The School Gates (14 page)

Where was he? Why wouldn’t he take her calls? He had obviously been angry with her about her reaction to him knowing he was Eliska’s father, but Stephen was a kind man.

Overtaken by a sudden rush of tiredness, Alana fell asleep, then awoke to the stewardess telling both her and Eliska to put on their seat belts for landing. Eliska opened her eyes sleepily and put her favourite teddy’s ear in her mouth.

‘Have a safe onward journey and Happy New Year,’ the Captain crooned over the Tannoy as the plane approached its landing station.

How could it possibly be a happy new year, Alana thought – if Stephen McNair wasn’t going to be in it?

– Spring Term –

‘Being a full-time mother is one of the highest paid jobs, since the payment is pure love.’

Mildred B. VerMont

– Chapter Twelve –

‘Oh yes. Harder, harder – just there.’

A baby began to cry in the next room.

‘Damn. Don’t stop. Yesssss!!’

Cissy was standing up in her cot, arms outstretched as her mum ran in, curly blonde hair in complete disarray, black silk nightdress around the wrong way.

‘Dad, dad, dad, dad,’ the little one shouted as Joan turned off the baby monitor.

‘Sshh now, darling. He’s at work. We’ll see him tonight,’ Joan soothed, feeling completed sated for the first time in ages as the back door banged shut below.

Emily Pritchard – Head of PTA, Netball Coach and Mother of Joshua P, seven, chief swot and playground kisser – marched up the school path wiggling her bottom in her new bright red belted mac.

‘Didn’t realise you were expecting again?’ she greeted Mo who, flabbergasted by the comment, stood mute until Joan spoke for her.

‘For your information, Mo has recently lost a stone, and at least all of her is real woman.’ She then ushered her friend away, telling her to take deep breaths to stave away the tears.

Gordon had overheard Preachy Knickers’ vicious comment and said to himself, ‘Never ask a woman if she’s pregnant unless you can see the head, I say.’

Luckily Mo didn’t hear this either. Joan, who did, stifled a guffaw.

‘I’ve eaten so much over Christmas – it’s the stress of everything,’ Mo grumbled.

‘I know, I know. She’s just a bitch, Mo. We’ll get back on track now the kids are back at school,’ Joan sympathised.

‘Yes, we must.’ Mo tried to regain positivity. ‘I feel awful as well, as with everything going on I haven’t even asked you how Charlie’s been behaving, living in your caravan. I hope he’s not too much trouble.’

‘Trubble, shrubble. Mo, it’s a pleasure having him. I just have to make sure he’s kept warm in this weather, that’s all.’ Joan smiled and blushed. ‘Now come on, let’s say goodbye to those little darlings of ours.’

‘Oh Gawd, yes, look at the time. Ron is actually venturing out to the surgery for a check-up and I’d better be there when he arrives.’

Feeling as grey and dull as the January day upon them, Alana pulled up at the school gates. She was due to go back to work today, but had awoken feeling really sick, so thought it might be safer to work from home. This obviously delighted Eliska, as she knew that ‘a silly old tummy bug’ wouldn’t stop her mummy taking her to school.

The little redhead loved the clicking sound her new school shoes made on the concrete and she ran straight up to the twins to show them. Alana smiled as she waved goodbye, then turned to her BlackBerry. Robbie had said that he might be free for the spring term, so she must get in and book him early.

Wishing Gordon a Happy New Year as he walked back to his Mini, she likened him to Stephen – smart, upright and debonair. Kind as well, she thought. It had taken her years to realise it, but she’d swap kind for flash any day.

Dana and Mark pulled up in their silver 4 x 4, and an excited Tommy shot out of the back door and up the drive. Mark swiftly followed.

‘Run! He’s going to be late,’ Dana shouted after her husband, noticing Alana as she got into her car.

Dana thought that she looked even sadder than usual and made a New Year’s resolution that she must try and make more of an effort to befriend some of the mums at the school gates. You didn’t always know what went on behind closed doors and it must be tough for Alana without a man around.

Also, with the chance of a new addition on the horizon, she too would need all the help she could get. She smiled to herself at the thought of a lovely new little bundle of joy in her arms.

Dana looked around her in the waiting room of the expensive London clinic. She found it hard to believe that so many other women were thinking of going through IVF. There were ladies of all ages, all nationalities, all with the slight sadness that childlessness brings.

What Mark found hard to believe was that with the money it was costing him, they actually had to wait to be seen. The view of the Thames and comfy seats did nothing to compensate for his brewing anger and Dana had to shush him as he started his own private rant.

Today was the day to pick up the all-important drugs that would stimulate her ovaries to produce the eggs that were to be eventually fertilised by Mark’s sperm.

‘I hope they give me some decent porn to wank off to,’ Mark said far too loudly in to his wife’s ear. ‘In fact, for this bloody price I expect a live lap-dance.’

‘Mark!’ Dana couldn’t believe her husband was making such a show in public.

‘They actually give you a blow-up doll, I think,’ Dana jested, knowing that underneath all the bravado Mark was actually really quite nervous about his whole performance bit.

‘That’s not for a couple of weeks anyway,’ Dana encouraged. ‘Once the eggs are ready and removed.’

‘It’s all so bloody clinical! Are you sure this is what you want?’

Dana’s face fell and Mark grabbed her hand. ‘I’m sorry, darling; it just seems a weird way of creating a little life, that’s all.’

‘Mr and Mrs Knight?’ A chic young nurse came into the waiting room.

