Survival of Thomas Ford, The Read Online Free PDF Page A

personally objectionable, the way they were miserable when you ordered a drink. Now he realised it hadn’t been him necessarily. The new Poles had brought a level of politeness to the town/city or whatever this place was. Same thing when Robert had gone to the dentist’s and the Polish dental nurse who collected him from reception had made conversation. The locals had never bothered. Mind you, it had been disconcerting, being expected to make conversation on the way to the dental chair.
    “Some of their birds are no bad though,” said Jimmy. “I’ll give them that.”
    Jimmy made a face like he was a dog, then he worked his jaws like a bulldog or a Doberman, biting. Robert nodded back politely. Then Jimmy’s eyes flitted up over Robert’s shoulder. He had spotted something. Probably a woman. Robert didn’t bother turning to make sure.
    Now Jimmy was laughing and shaking his head. He was staring down at the plastic table’s surface.
    “What these people don’t understand, Robert, is that civilisation is only an idea.”
    Jimmy looked up quickly at Robert. Robert blinked, but held Jimmy’s gaze.
    “No,” said Jimmy. “It’s not even an idea. It’s just a fucking word.”
    Jimmy sniffed.
    “Anyway,” he said, “this man Thomas Ford won’t remember us. He won’t remember you. He won’t remember me. He won’t even remember the wife maybe, or who he used to be before he got fucked up in the loch. He’ll be in trauma, man. Post-trauma like Stallone in that film where he’s back from Viet Nam. Flashbacks and that. Well, trauma and flashbacks are no use in court, son. Thomas Ford eh? Who the fuck do you think he is eh? The fucking boogey man? He’s just some posh nonce with a sexy wife who had a wee accident. Thomas Ford’s no going to hurt you and he’s no going to hurt me, I’ll fucking guarantee you that.”
    Robert wasn’t so sure. He felt an area of his heart turn cold as he looked at Jimmy’s dark eyes. Then, for some reason, the memory of the white butterfly came into Robert’s mind, the image of it on the windscreen, looking in at him through the glass. Something flexed and tensed in Robert’s brain, near the back of the skull, and for a moment he felt himself stretched out too tightly, caught between Jimmy’s gaze and the butterfly’s gaze, understanding neither.

Chapter Four
     
    Thomas Ford was sitting up in the hospital bed.
    “I missed her funeral. I’ve missed two months of my life. I’m not missing any more,” he said.
    “It’s a miracle you survived at all, Thomas,” said Finlay. “You’ve just got to take things slowly for now.”
    Thomas snorted.
    “No,” he said. “There’s no point to this. I’m going to get out today.”
    “Come on, man, you’re not even steady enough to walk to the toilet alone yet. Give it a few more days.”
    “The police don’t believe me Finlay, you know that? Questions, questions. You know what it is. It’s Alan and Jean, telling them that Lea was wanting to leave me. That detective they keep sending in here, McPherson, he just stares at me and asks these shitey questions, nipping and nipping away, with the female cop sitting watching me too, and all they’re thinking is the one thing they never say. They’re sure I drove that car into the loch on purpose. Eh? Like some final solution to marital breakdown. Fuck.”
    Finlay frowned.
    “You know, that cop McPherson was at the funeral, Tom. The woman was there too.”
    Thomas stared over at Finlay, surprised.
    “They’ve been talking a lot to Alan and Jean right enough,” said Finlay.
    “Aye,” said Thomas. “I bet Alan and Jean have been talking to a lot of folk.”
    “They’re destroyed by it, Tom. And you’ve got to give them credit, they’ve not breathed a word about anything being wrong with you and Lea, to the papers or the TV.”
    Thomas sat up straighter in the bed. There was that dull pain deep in his side, behind the ribs. He felt sleepy suddenly, like a wave of