The Escape (8 page)

It was early evening, and it had taken Barry a good two hours to drive there. The small end-of-terrace house was spotless. The garden was well cared for, with potted plants in large urns by the
sage-green front door. It all looked freshly painted and well maintained, as befitting the house of a builder and decorator.

He rang the doorbell, and waited. He was nervous, and kept on patting his tie and fiddling with his collar to make it sit flat. The door opened and suddenly Karen was facing him. He recognised
her from the photographs he had seen in the cell he’d shared with Colin.

‘Hello, Karen,’ he said quietly, realising that she was even prettier in real life.

She looked at him, puzzled, wondering who he was. ‘Yes, can I help you?’ she asked.

‘I’m Barry, a friend of your husband’s.’

Before she could say anything, there was a wild yell. Crawling towards her shapely legs at an astonishing pace, Barry saw a blue-eyed toddler. Now a year old with a head full of dark hair, he
was the spitting image of Colin, and he chuckled with joy as Karen bent down to scoop him up in her arms.

‘Justin, you be a good boy.’

At that moment, an elderly man came up the small garden path and stood directly behind Barry.

‘Who’s this?’ he asked sharply.

‘Hi, Dad. He says he’s a friend of Colin’s, but I don’t know him.’

Next, Karen’s mother came to the door to ask what was happening.

‘He’s another convict like that no-good husband of hers, and he’s not welcome in my house,’ Karen’s father said, wagging his finger at Barry.

‘Please, Mr Scott, I’m just asking for a few minutes of your time,’ Barry pleaded.

‘We don’t want anything to do with Colin or anyone connected to him. You can clear off and tell him my daughter is going to divorce him,’ he said, and started to close the
door.

Karen’s mother stepped forward and held the door open. ‘We should at least listen to what this young man has to say.’

Her husband turned his back and started to walk away, but his wife was firm. ‘And that includes you as well, my dear!’

They all sat in the nicely furnished lounge, which had a floral carpet, velvet sofa and matching chairs. Barry had never in his life had to deal with a task like he was now
facing. He knew he would have to keep calm and speak steadily, as he could sense Karen’s parents’ mistrust and hostility after he had told them who he was. Karen held the little boy on
her lap as he cuddled a soft teddy bear.

Barry took a deep breath and, as nervous as he was, he knew it was very important that he explain everything properly.

‘Colin wanted more than anything to be with Karen at the birth. He was heartbroken when the prison wouldn’t let him, and he became very depressed.’

‘Well, he only made things worse by trying to escape,’ Mr Scott said.

‘That wasn’t Colin’s idea. It was mine. He didn’t want to do it, but I persuaded him it would work and then he and Karen could be together,’ Barry said.

Mr Scott let out a huffing sound. ‘And once the baby was born? What was he going to do then . . . go on the run again?’

‘Honestly, he was going to give himself up. He didn’t want to cause any trouble for any of you. He just wanted to be with Karen at the birth.’

They sat in silence as Barry broke down in tears. ‘He’s in a bad way and very depressed. If you saw him, you wouldn’t believe the state he’s in.’

‘What do you mean? Is he sick?’ Karen asked.

‘I think he was badly beaten by the prison officers, but I don’t know the full story as he can’t speak properly and slurs his words.’

‘I don’t understand. Is that because of the beating?’

Barry nodded before continuing. ‘He didn’t escape to do any crimes or hurt no one. He just wanted to be at the hospital for you. You’ve got to go visit him and let him see and
hold his baby boy. It’s only right.’

Karen hugged her little boy close and started crying. Her mother had to go and fetch a box of tissues, as she had started crying, too. Only her father was still surly and unforgiving, as he
refused to believe a word of what Barry had told them.

‘You’ve got to visit him, Karen. I will drive you there and back whenever you want to see him,’ Barry said.

‘No grandson of mine is going to be taken to a bloody prison. Having my daughter married to that man is bad enough.’

Barry stood up, facing Karen’s father.

‘That’s not fair. You know that he was straight during the time he was working for you. He was doing good and got his life on track. Are you saying that doesn’t count for
anything? Didn’t he work hard for you? Didn’t he love your daughter? Won’t you at least help a man who risked everything to be with Karen when she gave birth? Your son-in-law is
not a bad bloke, but you leave him inside with no hope and he will turn bad.’

