Trafika Europe 9/10 - UK in Europe

Ritual, 1969 [two stories]

young dimpleless Robert Mitchum crossed with Jake Gyllenhaal. She passed it back to him quickly, afraid to linger over this image. He’d also revealed more about the quarrel with his father. Lawrence said his dad had left the family when he was too young to remember. Deserted us, was how he put it. The father who had promised to pay his rent, but hadn’t and wouldn’t answer his calls. Term broke up for Easter and without saying anything to her, he disappeared for three weeks. She had already bought enough food for the two of them for the coming week and a turkey

crown for Easter Sunday, and a chocolate egg each. In his room the sleeping bag still lay on the bare mattress and there were a few of his things scattered about, but his rucksack was gone. In the weeks before this she had barely noticed the little naked footprints. Perhaps with him there she had been too distracted to notice them. Perhaps he scared them away? Whatever it was, throughout Easter they were back with a vengeance. She saw them in the bathroom, the hall and landing, in the kitchen, bedroom and living room. Very often they were side-by-side next to her own feet and sometimes seemed to disperse her loneliness, at others to distil it, making it far more potent.

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