Читать книгу The Ice is Singing - Jane Rogers - Страница 7

Sunday February 2 1986

There were a lot of cars. It took me by surprise. Moving very fast. They swerve in and out. Or stop, or turn. As if they know exactly where they’re going.

I was clear. The twins were asleep. I was perfectly clear. I started the engine, and backed on to the road in one manoeuvre, clean and mechanical. Moved the gearstick from first down to second, up and across to third, straight down to fourth. No sticking or crunching. Needle creeping across the clock. When I got to the end of the road I had to turn right, towards the motorway. But the bright headlights were moving too fast. I couldn’t judge their speed. I stopped there watching. A car behind me hooted repeatedly. After a while I accelerated forwards into the road, and turned into a lane. More of them hooted at me, one screeched its brakes.

I tried to drive a straight line. Dazzling lights appeared quite suddenly out of the blackness both in front of and behind me, making me wobble. Those behind came up fast and just when I thought they would burst right through the back window they swerved out and roared past me. Their red tail-lights dived into the dark space of road I was driving towards.

I thought it would be best to stop. It was not possible to reach the side because they were passing on my left and right. I stopped in the middle, switching on the hazard-lights. The stream of cars divided easily around me and flowed on. Their moving lights made lines across the darkness. Ruth has a time-lapse photo of New York at night. The moving lights of vehicles have left trails across the picture. I thought, it would be easy to drive those streets, following the red and gold threads that hang suspended in the black air. To be strung in place like a bead.

Later on the traffic died down. When the road behind me seemed empty I started off again. It’s like riding a bicycle, you have to keep going. I can’t have driven at night for a long time. Gradually I built up speed.

It’s warm in here. Someone’s vacuuming the corridor. Outside it has snowed, quite heavily.