The Long Weekend Read Online Free PDF

but no doubt living with Karen would leave you in a constant state of anxiety. Chelsey seemed to have dressed in whatever was to hand: pink leggings, scruffy sheepskin boots and a yellow sequinned T-shirt that didn’t quite cover her tummy – whether this was a fashion statement or whether it was simply too small, Colin couldn’t be sure. Her hair was straggly and needed cutting. He knew Alison wouldn’t have let Michelle out looking like that. Uncared for. His kids had always looked immaculate.
    They hadn’t noticed him yet. Karen was busy smoking a cigarette. Chelsey was eating a doughnut. He waited a moment, watching them. He didn’t like anyone smoking or eating in his car, but he didn’t want to come across as pernickety. He felt the metallic taste of guilt in his mouth, wondered if he could sneak into the service station for a drink to wash it away before they saw him, but no – that was too risky. As he watched, Karen handed Chelsey another doughnut from a bag. Chelsey took it wordlessly and bit into it.
    Colin frowned. He might be a purveyor of cakes, biscuits, scones, bread and all things fattening, but there was no way that child needed a second doughnut. He headed the car towards them, attracting their attention with a merry little parp on the horn. Karen dropped her cigarette butt and ground it out with her heel. Chelsey crammed another bite of doughnut into her mouth and began hastily wiping away the sugar crumbs.
    They crowded up to the car door.
    ‘All right?’ Karen bent in and brushed his cheek with hers. She smelt of Benson & Hedges, chewing gum and toxic vanilla perfume. ‘Give your dad a kiss, Chels.’ She grabbed Chelsey by the shoulder and pushed her towards Colin.
    He gave her a peck on the cheek. She tasted of sugar.
    ‘We’re going to have a great weekend,’ he told her. He jumped out of the car, picking up their bags to stow them in the boot. They’d packed enough for a week between them, but it didn’t matter. There was plenty of room.
    ‘I looked up the hotel on the net. It hasn’t got a pool. Or a spa.’ Karen wrenched the back door open and pushed Chelsey in, then stalked round to the passenger door. Colin looked at her as she settled into the front seat, pulling the seat belt across those boobs that had been his downfall.
    ‘There’s one up the road – you can borrow their facilities.’
    ‘Why didn’t you check us in there?’
    ‘It didn’t look as nice. This one’s by the sea. Right on the water. We’ve got rooms with a view.’
    Karen looked doubtful.
    ‘How’ve you been, anyway?’ he asked her.
    ‘Nightmare. They’ve been laying people off at work and the rest of us have to cover for them with no extra money.’ Karen pulled the passenger mirror down to check her make-up.
    Colin looked in the rear-view mirror. Chelsey was staring out of the window.
    ‘How about you, Chelsey? How’s school?’
    ‘Nightmare.’ Karen repeated her favourite description. ‘She’s been picked on by some kids in her class. They’ve been calling her fat.’
    Colin felt himself go red. The trouble was, Chelsey was fat. And kids being kids were no doubt happy to point that out. But it hurt him, to think she was being teased.
    ‘Does the teacher know you’re being bullied, Chelsey?’
    ‘Yeah, but she’s not bothered.’ Chelsey’s tone was flat, matter of fact. ‘She reckons they’ll stop when they get bored.’
    Little buggers. Colin felt the urge to go to Chelsey’s school and seek them out, give them a good old-fashioned hiding. But he couldn’t. The only thing he could do was make sure she had a wonderful weekend. A weekend to remember.
    As he pulled back on to the motorway, the sun came out.
    ‘Hey, hey, we’re on our way,’ he sang tunelessly.
    Karen looked at him sideways and began prodding at the CD player.
    ‘Have you got any Take That?’ she demanded.
    In the back seat, he could hear Chelsey rustling her hand in a bag of pick ’n’ mix, and smelled the