Karen’s father was still not convinced and his wife asked to speak to him alone in the kitchen while she made a pot of tea.

‘Are you blind?’ his wife asked.

‘What do you mean by that?’

‘Can’t you tell how much Karen misses Colin? Deep down she still loves him so, when we go back in there, you will support her decision, whatever it is. Do I make myself
clear?’

Her husband paused. ‘Yes, if that’s what you want,’ he finally agreed.

They went back into the living room, carrying the tea and a tray of biscuits.

‘Do you want to see him?’ Karen’s father asked, though it was still clear that he disapproved.

Karen looked at her mother. She had always found it difficult to stand up to her father, even more so lately, as she and the baby were living under his roof. Her mother nodded and Karen turned
to her father.

‘I want to see him, Dad. I don’t know if we’ll ever get back together, but I need to see him and at least talk to him. Colin has the right to see Justin and, as he’s just
a baby, he won’t even know he’s in a prison.’

It was agreed and that, whenever Karen was ready to visit, Barry would drive her there. Barry was able to drive home feeling that he had finally done the right thing. His own
life had changed greatly since the escape and, unlike Colin’s, it was entirely for the better. Now he hoped that his dear friend’s life would change for the better as well.

The visit from Barry had made Colin face the truth. He was destroying himself, drowning in self-pity and letting the system win. He decided to do whatever he could to improve
his life. He signed on for anger-management therapy. Perhaps with expert help, he could control his stammer, and find a better way to deal with all of his unruly feelings. He was also accepted onto
a writing course, which gave him a chance to express himself and something new to think about.

Colin’s stammer didn’t go away, but he found that nothing halted the flow of words when he wrote things down. Writing helped him communicate and feel better about himself. His
rehabilitation was not immediate, but what drastically raised his spirits was the news that Karen was going to come and visit him.

Barry was as good as his word. When Karen wanted a visit, he collected her and waited in the car park for her to come out again. He never asked to see his old friend then,
because he felt they needed the time to be together as a family. He visited on his own, and as often as he could.

After a few visits, Karen brought Justin, who could now stand and totter along, to meet his dad.

Colin was sitting, waiting expectantly. When he saw Karen heading towards him, and holding his son’s tiny hand, he felt an incredible joy.

‘This is your daddy,’ she said as they drew close.

Colin opened his arms and the little boy was unsure for a moment, and then said ‘Dada’, before holding out his arms, too. Colin realised Karen must have shown Justin pictures and
explained who his father was. He picked him up and held him close and loved the silky feel of his thick curly hair and the smell of his baby skin as the boy said ‘Dada’ over and
over.

Karen continued to come back. She loved watching Colin with Justin, but their visits were always charged with sadness. It seemed that as soon as she relaxed and felt
comfortable with Colin, the visiting time was up and she had to leave.

They did not discuss divorce, and she did not seriously think about it. She still loved Colin and she wanted to help him get better so that they could have a life together. To add to her hopes,
her father had at last accepted her decision and was now writing to the authorities to say that he would have a job waiting for Colin on his release.

Colin was very different now, much calmer and quieter than he had been before.

Writing had proved to be an incredible means of healing for him, and he began to study with great enthusiasm. He often gave Karen a list of books he wanted to read and she happily brought stacks
of them in during her visits. Over time, he grew more confident in his ability and even planned to study journalism.

Karen treasured the letters she got from him, each one thoughtful and filled with his love for her and Justin. His writing gave her a greater insight into the person he really was, a tender man
who had known hardship, but whose desire now was only to make amends.

Colin’s description of seeing his son born was touching and very beautiful. Karen kept that letter closest to her heart. She planned to read it out in church at their son’s
christening, but she was waiting until Colin was released so they could celebrate that blessed event together, as a family.

She now knew why Colin had wanted to call their son Barry. They didn’t argue, but agreed with all their hearts that Barry would be his second name, and Barry himself would be
Justin’s godfather.

Justin Barry Burrows would never know the details of his father’s outrageous escape or the painful aftermath that had changed the course of his life. By the time Colin
was released from prison, his speech was nearly back to normal, he had won three writing awards and was beginning a career as a trainee journalist with a local paper. What Justin did know was that
he had a loving and happy family, and a kind-hearted Uncle Barry who drew great fake tattoos.