It’s the same number.
‘Hello?’
Silence.
More breathing.
I shiver. Is this an accidental call, or could it be some weirdo heavy breather? What if someone is trying to intimidate me? Harm me even? Am I being overly paranoid? It’s just… there have been so many little, niggly things. Too many to brush under the carpet – the car graffiti, the laptop virus, the swapped key. What are the chances of it all happening at once?
‘Hello?’ I snap. ‘Who is this?’
Whatever’s going on, I don’t have time for it right now. I end the call and shove the phone back into my bag, ignoring it as it starts to ring again. As I walk towards school, a cool breeze makes me hug my jacket tight to my body. I was already late before receiving those odd phone calls, and now I’m even later. But it suits me to arrive at the last minute – that way, I don’t have to stand in the playground with all the other mums. I don’t feel in the right frame of mind to socialise.
I realise I’m in an unsettled mood. Perhaps it’s last week’s dramas catching up with me. Perhaps those strange phone calls have unnerved me. Perhaps I’m simply tired. It’s also the disappointment of losing the Cosgrove account. I’d been working on it for weeks, only to miss out because of his despicable behaviour. However, I grudgingly admit to myself that it might actually be for the best. After all, I do have a lot on my plate at the moment.
It starts to spot with rain. I check my watch and break into a jog – no easy task in a tight skirt and heels, but, judging by the flow of parents moving in the opposite direction to school, I might have misjudged how late I actually am.
In the playground, I see to my relief that there are still a few stragglers. I head over to Mrs Slade who’s standing with three children, two of whom are mine.
‘Sorry I’m late!’
‘Hi, Mum,’ Eva says. ‘We thought you weren’t coming.’
Katie throws herself at me. ‘My teacher had to go, so I had to stay with Eva because you didn’t come.’
‘I’m only five minutes late, Katie.’
‘It felt like hours,’ Eva says. ‘And it’s raining.’
‘A few drops, that’s all,’ I reply.
‘Nothing like a bit of wanton exaggeration,’ Mrs Slade says to me with a smile. ‘It’s fine. I’m still waiting for Thomas’s parents anyway.’
‘Sorry,’ I say again. I put a hand on each of my children’s backs. ‘Come on then, you two, let’s get you home.’
‘Actually,’ Mrs Slade says, ‘before you go, Mrs Ballantine, can I have a quick word?’
I turn back. ‘Sure.’
‘Just wanted to check everything’s okay after last week?’
I feel my face grow hot. I haven’t spoken to Eva’s teacher since the punching episode. ‘Yes, everything’s fine, thanks. Eva and Lauren have made up.’
‘Good. Yes, they seem okay in class. It’s just… I was wondering why you hadn’t scheduled a slot for parents’ evening. I hope you’re able to come. It would be useful to have a chat about everything.’
‘Oh. Yes, of course. I didn’t realise parents’ evening was on.’
‘I gave the letter to Eva’s grandmother when she picked up the children. It was supposed to have been returned by this Monday just gone.’
‘Oh.’ I think back to last week, but I can’t recall Diane giving me any letter. ‘She must have forgotten to give it to me. Or maybe she gave it to Robert and he forgot to tell me. Is it too late to arrange a time?’
‘I do have a couple of later slots left.’ She unfolds the sheet of paper in her hand and points to a couple of blank boxes on a spreadsheet. ‘There – six thirty or six forty-five’
‘Six forty-five would be great. Thank you.’
‘No problem.’
In the car on the way home I use the hands-free to call Diane.
