She had a sudden urge to get out of the village. Go somewhere where there was more life, more light. Somewhere bigger. A city.
She bundled Lara into the car. ‘We’re going on a surprise visit to Auntie Beth’s,’ she announced.
Lara cheered.
The weather had worsened since they’d been out that morning, the snow more persistent as they left their circular driveway. Nancy felt her wheels skid in the lane but she held her nerve and they kept going.
The high street was now eerily quiet. Some of the shops had closed early, no doubt due to the heavy snowfall. Snow covered everything, making it impossible to make out where the road became the pavement. Nancy kept going, her wipers fast against the snow that fell relentlessly. She peered through the windscreen. Visibility was down to about fifteen metres. The snow swirled in the cone of light in front of each headlight. Not long and she’d be at Beth’s. They’d have a cup of coffee and it would be warm and friendly.
Nancy headed onto the country lane that led out of the village. The snow piled up in drifts on either side of the road. It was always narrow but now it seemed less of a road, more a passageway.
She stopped the car and looked out the windscreen at the thick snow in front of her. Should she go for it? Nancy edged forward at a snail’s pace and felt the car slide. This was madness. Even if she did manage to make it all the way down the road to meet the main junction, it would take about an hour. And she would still be several miles from Beth’s house.
But there was more than one way out of this village. Some of the smaller lanes would be impassable but there was another road. It was a longer journey to Beth’s, but itwas wider, more often used. Other cars would have gone the same way, made a pathway she could follow.
She reversed slowly until the road was wide enough to turn around and then drove back down the high street. The street lights were barely penetrating the gloom. Nancy put her head down, determined to keep going. The junction loomed. She went to turn. Her car slid from under her and she spun one hundred and eighty degrees. She fought to regain control and skidded to a stop. It was silent; the only sound being the hum of the car, the sweep of the wipers still gamely pushing away the relentless snow.
‘Is everything OK, Mum?’ asked Lara, looking up at her nervously.
Then Nancy knew she couldn’t do it. Not after what had happened to them all. She must be mad, thinking of driving on a day like today. What if they had an accident? What if Lara lost another parent? What if she lost Lara?
‘I think we should go back,’ said Nancy.
She gingerly drove the car back along the lane to their house. She parked up; the hollow in the snow where the car had been earlier was already filling up.
They pulled their coats close then opened the car doors and ran.
After they came into the house, Nancy dumped her stuff and put Lara in front of the TV. She wanted to call Beth. Tell her about their plan, even if they hadn’t been able to make it.
She listened to the ringing in her ear.Please answer, she thought.I could really do with your friendly voice.
‘Hello?’
Nancy frowned. That wasn’t Beth speaking.
‘Is that Nancy? It’s Martin.’
‘Martin?’ She thought she heard a catch in his breath. ‘Is everything OK?’
‘I’m so sorry,’ he said, his voice cracking, ‘but I have some bad news. Beth has been in an accident.’
EIGHTY-ONE
Saturday 20 February
Lorna had been up since six after another sleepless night. Despite her recent financial successes, her grand plan just wasn’t possible without her mother’s help. She’d been counting on it, but Carol wouldn’t budge. After everything Lorna had sacrificed, the risks she had taken!
She had lain awake, her mind going round and round. Desperately trying to find a way to forge her children’s future. Railing against the unfairness of it all. Why should people with money have access to a better education for their children? They got to send their kids to schools where supply teachers were non-existent, where small classes meant that every attention was paid to their child, where they mixed with other children whose parents had equally entitled views on what opportunities their offspring should be offered.
And after that? With the contacts they had made and the school on their CV they got the best places at university, which led to the best jobs – often offered by a friend or a family member of a school ‘chum’. Jobs that paid the mostmoney, so when those children were grown up and decided to have kids of their own, they could afford to send them to the best schools where they would get the best education.
It was a closed circle. One that was guarded by the few, and Lorna was finding it impossible to break into.
She was enraged with it all. Enraged with Carol, who could change their destinies but refused to.
As she poured herself a third coffee, she heard Phoenix and Pepper thunder down the stairs. It was only seven thirty but she knew why they were up early – it was a Saturday morning and there was fresh snow. She could already tell by the shouts that they were beside themselves with excitement.
She smiled as they burst into the kitchen and she insisted on hot Ready Brek before they went out to the garden in the freezing cold. As she spooned it into their bowls, she wondered how she was going to break it to Phoenix that he couldn’t go to Kingsgate. Her heart cracked at the wasted opportunity – he was such a talented sportsman, hedeservedto go.
