BooksBarbecue
Back The Jump
Chapters (52)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Dedication
  4. Acknowledgements
  5. BOOK ONE
  6. Chapter One
  7. Chapter Two
  8. Chapter Three
  9. Chapter Four
  10. Chapter Five
  11. Chapter Six
  12. Chapter Seven
  13. Chapter Eight
  14. Chapter Nine
  15. Chapter Ten
  16. Chapter Eleven
  17. Chapter Twelve
  18. Chapter Thirteen
  19. Chapter Fourteen
  20. Chapter Fifteen
  21. Chapter Sixteen
  22. Chapter Seventeen
  23. Chapter Eighteen
  24. Chapter Nineteen
  25. Chapter Twenty
  26. Chapter Twenty-One
  27. Chapter Twenty-Two
  28. Chapter Twenty-Three
  29. Chapter Twenty-Four
  30. Chapter Twenty-Five
  31. BOOK TWO
  32. Chapter Twenty-Six
  33. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  34. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  35. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  36. Chapter Thirty
  37. Chapter Thirty-One
  38. Chapter Thirty-Two
  39. Chapter Thirty-Three
  40. Chapter Thirty-Four
  41. Chapter Thirty-Five
  42. Chapter Thirty-Six
  43. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  44. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  45. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  46. BOOK THREE
  47. Chapter Forty
  48. Chapter Forty-One
  49. Chapter Forty-Two
  50. Chapter Forty-Three
  51. Chapter Forty-Four
  52. Epilogue

Donna could hear the laughter emanating from her body. It worked its way up and exploded from her mouth in long waves and she couldn’t do anything to stop it. Helplessly she roared, the laughter painful now, her ribs and stomach aching from the force of it.

Georgio watched her in disbelief, his face a comic study in dismay as she screeched with laughter at him.

‘Come on, Donna, give over. Calm down.’

Gradually the laughter left her body. She sat back in her seat and wiped her eyes with the back of her hands, leaving black lines from her mascara across her fingers.

‘After all I heard here today, I never thought I’d laugh again. But there, you could always shock me, Georgio. It seems you haven’t lost the knack.’

She picked up her purse from the table and stood up. ‘I’m going now, I have to get back. It’s a long journey here, you know. I really don’t know how the women with children manage it.’ She kissed her husband’s cheek and straightened up.

Georgio was flabbergasted. ‘You’re going? Visiting time’s not up yet, we have another hour at least.’

‘Your visit is up, Georgio. I need some good clean air in my lungs. I need time to think. I need time for me now.’

‘Don’t go, Donna. Please don’t go yet.’

She stared down into her husband’s face and grinned. ‘If only you knew, Georgio, the number of times I’ve said that to you in my mind. Unlike you, though, I never had the guts to say it out loud. Maybe if I hadn’t been such a coward, you might be at home with me now. Tell this Lewis he did us a favour with the car lot by the way - we’re quids in.’

Georgio watched with amazement as his wife, his little Donna, left the visiting room.

He felt as if he had just lost something precious.

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

On the ferry back to the mainland, Donna sat beside a young girl with two children, a boy of about three and his big sister. The mother herself didn’t look much older than twenty.

‘Do you mind if I smoke?’

Donna shook her head. ‘Not at all.’

The young woman lit a cigarette and drew the smoke down into her lungs. ‘I should give up really, but I can’t.’

Donna looked at her properly, taking in the light blonde hair and the expertly applied make-up.

‘They’re not very good for one’s health.’

The woman roared with laughter. ‘Sod me health, love. It’s just that I can’t really afford them!’

Donna found herself laughing with her as if what she had said was hilarious.

The young mother sat her son on her lap and wiped his face with a grubby handkerchief. ‘What’s your old man in for?’