Julia Smellie
An Interrupted Evening
Slowing down she hears
the rhythmic flap of flaccid rubber,
knows she must phone Tom
who, just returned from work, will be
settling down with a special ballpoint
to do the crossword. She hears his irritation
but he pulls up soon in his city suit.
Children in a nearby house gather at their window,
wipe mist from the glass, stare at flashing lights.
He asks for the owners’ handbook
but it’s not under the groceries and bags of peat.
So does she know where the tools are?
He wrenches a side panel to drag out the jack,
complains about inferior equipment.
To loosen nuts, he sharply kicks the spanner
which falls with a jangle onto the tarmac.
The spare wheel attachment is seized up.
Grimacing, he lies under the car to free it.
She shines a torch, can’t get the angle right
and is losing hope when, like a new laid egg,
the wheel rolls out. While he struggles,
aligning the bolt holes, she watches huge chestnut leaves
skirmish round his polished shoes.
When she looks again he’s replacing the hubcap,
hammering it with the heel of his palm.
The children have withdrawn to their television
and she switches off the hazard warning lights.
He allows her to drive away first
but she’s careful to keep his lights in her mirror.
Page(s) 58
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