Twenty-Four – HomeAgain
I can see my father pacing up and down thefootpath on the Brooker. He hasn’t left the farm. The tar andcement have thrown him. He is an alien in an alien landscape. Evenhis suit and tie are out of place. He is dressed yet totallyexposed.
I hurry to greet him. My briefcase plays itsusual suggestive games of an imminent birth. However, there is morenecessity than ever to contain both case and carrier.
‘Do you want to drive?’Kevin Mayne’s bluntness is more a demand than a question orrequest. His over exposure to the city and his week of familywrestling are on show.
I start the car and edge into traffictravelling north. This weekend Michael is also going home. Hisparents are parked further up the Brooker. Michael waves to us wego past.
‘Who’s that?’ my fatherasks.
