Back at home things were tense, to say the least. Mum talked about her first day of work brightly, as though she was completely unaware of how Dad felt about the company.
"Everybody was extremely professional!" she gushed, unbuttoning her black suit jacket. "I mean, we said our 'hellos' and our 'how do you dos?' but then it was straight back to business."
"Hmm... business. Is that what they call it?" asked Dad sarcastically.
Mum continued, ignoring Dad. "My boss Mr Geake is absolutely marvellous."
Dad glowered from behind his paper. "Nice name," he muttered.
"Tomorrow, I'll be down at Agatha's port, coordinating the waste disposal," Mum declared excitedly. "The ship goes out at night time, so I won't be home until around 10 p.m."
Dad threw down his paper and I cringed. Waste disposal? Didn't that basically mean the dumping of the toxic out at sea?
"Are you doing this deliberately to get to me?" he shouted.
Mum raised her eyebrows in a disapproving fashion. "Not everything's about you, you know Keith."
"Oh, and what do you mean by that?" spat Dad angrily.
"Well," began Mum, "so far, everything in my life is designed to fit your needs. We live on this desolate island to suit your new-found dream of being a fisherman, or whatever it is you're so obsessed with... and now, now my job is supposed to revolve around your tastes too."
Ah, so this is what it's all about, I thought. Mum is so resentful about leaving London that she's making a stand.
Dad failed to grasp this.
"I give you a wonderful fantasy home in the most beautiful part of the country, and you have to find something to moan and groan about, don't you?" he barked.
"I think you've had a bit too much wine, actually," said Mum.
This wound Dad up even more.
"I don't think I've had nearly enough!" he shouted, grabbing the remainder of the bottle and storming upstairs.
Mum let out a big dramatic sigh and swung open the garden door, striding off outside and leaving me sitting at the dining table in a horrified silence.
YOU ARE READING
A Thousand Salt Kisses (Book 1 of Salt Kiss series)
Fantasy** Formerly a Featured Wattpad Story ** Seventeen-year-old Crystal White is the new girl on Starfish Island. Dragged to the remote community by her environmental activist father, she is eager to find fun that doesn't involve touching fish guts or l...