‘Well, maybe things aren’t so bad,’ Mark whispered to Dana, who pinched his hand as they made their way to the consultant’s room.

‘Happy New Year, bellamissima signorella,’ Tony sang as Dana walked into Rosco’s.

She giggled. ‘What on earth have you been putting in that espresso, eh?’

‘Just pleased to see my favourite waitress, that’s all. We both missed you, didn’t we, bruv?’

Bruno blew her a kiss, and then turned back to the coffee machine. The LWL were back in full force, gabbling like a flock of parakeets as they compared the gifts of jewellery they had received for Christmas. Fur coats and cashmere scarves were piled high on the hat-stand as it was a bitterly cold morning.

Dana was pleased that the Christmas break had come when it had. She hoped that it had dampened Tony’s ardour and also her own feelings that she had found oh so difficult to keep under control.

She realised that it would be impossible to go through her whole life not fancying other people, but she did love Mark, and her urge to have another baby was so strong that she would never allow anything to get in the way of achieving her dream.

Two hours passed before Tony and Dana had time for one of their customary short breaks. Dana sighed and lay back in the chair in the kitchen, kicked off her shoes and rubbed her throbbing feet.

‘You OK?’ Tony brushed her cheek with his hand.

‘Phew, yes.’ She put her hand to her face. ‘I’ve just started IVF treatment and the drugs are making me a little more tired than usual.’ Deep down she knew this was something she shouldn’t really be telling an employer, but it was Tony, so it somehow felt right.

‘Would you prefer to work less hours?’ he said immediately, her welfare uppermost in his mind. ‘It’s a long time to be on your feet with all that going on in that lovely little body of yours.’

‘No, don’t be silly. I’m only here three days anyway. I’ll be fine.’

‘Well, you must promise that if you want to take some time out, you will tell me.’

‘Thanks, Dad,’ Dana laughed. ‘But joking aside, I may have to take you up on that when I’m pregnant.’

‘When will you know?’

‘In around five to six weeks. I will have to take a day or two off when the eggs are collected at the hospital, but hopefully it will fall on my days off anyway, but that’s it.’

‘It’s quite weird knowing exactly when you will fall pregnant, don’t you think?’ Tony asked, not in the least bit phased by talking about such a personal issue.

‘I hadn’t really thought about it, to be honest. I just feel SO excited to think that this time next year, I will hopefully have another little person to call me Mama.’

Dana finished off her herbal tea. She had decided to avoid all caffeine or alcohol during the treatment – anything to help it on its way. She bent to put her shoes on and straightened her skirt. Tony watched her as she did this.

‘Dana?’

‘Yes?’

‘I’m sorry about the – you know – the kiss thing.’

Standing up, she faced him and put her hands to his cheeks.

‘Tony Rosco, the kiss thing, as you put it – was actually very flattering, and if I was in a different place then I would most definitely have not moved my face away.’

The young Italian smiled widely.

‘Really?’

‘Really. Now, we’d better get out there and help that brother of yours before he starts throwing plates around.’

Inga looked grey as she took a cup of tea in to Gordon.

‘What is it, chick? You look like someone has died.’

‘They have. It’s Mr Brown Nose. I just went to feed him and there he is, all legs in the air and stiff.’

‘Damn, they loved that bloody hamster; we’ll have to get them another one. Although, the stench of it,’ Gordon went on camply. ‘Can’t say I’m not a tinsy wincey bit relieved.’

He jumped up out of bed, causing Inga to check out his buff body, covered only by a small pair of designer boxers. He had been working out a lot more since Chris had left.

‘Nice arse,’ she commented. Gordon immediately thought of the elusive Robbie.

Parking that thought, he sprang immediately in to Superdad mode.

‘Right, quick, get the dearly departed Mr Brown Nose into a cardboard box and we’ll sneak out and get a looky-likey straight after I’ve dropped the kids at school.’

‘The girls, they are not stupid, they always feed him before breakfast,’ Inga relayed sensibly.

‘Right. Take the whole cage out of the study and say you are cleaning him out in your room and they mustn’t open the door or he’ll escape. Shit – is that the time, I have to jump in the shower.’ He disappeared into his en-suite.

As Inga juggled open her bedroom door with one hand, whilst holding the cage with the other, the girls came charging down the corridor. In her hurry, Lola knocked the base of the cage, opening the cage door and sending the wheel, the water bottle, the sawdust and poor old stiff Mr Brown Nose onto the carpet.

On hearing the commotion, Gordon appeared with a towel around his waist.

Lola ran to him, screaming, ‘Daddy! Inga has killed Mr Brown Nose!’

He couldn’t stop himself from smirking at the whole scenario.

‘Daddy, it’s really not funny.’ Lily started to cry.

He knelt down and gathered his beautiful girls to him; one on each knee. He lifted Lily’s red spectacles and wiped away her tears with his index finger.

‘Inga didn’t kill Mr Brown Nose. He died in his sleep and she was just moving him, so as not to upset you before school.’

‘Oh,’ the twins said together.

‘Now you know where he’s gone, don’t you?’ Gordon went on gently.

Lily put her hand up as if she was at school.

‘Is it Hamsterdam? Mr Chambers told us about his holiday there.’

Inga had to leave the room for fear of laughing out loud.

‘Well, he might have gone there, but I think he’s more likely to be in heaven with Mummy now.’

Lola took her thumb out of her mouth. ‘Did Mummy like hamsters?’

‘Yes, she loved animals, darling, so he’ll be just fine.’

‘Did she love animals more than she loved us?’ Lily asked, her voice a bit wobbly.