‘Hiya, Mum.’
Shocked, she stared at Jenna, who was standing nearby.
‘What the heck are you doing here?’ She glanced at her watch. ‘It’s eleven o’clock. What’s wrong? Why aren’t you at work?’
‘I’m playing hooky.’ Jenna gave her a sheepish smile. ‘I rang in sick. Sod it.’
‘You did what?You?’ Alison couldn’t believe it. Jenna, the woman who wanted nothing more than to be every pupil’s favourite teacher and be promoted to head teacher by the time she was forty-five had played hooky? It had never been known. ‘Has something happened?’
‘Sort of.’ Jenna glanced upwards and wrinkled her nose as spots of rain started to fall. ‘Come and sit in my car. Let’s talk.’
Feeling she was in a dream, Alison followed her daughter to where her smart new car was parked. Well, nearly new. She’d only taken delivery of it last week. The family was certainly aspirational.
‘Nice,’ she said, admiring the interior as they sat inside, while the rain began to pour down, bouncing off the windscreen. ‘Very smart.’
‘I doubt it will stay that way for long,’ Jenna said. ‘You know how much mess the twins can make.’
‘Don’t I just!’ Alison said with feeling.
‘Bloody April showers,’ Jenna said wistfully. ‘It was such a lovely day yesterday, too. I hope it’s not an omen.’
‘An omen of what?’
Jenna turned to face her, her cool facade dropping. ‘Mum, why didn’t you tell me?’
Alison frowned. ‘Tell you what?’
‘About the diabetes!’
Alison heaved a heavy sigh. ‘Bloody Rosie.’
‘Don’t blame her! She shouldn’t have had to tell me.Youshould have! She called me last night. She told me you were going to get your bloods checked today and that you might be really nervous, because we all know what you’re like about going to the doctor’s. She wanted to be with you, but she was needed at work, so she asked me if I’d go with you, and I told her I had work, too, and she said she’d clean forgotten. But I don’t think she had, do you? I think she just wanted me to know. And then I got stuck in traffic and missed your appointment anyway and… How did it go?’
‘Okay, I think,’ Alison said, feeling slightly stunned at Jenna’s little speech. It was the most her daughter had said to her in months. ‘Are you telling me you called in sick to be with me for my blood test?’
Jenna’s face crumpled. ‘Yes! And I missed it! I’m so sorry.’
‘There’s no need to be sorry,’ Alison assured her, handing her a tissue as Jenna began to cry. ‘I was absolutely fine. Honestly.’
‘But you’re scared stiff of doctors. Everyone knows that. Ever since Dad.’
‘Yes, well, I’m not so scared any more. I’ve had that many tests lately it doesn’t bother me at all.’
‘Tests?’ Jenna’s eyes widened. ‘What sort of tests?’
‘Nothing sinister. Just routine stuff. When you get to my age they want to check everything. And besides, you know what it’s like when you’re a woman. It never ends, does it?’
‘Oh. Oh, you mean like a mammogram?’
Alison groaned. ‘Bloody hell. I’d forgotten about that. That’ll be next, no doubt. Something to look forward to, eh?’
‘But everything’s okay?’ Jenna asked anxiously.
‘I’m fine, love. All results are good so far. Just got the blood sugar test to come back now and then that’s it. And I’ve lost so much weight and eaten so healthily that I’m feeling positive about that too. My blood pressure’s normal again. The nurse is really pleased with me.’
Jenna surveyed her thoughtfully. ‘You look fabulous,’ she said. ‘Really well. I guess going away to Kelsea Sands did you the world of good.’
‘Mm. It did.’ Until it didn’t.
