Dover
6 a.m.
April 19th
The darkness surrounded him, there were screams and cries, lights flashed showing images of shadow figures pointing guns, the muzzle blast was bright orange and in the light women children and men were shot, then the light flash ended, darkness taking the bleeding victims away as the shadow gun men faded away too. David ran to the flashes of light to help the people who’d been shot; he was fearful of the shadows with guns, terrified that the light would shine on him and he’d be shot. He struggled to pull his own gun from the folds of his coat and light after light came on and more and more people were shot by the shadow men. He rushed from place to place to help, trying hard to fight. Finally he got his gun out and the light shone on him. He spun in a circle sweating and in a light further away Beaumont stood, called to him and was shot. David ran towards him suddenly reaching the end of a railway platform. David pointed the gun into the dark beyond and a figure marched out pointing a rifle, David fired just as the shadow figure emerged into the light and David saw that it was his father falling to the ground and the view changed to one of himself as one of the shadow men looking into the pool of light at his father’s bloodied face…
“Father!” David shouted as he woke, hands tangled in the duvet and soaked in sweat from head to toe. David breathed as if out of breath. He started as Mary’s hand touched him on the back.
“Bad dream Davey?”
“Aye.”
“Get up and write it down straight away then you can get me a nice cup of tea.”
David went downstairs found a piece of paper and wrote the dream down, he heard the toilet flush and Mary appeared, heavy and round in her pregnancy, the belt of her dressing gown under the bump like a fat man’s belt under a gut, the dressing gown didn’t quite cover her.
“Not long now Mary McKie eh?”
“No I’ll be glad when she comes out.”
“Sit down I’ll get you some tea.”
Mary watched him leave the room. He was tall, broad shouldered and his biceps stretched the edge of the T-shirt of his ‘pyjamas’, his legs in the shorts showed defined calves. She wondered that such a formidable man, strong and intelligent should struggle with his emotions. She knew he’d been troubled by the lorry of immigrant bodies he’d told her he’d found one time in customs work. She knew though that most of his life he’d feared little. When Connor was born David had been there strong and assertive, but when the baby came out he’d cried, with joy of course. It touched her that such a man was attached to her. She was unsure though of the path his life was taking and feared that his ‘secret’ life would drive a wedge between them. David came back with two mugs of tea.
“Conor still asleep.”
“Yes.”
“What was your dream?”
David told her.
“That’s very Freudian I’d say, killing your own father. Didn’t Oedipus do that by accident?”
“Yes. What do you think it means?”
“Something to do with control I’d say. Maybe you feel that things have got out of control, you know, the parent, the controller being killed, safety gone, feeling unsafe?”
David grabbed her hand and kissed it.
“My word you’re a clever lass aren’t you. Maybe you should counsel me eh?”
“I’d like that. I don’t want to be on the outside.”
“I don’t want that either. We’ve always been close.”
She squeezed his hand.
“What happened at the bus station?” She asked.
“I’m not supposed to talk about what I do.”
“I’ll not tell, anyway no matter what you signed with them you made promises when you married me and my claim on you pre-dates theirs. I won’t tell I promise.”
David’s face broke into a big grin. “You’re right. No-one will know and I’ve always told you about my work. I don’t see the problem in us sharing it. Maybe you could help.”
He told her the situation, what had happened and the story, what he knew of it, of the five men. Mary sat rapt in attention until he finished.
“My God, that’s incredible. There are three more out there?”
“Yes.”
“Davey it’s just as well you shot that man Wheeler. He’s an evil man and no doubt.”
“Who’s evil mummy?” Conor had come into the room.
“The Hamburglar at MacDonald’s wee man. Want to go to the Harbour today and get Old MacDonald’s?”
“Yay. Please dada, can we sit and watch the boats?”
“Sure sweetie.”
“I’ve to take him out this afternoon. Mona and Terri asked me over for a coffee and their boys will be there. You want to play with Leighton and Hadley this morning Conor?”
“Yay. Can I watch Teevee mummy.”
David rose.
“I’ll get breakfast. Log on and check my mail, do my CCTV survey for a bit and then I’ll take wee man down the harbour.”
“It’d do you good. Bit of father son bonding, red meat, fries and fresh air.”
“Perfect.”
David went to the kitchen and got out the cereal boxes.
“What do you want for breakfast Conor?” McKie felt relieved, more in his comfort zone. Talking to Mary had helped and his role as family man was a ‘suit’ of clothes he felt safe in, the traumas of the past days faded to the back of his mind. He went to the fridge and got the milk out.