Darcie, Oscar’s mum
Ten pounds. 11:28
Oh my God, thought Lorna, they were gathering strength. The more of them who declared their amount, the more would follow. Any concerns about what this actually meant for her – Lorna – would fly out the window as the herd stampeded. If anyone else put a message on, she’d have to start thinking of a response. This was definitely one of those situations where silence smacked very heavily of guilt.
Lorna held her breath as she watched her phone screen anxiously.Please let this go away, she thought.
The doorbell rang. Lorna’s head jerked up. Who the hell was that? She wasn’t expecting anyone. She didn’t want to see anyone – not right now. She had to keep an eye on this group.
She thought about ignoring whoever was at the door, but the doorbell rang again. She opened it.
And instantly regretted it.
‘Mum,’ she said.
‘Hi.’ Carol hesitated, no doubt having picked up on her less than enthusiastic welcome. ‘Can I come in?’
What circumstances warranted a ‘no’? Lorna couldn’t think of one off the top of her head. Someone in the housewas ill? Dying? No, the most extreme of situations would only have made her mother more likely to step over the threshold and help. Lorna was aware she was waiting a little too long with her response.
‘Course,’ she said, irritated beyond words that her mother had picked now for an impromptu visit. As soon as Carol slipped off her coat and shoes, Lorna realized that she should have said she was going out. So simple. She kicked herself but it was too late now.
‘Would you like a cup of tea?’ she asked.
‘That would be lovely,’ said Carol, and Lorna noticed for the first time that her mother looked drawn, maybe even a little upset. As she put the kettle on she took the opportunity to surreptitiously check her phone.
Sarah Ramsay, Noah’s mum
I always tend to split my donation between the teacher and the church, so I only gave a fiver. 11:30
Oh, thank you, thank you, thought Lorna.I will forever love you. That’s all she needed, one or two to say they hadn’t donated the suggested amount and then this would all die a natural death and everyone would forget about it.
Lorna made two teas and joined her mum at the kitchen table. She placed her phone carefully next to her mug.
‘Sorry to arrive unannounced,’ said Carol.
‘Oh, no problem,’ said Lorna, on cue.
‘I just needed a bit of company, I suppose.’
Oh God, was Lorna’s first thought. Did this mean Carol was going to be here for a while? Didn’t she have other friends she could call on? Ordinarily, she would’ve been fine about it but...her eyes slid to her phone, vibrating on the table. She pressed the button on the side and the green WhatsApp symbol appeared in a white bar teasing her with its notification: 1 new message.Open me, it was saying.Come and see what someone else has said about this Christmas gift impending disaster.
‘What do you see when you look at me?’ asked Carol suddenly.
Lorna looked back at her mother. ‘What?’
Carol was self-conscious, awkward. ‘Do you see a dowdy, late-middle-aged woman, or someone with a bit of pizzazz still about them?’
Why was her mother asking this? Another vibrating sound came from the table. Lorna quickly looked back at her phone. Another bloody message. Buzz, another. Buzz, buzz.
‘Only sometimes...recently...I’m having a conversation with James and I feel as if his mind is elsewhere.’
‘Is it?’ asked Lorna.
‘It seems that way.’ Carol shook herself and put on a smile. ‘Oh, I don’t know, maybe I’m just being silly. Do you need to check that?’
Lorna looked up, saw her mum was pointing at the phone. She blushed. ‘Sorry, yes, do you mind?’ She didn’t wait for an answer and quickly read the messages.
Megan, Chester’s mum
