Perils and Privileges

Jack doesn't look back as he leaves the prison. It’s a warm September morning and he strolls to the bus stop, his hands in his pockets. Kerra had planned to pick him up in the car but Jack, having spent the last three months in the enforced company of others every hour of every day, argued for a few minutes alone. This wife understood. The sentence was a shock to both of them. A first traffic offence. No one hurt. The judge wanted to ‘make an example’ their solicitor said. The time apart, the pain of confinement, has been testing for both of them. A time to re-evaluate. There’s a new tension in their relationship that they both know Jack’s release will not automatically dissipate.

Jack basks in the solitude, loving the feeling that he can do just what he likes; that he can make his own decisions and spend his time as he alone dictates. He could stand at the bus and let the bus pass by, he could catch another, or just keep walking. He won't do any of these things because Kerra is waiting for him but knowing that he could is a very good feeling indeed.

Kerra is sitting on a wooden bench outside the pub when Jack's bus arrives in the village. He sees her as the vehicle rounds the corner. This is not the end of a romantic movie. They do not run towards each other across a field of wild flowers whilst music plays in the background. Rather Jack gets off the bus, and just misses stepping in the dog poo, that a careless owner has not scooped and binned. Grimacing he sidesteps his first minor disaster as a free man and walks towards Kerra who, smiling briefly, rises to meet him.