Dave eased into the seat of his new coach, a smile crinkling his face. It was the first day of his new job. He ran his hands over the steering wheel, admiring the feel of the soft leather on his palms. It was worn and sun spotted, but compared to the buses he drove in Devon, it was luxurious.
He glanced at his watch. There was enough time to ring Sara and the children, if he could justify the cost. What the hell, he thought, it'll bring me luck. He dug around in his pocket for some change and crossed the road to the payphone. I hope she's home. She might have popped down to the shop. It rang a couple of times before she picked up. "Hello?" She sounded tired. There was crying in the background. "Hello love." "Oh, hi Dave, one minute, Clare, calm down! Darren, apologize to your sister! And both of you go into the other room. Off with you both, now." She paused. "Are you ok, Dave? Has something gone wrong?"
"No, nothing's wrong. I just wanted to say hello before I set off on my first journey. how're things at home with the children?"
"Oh, ok, There all right, just scrapping, as always." He chuckled slightly, but then couldn't think of anything to say. There had been a lot of silence between them lately.
"The bus is nice."
"That's good."
A high-pitch wailing, fuzzy through the phone line, started.
"For Christ sake, be quiet for a minute!" Sara shouted.
He frowned. "Sara! they're upset."
"Well that's very easy for you to say, Dave, You're not here." Her voice was sharp. "You're away up there in a nice bus, driving to Ireland, not having to deal with the house and the kids and making the money stretch."
He was quiet. Maybe she was right. "I'm sorry, love. Look, maybe it'll be better with this job. We'll have more money, things will be easier.
A sudden silence, "Yea, I know." Silence again.
"Look, I've got to go. Tell the kids I love them."
"I will."
"Wish me good luck?"
She laughed. "you don't need luck, Dave." Her voice was softer now. "You'll be fine. I'll just miss you. Every other weekend isn't much."
"I know. I'm sorry. I love you though."
"Yea, love you to." He smiled, relieved. "Bye darling."
Hanging up, he sighed and then sunk against the phone box. There was a dented coke can on the floor. You could always see litter in London. It's worth it, he told himself. things will get better with more money. The kids will have a better life. But it was a long time to be away from them all.
He shook his head and strode out to the coach. Turning the engine on, he forced a smile. She was a beautiful engine. There was no reason to brood. Putting her into gear, he started the first drive of his new job.
