This house

"This house is too small!" She lamented plaintively. "This house is too cold. This house does not have enough rooms. The kitchen is tiny and it's all too cramped.

"Nothing in this house works! The boiler is erratic and the taps are dripping. The furniture is not modern. The drawers and cupboards are falling apart! This whole house sucks!

"I can't wait until we move out of this dump. When we can get a place with lots of grounds; not in a lousy estate like the one we are in, where you bump into all sorts of people; and every single step you take you tramp on canine mess.

"I want a place with at least 5 bedrooms so that we can accommodate our guests in comfort and style; and our kids can have their own separate rooms. I want a large Kitchen with state of the art equipment. I also want a good size swimming pool.

"All our friends are living in nice houses. I'm always so embarrassed when we visit them and they show us round. They have spacious, well decorated lounges with impressive, contemporary furniture. They have large shinny kitchens; Gardens that you could take a stroll in.

"Have you seen their Bathroom? They have large baths that you could really relax in, and loos that flush the first time, and showers that work!

"I am always embarrassed when our friends come round. How they must feel sorry for us living in such a pokey hell hole! All the time I find myself apologising and making excuses.

"...And you, all you ever do is promise that things will get better. Yet we have nothing to show for all the time you spend at work!"

She turned round to look at him. She was surprised to see that he was not there. He had got up while she was talking.

She did not find him upstairs. She looked outside but he was not in the garden.

He never returned.

No phone calls, no letters no post card, no nothing. He had simply disappeared.