The Blame Read Online Free Page B

there was still some cloud, the moon and stars were making a valiant attempt to shine some light on the blanket of darkness that shrouded the countryside. His high beams cut a swath of light that bobbed up and down as he drove through rain-filled potholes.
    “ Merda dos buracos, ” he grumbled, thinking what this was doing to his suspension and steering. He wondered if Laura had received any feedback from the council. She’d been on at them to get the road resurfaced, or at the very least, to get the holes filled in.  It wasn’t that she wasn’t right about the causes she took on, of course she was. He wasn’t denying that saving the rainforests and oceans was important, or that animal testing was cruel. It was just that it took too much effort to do battle with the powers that be, to try and change the status-quo. Laura was forever taking part in campaigns to boycott or exert pressure on this or that company. He’d sooner turn a blind eye than pop a blood vessel in a vain attempt to save the world. He often compared her to Don Quixote which really pissed her off. She’d retaliate with a literary reference of her own in the form of a quote by Edmund Burke:
    “Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.”
    He resolved to make an effort this weekend not to get riled up by the usual stuff. He’d bite his tongue, keep things light.
    As he stopped outside the farm gate and pointed the remote control at it, three grizzly bear-like creatures bounded down the driveway. Three small raggedy hairballs followed in hot pursuit, anxious not to be left out of the welcoming committee.
    Bite no. 1.
    She’d let the damn dogs out again. How was the lawn supposed to mature when you had 180 kg of dog peeing, pooping and tracking all over it? He made his way up to the garage, the six dogs running excitedly alongside the car. The garage door was already open and he drove right in. Before he could get out of the car, Mia, the pack leader, rose up on her hind legs and licked the side window in greeting, the long black nails on her huge front paws clicking against the glass.  
    Bite no. 2. Bloody dog was going to scratch the paintwork on his door.
    At this rate, I’ll be left with nothing but a bloody stump in my mouth , he fumed.
    Vanessa came running in and the dogs immediately turned to her, all of them vying for her attention. “ Olá, pai .”
    “ Olá, querida .” David picked her up and kissed her.
    “Pooh, your sweater smells of wet dog. Down, Mia! Sit, Lola! I don’t want the same to happen to my suit.”
    “I helped mom feed the dogs and then we ... aagh! Bruna! Stop wagging your tail in my face!”
    “Ah, here comes your mother. Hey, Laura. How did the builders get on today? Any progress?” He slipped an arm around her waist and kissed her lightly on the lips.
    “Yes, apparently. Senhor Manuel says that all the interior work is now completely done, believe it or not. But I haven’t gone inside yet because the varnish wasn’t quite dry.”
    “Great! That gives us something to look forward to tomorrow morning. And the rain seems to have finally stopped so we can get on with the gardening.”
    “Good. Sounds like a plan. Now let’s go in. Dinner is almost ready but Vanessa and I need a quick shower to get rid of this doggy smell. Come on, princess, let’s change into our PJs.”
    “Don´t take too long, girls. I’m starving. What’s for dinner?”
    “Baked salmon.”
    “Oh, no!” groaned Vanessa. “I hate fish.”
    “Salmon is brain food. All that Omega 3. If you don’t have any, you’ll land up a lame brain like your father!” Laura sprinted across the courtyard and headed for the bathroom as the other two howled in pursuit.
    ***
    David looked up from his newspaper as Laura entered the sitting room. “Is she asleep already?”
    “Out like a light.”
    “Great. Come and sit down by the fire, I got you a glass of Muscatel wine,” said David, folding his