Straight to You Page 0,28

good to get away for a while.'

'She's right you know They say it's going to get worse before it gets any better.'

'And you'd know, would you?' Dad snapped, uncharacteristically. He grumbled and took a large swig from a tumbler of whisky which he held in his tired hand. 'It'd all be a lot simpler if they hadn't been buggering around with the planet in the first place.'

'But, Dad,' I protested foolishly, trying to explain what was actually happening, 'it's the sun that's causing all of this. It's got nothing to do with pollution, the ozone layer or anything else.'

Dad hauled himself upright in his seat and leant towards me until his face was only inches from mine.

'Son, you can tell me that it's the sun doing this. You can even tell me that it's men from Mars. The truth is that none of it would be happening if it wasn't for those bloody idiots who are supposed to be in charge of this planet.'

There was no point in arguing with Dad. I was sure that it was the heat and stress which were causing him to become irrational and I couldn't see that there was anything to be gained from prolonging the conversation any further. As I watched him, he picked up the remote control unit that operated the television, switched on the set and flicked through the channels. When he could find nothing that interested him (I didn't even get asked if I wanted to watch anything) he pushed down the red button in the corner of the controller which made the set die again, plunging the room back into a gloomy semi-darkness. I got up and went to talk to Mom and Michelle in the kitchen.

'It's getting late,' I said, looking up at the clock on the wall. 'I'll have to be going soon.'

Mom sat at the table and looked up at me sadly.

'Can't you stay for a little longer?' she asked hopefully. 'We might not see you again for a while.'

'Of course you will.' I said without thinking. 'I'll see if I can't get a couple of days off work and I'll come up to Uncle George's and see you all.' I held out little hope of managing to get time off, but the idea did at least seem to cheer Mom up for a moment.

'I hope you can, love. That'd be wonderful,' she said with a sad, distant look in her eyes. I put my hand on top of hers and smiled.

'Everything's going to be all right. Mom,' I said. 'You just take Dad up to the seaside and he'll be fine. I promise you, in a week we'll all be back to normal and you'll be wishing that the sun had never gone in.'

Mom nodded her head, got up and went into the living-room to check on Dad. I was left alone with Michelle.

'Look after them both, won't you?' I said. I expected my sister to retort with some half-baked and ill-considered witticism but she surprised me with her seriousness.

'I will,' she said quietly. 'And you make sure that you're all right.'

'You know I will. Always looking after number one, that's me.'

'Good, keep it that way.'

I looked into Michelle's eyes and saw the same doubt and fear which had been so painfully evident in Mom's expression. Although I tried to disguise my own fears and worries, I could not help but wonder when I would see my family again. I didn't want Michelle to see just how worried I was. but I told her that I wished that I could go with them to Scotland in the morning. All the talk of the possibility of impending doom and destruction had affected me more than I had originally thought and it was with a great reluctance that I accepted the fact it was time to go home.

'I've got to go, Michelle,' I said quietly. She got up from her seat and hugged me tightly. Inexplicably, tears began to well up in my eyes and I tried to brush them away as discreetly and nonchalantly as was possible.

'I'll call you when we get to Uncle George's,' she said. 'And don't worry about those two, they'll be all right.'

I nodded and kissed my sister lightly on the forehead. We hugged again as Mom returned from the living-room.

'Have you really got to go now, love?' she asked.

'I'm afraid so,' I replied and I moved across the room to hold Mom tightly. 'Don't worry,' I whispered, 'everything's going to be