Can’t Let Her Go

‘I added some chilli,’ Somchai said as he laid out the dishes. ‘Hope you’ll have a better appetite than last time.’ Kira took the proffered fork, stabbed at the curried cubes of chicken, picked up one, chew it mechanically. Somchai frowned. ‘Is the food not to your liking?’ He took a lot of pride in his cooking. More importantly, Mr Garner would fire him if he couldn’t get Miss Hewitt to eat. Kira forced herself to swallow. ‘It’s fine.’ She saw concern in the boy’s eyes. She wondered what Jennie and Joshua were eating. She had yet to give them spicy food. Maybe Jennie would like it; she liked anything as long as it had meat in it. Kira shovelled another forkful of the food in her mouth, tasting none of it. She was sweating after two bites. The weather was hot, the air stifling. Somchai cleared away the dishes, then came back to lift her into bed. ‘Thank you.’ He nodded and gave a bashful smile, before closing the door gently on his way out. Kira stared at the ceiling fan, whose blades