Dead of Winter

Chapter 46

Tina heard the whine of a distant police car as she walked along the waterlogged street. The snow flooded the pavements as it melted. It wasn’t that the night was particularly warm. The smog trapped the light and gave the street an artificial warmth. The street echoed with the sound of her heels; she was scuffing her feet as she held the bag of shopping in each hand and trudged doggedly towards her front door. The bags were ‘bags for life’ that broke after one use and you couldn’t be bothered to ask for another, couldn’t be bothered to take the torn bag back to the supermarket and ask for your replacement ‘bag for life’. Fuck, Tina thought, was life just one day now? One heavy load, one crisis point and the bag for life just broke? Life was full of false promises.

It had been a shit evening. Justin hadn’t shown. He’d said sorry about the hotel; said he wanted to make it up to her. Who the feck did he think he was? Yeah, good-looking guy. She knew it was too good to be true. She was Miss Average. Ah well. She shook her head. Live and learn. What was it her friend Rachel in the canteen always said? ‘You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince.’ The funny thing was that whenever she said that a mental image of Rachel’s husband came into Tina’s head and the theory wasn’t worth a damn; he was pig ugly. Still. . whatever. . none of it mattered because today she’d found out she’d won a holiday. An email had come through about what she’d won: the holiday of her dreams. . free cosmetic surgery. It seemed she’d been entered in for some prize draw. She had been about to SPAM it until she saw there was a freephone number to ring. The woman had been so lovely on the phone to her. Yes. . it was true. . she’d won it. . what the hell. . she couldn’t believe it. She couldn’t remember entering it but she must have. . and she’d actually won. Now she was going to celebrate with a bottle of cheap plonk and a fish dinner.

She couldn’t choose her dates. She’d had to be ready at a moment’s standby. She was going to have the lot — lipo, breast enlargement, tummy tuck — and then stay in a five star hotel to recover. She had been asked a series of really weird questions: next-of-kin shit. . she’d put Ebony down as she didn’t know who else to put. But she had won!! She who never won anything. If she was honest it was a little odd: the wording, the secrecy, but then she didn’t want everyone and his brother knowing she was going for some work. She had to call in sick. They wouldn’t mind. She often had migraines. They would think it was that. After a few days she’d ask them to give her a week’s holiday as well. That should cover it. She’d be back in time for Christmas. Ebony had promised they’d do nothing all day except sit wrapped in their duvets and watch telly and eat. Tina was going to do the cooking. She’d already tried Ebony’s food. There was no way she was going to let Ebony cook. It would be beans on toast for Christmas dinner otherwise. She was looking forward to it a lot. And now. . she would just fly back two weeks later a new woman.

She could smell the fish and chips. Her pace quickened. Feck, the wine was heavy. She would get in the door, take off her makeup, get into her nan’s dressing gown and start making a list of what she should pack.

She hoped Ebony was at home. She was just longing to tell someone.