Forgotten Fears Read Online Free Page B

smiling and trying to lighten the mood. It almost worked, and Angeline responded with a flicker of a smile, which at least served to break the tension.
    “What will we do now?”
    “I think we have a leaflet with the details on,” He muttered, heading back to the kitchen and to the drawers he had already rummaged through and started again. Angeline didn’t respond, and for that, he was grateful.
    He leafed through the drawer full of crap for the second time and was about to give up when he found the leaflet stuffed between a stack of old bills. He pulled it out and straightened it.
     
    TRANS - ENERGY
    Proud providers of power to Oakwell.
    Service like it used to be!
     
    He grimaced as he looked at the garish green font on a red background. The graphic designer in him couldn’t help it. Even when he was an intern, he would never come up with something so cheap looking. He held up the leaflet like a hard-won trophy.
    “Got it. I’ll give them a call.” He said, pushing his way through the kitchen door to stand on the back step. From here, he had a wonderful view of the rolling fields which surrounded the house. In the distance, he could just about make out the faded red sidewall of the barn belonging to their nearest neighbor, Mr. Conwell.
    Enjoying the warmth of the sun on his face and getting away from the awkward atmosphere in the house, Billy fished his Samsung out of his pocket and punched in the number from the flyer. As he waited to be connected, he glanced up to the thunderheads in the distance. The wind was only light right now, but it was definitely pushing them towards the house. He only hoped the power company could get someone out to them before dark.
    ~II~
     
    Angeline was making Tyler a sandwich when Billy came back in from outside.
    “What did they say?” She asked, acting as if the near argument had never even taken place.
    “They are going to get someone out as fast as they can.”
    “Why do I get the feeling that’s not all?” She said as she cut the crusts off the bread.
    “Well, they said they can’t guarantee a timescale, only that it will be within twenty-four hours.”
    “We can’t wait that long. Did you tell them it’s an emergency?”
    “I did. That’s their standard emergency response time apparently.”
    “That’s bullshit. What are we going to do? You know how Tyler is with the dark.”
    “I know, I thought about that, and I have an idea. Why don’t you pack a bag and take Tyler over to your mother’s for the night.”
    “What about you?”
    “I’ll stay here and wait for the power company to come out. They will need to get inside the house to fix the problem I expect”
    “You can’t stay here without any power,” She said, looking out of the window. He could see on her face she was trying to gauge how long until it would be dark.
    “Look, it's fine, really.  It's just one night. Hell, they might even get here before dark and you can come back home if you want. I would feel better if I knew the two of you were warm and safe.”
    Plus I could use the break away from you.
    Although tempted, he didn’t say it. He had avoided one major argument already today and didn’t want to push his luck. To his surprise, she walked towards him and hugged him tightly. It felt more awkward than it should, but he went through the motions of returning the gesture.
    “I’m sorry,” She said against his chest.
    “It’s okay.” He lied.
    “I want things to go back to how they were before... I get frustrated, that’s all.”
    He said nothing and stroked her hair.
    “We'll get there, I promise.”
    He hated himself for saying it, because, in truth, he had no idea if they would be okay or not.
    “I know you gave up a lot to move us out here. More than I deserve. I… I don’t mean to get angry all the time.”
    “I did some things I’m not proud of either,” He replied, partly on autopilot as the cancer like hate inside him grew a little bit more. “It’s not your