In Another Life Read Online Free Page B

and the line went dead. Marie was left alone with only her pop music and her thoughts for company. Ahead of her stretched miles of motorway at the end of which was her sanctuary, her home. 

Crash
     
    Tommy Wiggins was tired. Since both of his twins had decided to attend university he’d been forced to accept as many double shifts as he could. But he was a far cry from the man he’d been in his twenties. Back then, he could drive for days. He used to love being free in his lorry on the open road. He didn’t think twice about taking jobs which lasted for weeks, even months. His lorry was his home.
     
    In his fifty third year things were a lot different. Tommy missed home desperately when he was on the road. He missed his wife Linda, he missed the twins Tyler and Declan. He missed sitting on his sofa with his feet up watching the cricket. Trucking stopped being a luxury and became a chore. But the money was still good, if it wasn’t he was certain he would have packed it in years ago.
     
    As it was, university fees were steep and he needed all the over time to support the boys. And he’d do anything for the twins. They meant the world to him. They smiled up at him from the dashboard, a picture taken several Christmases ago when they all wore gimmicky festive jumpers for fun. Each time Tommy looked at that picture his heart warmed and he remembered why he put himself through the rigours of long, lonely journeys across the UK and Europe.
     
    He’d be home soon. This was the final leg of a long job. He couldn’t wait for it to end. In his mind he was already planning on what he’d do when he got back home. At the top of his list was a long, hot bubble bath to sooth his aching limbs. He ached everywhere these days. He ached down his back, in his arms and increasingly in his legs. He was getting too old and worn out for lorry driving. He yearned for the days when he could retire and lead a more relaxing life.
     
    With each passing mile his eyelids grew heavier. Tommy cracked a window to let in some of the cool autumn air. The sharpness instantly reawakened his senses but the effects were only temporary. Soon his head was drooping once more. Really, he knew he should stop and pull over. He was weary but his desire to finish and get home outweighed anything else. If he kept going he could be home first thing Saturday morning and that was all that mattered.
     
    But sleep had a way of catching up on people unawares. It lulled Tommy aware from reality, coaxing his aching joints in to the pleasant respite of rest. His eyelids slid all the way closed, sealing out the dark, never ending road beyond the windscreen.
     
    When Tommy was jolted awake by the sound of tearing metal he was crashing through the central divide on the motorway and heading directly in to the path of oncoming traffic. In his final moments he shot a fearful glance to the picture of his beloved twins, wanting his last thoughts to be of them.
     
    *
     
    Marie drummed her hands upon the steering wheel impatiently. If it wasn’t for Amanda she’d be home already, instead she was stuck driving up the motorway in darkness when everyone else was out enjoying their Friday night, including her fiancé Sebastian. The situation infuriated her.
     
    She had nothing to do but sit and stew on her thoughts which she knew wasn’t healthy. She tried to focus on how great it would be to spend the weekend at home, but each time she did so her stomach let out a deep, low grumble, reminding her of how hungry she was.
     
    With each passing service station she considered stopping. But stopping would add at least a half hour on to her journey and she was running late enough as it was. There’d be lasagne awaiting her when she got back, she didn’t need to indulge in some late night fast food, even if her stomach had a different agenda.
     
    The bright pop songs echoing out from her car stereo began to annoy Marie. Each synthesized female singer who chirped on about how