seen one for ages. He peered to his left-hand side, looking into the distance. ‘I’m sorry, but it looks like this will take us around in one big circle. Are you sure…?’
‘Move!’ the guy shouted.
Ben spun the steering wheel, doing as he was instructed. As he drove, the glare of the man’s bright jacket disappeared out of view.
‘Charming. What the hell was his problem?’ Ben asked as he closed the window.
‘Wouldn’t you be narky out here, diverting traffic? He must be freezing, bless him.’ Laura had powered her Kindle down.
Ben kept quiet, watching the road ahead, the full beams forcing light along the path in front of them. It looked like a dirt track, a mix of sprouting grass and pebbles. There were fields either side of the pathway which spread out for miles, broken only by the track ahead. Short, stumpy poles were planted on the side of the road, and barbed wire hung loosely, perhaps pushed aside by hikers wanting to explore the bleak surroundings.
Gravel crunched under the tyres. They were alone and Ben felt as though he was a pawn being drawn into a tournament he wasn’t interested in playing. It seemed the stranger on the road was playing stupid games he didn’t want to be a part of.
The route on the satnav rolled in one huge circle. ‘Look, he’s told us the wrong way to go. For Christ’s sake. There’s always some mishap to ruin the plans.’
Laura pushed her body forward. ‘There must be another way surely?’ She continually tapped the screen.
‘Dad, turn back. I don’t have a good feeling about this.’
Ben contemplated what his daughter had said. But there was nowhere to turn. The road was narrow. They’d struggle to pass an oncoming vehicle. The rain was still pelting down, heavy droplets of water hitting the windscreen. It was dark, and they were alone. He thought about reversing. The guy they’d encountered would just order them back. Tell them it’s the route they had to take. He’d force them. Maybe I could reverse hard; he’ll see us coming and move out of the way, Ben thought.
The satnav continued to recalculate the route. Three miles had been added to the journey.
It was one huge detour. For what? Why did he send us this way? A wind-up? His way of getting kicks? Ben began to feel uneasy. If this really was a diverted route, where were all the other cars? Why wasn’t there traffic? People standing out on the road and asking what was happening? Vehicles revving? Overheating? Tempers fraying? Shouts, panic? People realising they’d miss their flight? Gatwick airport had thousands of visitors during any day. Why was his family the only one on the diverted road to the airport? Maybe the satnav was indeed wrong. It happens. But something isn’t right.
Ben needed to take his mind off the situation. ‘We’ve got the passports, right?’
Laura placed her hand on his leg. ‘Yes. We have the passports.’
‘Sun cream, mosquito repellent, rubber dingy?’ Ben laughed. The suitcases rattled in the back as the tyres bounced into potholes. ‘Christ, we’ll be lucky to make it in one piece. This road is a bloody nightmare.’ Ben steered the car left and right, hoping the wheels were coping.
‘Slow down. There’s no rush. We still have loads of time, Ben.’ Laura looked ahead as Ben slowed the car. ‘What’s going on? There’s something in front of us.’
Milly was sat up, still pushed forward between her parents. ‘It’s a coach. See, the guy was right. It is a diversion.’ There was relief in her voice.
Ben pulled behind the coach and pressed the car horn, not expecting it to sound so loud. ‘Oops.’
‘Have patience, love. Maybe they’re taking a leak.’
‘What, all of them?’ Ben asked.
‘When you have to go…’ Laura pointed out. ‘Oh, I’m feeling excited now – a week of sun. You don’t know how much I need it! We all do. I worry though, you know.’
Again, Ben wound the window down, pushing his head out to see what was happening in front. ‘About what?’ He wiped the water from his short black hair and closed the window.
‘Leaving the house,’ Laura said.
‘The neighbours said they’d keep an eye out. They’ll call us if anything happens,’ Ben stated. He didn’t want Laura’s holiday marred by concerns about what was going on at home.
Laura thought for a second. ‘I’d rather they didn’t. What you don’t know and all that.’
‘All I’m saying, Laura, is there’s no need to worry. Oh, for Christ’s sake. What is going on?’ Ben hammered his fist on the horn, holding it down for a second too long. The noise vibrated through the fields. ‘That’s it.’
‘That’s what, Ben?’ Laura asked.
He opened the car door. The cold air hit him as he noticed the smell of damp grass hanging over where he stood. ‘I’m going to kick some ass.’
Laura turned to her daughter, sarcastically rolling her eyes. Milly laughed, trying her best to hide it from her father.
The car door closed and Ben moved towards the coach.
A couple of minutes passed. The anticipation caused silence between the two women. Laura turned the radio off and the heater to the lowest setting. The car engine was still running. Five minutes had passed, now six.
‘Where is he, Mum? He’s been gone a long time.’
Laura was waiting, hoping to see her husband shaking hands with the driver, apologising for being so aggressive and wishing everyone a safe journey.