Chapter 13
13
The next night, Kate stared at her cooker. She knew how to work the hob but she wasn’t really up to speed with the oven. She obviously knew how to turn it on and set the temperature but she wasn’t at all au fait with the timer or the various other settings she was sure Hermione probably used on an hourly basis.
It didn’t matter for the chasseur but she had bought garlic bread and it was frozen and she hadn’t known whether to defrost it or not before cooking. Garlic bread she had decided went with everything and even if Joel didn’t like it, she could always polish it off herself.
And you couldn’t go wrong with a Sarah Lee chocolate gateau for pudding. Who didn’t like stuff made by Sarah Lee?
She had already started to sample the Australian white, some of which was destined for the dinner. She looked at the recipe. Cut the chicken into chunks of approximately two centimetres in diameter, heat oil in a pan, fry chicken until sealed (what did that mean?), roughly chop the onion and the mushrooms.
The phone rang and Kate put down the recipe and picked up the handset.
‘Hello.’
‘I can’t believe you’ve done this,’ Matthew’s voice spoke angrily .
‘Hello,’ Kate repeated, not knowing what else to say.
She thought perhaps if she pretended she didn’t recognise who it was, he would say something else and not sound so mad. She knew what this was about.
‘I’ve had a phone call from the Child Support Agency. Do you know how much they want me to pay?! Almost five hundred pounds a month! Five hundred!’ Matthew continued.
‘Oh,’ Kate responded, trying to keep the delight out of her voice.
Almost five hundred pounds! That was a lot. She could buy something frivolous like Heinz baked beans instead of supermarket own brand with a sum like that.
‘It’s crazy! I can’t afford to pay that sort of money. I have a flat and bills and Amanda has—’ Matthew ranted.
‘Amanda. Who’s Amanda?’ Kate questioned, anger burning her throat as a name was put to the horrible voice that had called her a ‘her’.
‘I can’t afford five hundred a month Kate; you know how much I earn,’ Matthew replied, deliberately avoiding the question.
‘You should have thought about that before you stopped the standing order. Anyway, exactly what does Amanda have that you need to pay for ahead of paying for your daughter?’ Kate questioned, rage building up.
‘It doesn’t matter, I can’t pay it and I’ve told them that. Look, can we try and be grown up about this? Let’s not involve the CSA. Let’s arrange something between us,’ Matthew suggested to her, the tone of his voice changing immediately. It was like an actor switching roles halfway through a performance.
‘What, like you reinstating the standing order?’ Kate asked, picking up her wine and taking a long swig from it .
She had the upper hand here now; she was dictating proceedings for once.
‘Well, yes, but not for as much – maybe fifty pounds a week or something?’
‘No,’ Kate replied immediately.
‘Come on Kate, it would be something. I really can’t afford to pay the CSA what they want,’ Matthew spoke.
‘That isn’t my problem and I think, if you don’t pay, they just take it out of your wages,’ Kate responded coldly.
‘Kate, don’t do this. Please, I mean, I wouldn’t be able to live,’ Matthew said in a small and pitiful voice she had never heard before.
‘Goodbye,’ Kate said and she put the phone down, feeling in control for the first time in a long time.
She was glad he would struggle. Wasn’t she struggling just to maintain herself and Bethan? Him having a new girlfriend with expensive tastes wasn’t really an unavoidable expense as far as she was concerned and she was certain the CSA would take the same view.
Unfortunately, the feeling of control didn’t last more than five minutes. She prepared the chicken as best she could and then Bethan started screaming loudly, lying on the floor and kicking her legs in the air. Having placated her with Teletubbies and a rowdy rendition of ‘Polly Put The Kettle On’, the chicken was now sticking to the bottom of the pan. Desperate, Kate phoned Hermione.
‘The chicken’s sticking to the pan, it doesn’t say how much flour to add to this stock stuff and what does “roughly chop” mean? Does it just mean I go at it like a woodcutter?’ Kate blurted down the phone as soon as Hermione picked up.
‘More oil in the pan but you only need to fry it until it’s sealed. That means just until the outside of the chicken turns white, then add the other ingredients. ’
‘And the stock and the flour? Bethan, don’t put that in your mouth, it’s dirty,’ Kate spoke as Bethan picked up a stray mushroom from the kitchen floor.
‘Just add enough flour to make the stock thicken – so it turns into a sauce rather than a soup,’ Hermione instructed.
‘Joel’s going to be here in ten minutes, Bethan won’t settle in bed, I’ve got flour in my hair and down my clothes and the dinner looks like shit,’ Kate admitted with a heavy sigh.
‘Well it’s a good job it’s only business then and not a date,’ Hermione answered sceptically.
‘I still want the dinner to taste nice. I mean, he’s helping me out for no fee and we might not even get any money from the competition – the least I can do is feed him,’ Kate replied.
‘Stop panicking, take a deep breath and relax; it will all be fine. I read your tea leaves again and good things are coming your way,’ Hermione admitted.
‘I thought I told you to stop doing that without asking me.’
‘I just wanted to put your mind at rest, that’s all.’
‘Did the leaves tell you that my dinner is going to be a success?’
‘They’re never that specific so just keep it simmering until the vegetables are cooked, add the sauce and leave it on a low heat until you’re ready to eat,’ Hermione advised.
The doorbell rang and Kate almost dropped the telephone.
‘Oh God, he’s here, he’s early. Bethan’s still up, the dinner isn’t cooked – I’ve got to go,’ Kate spoke hurriedly.
She ended the call and wiped her hands on the tea towel.
She hurried down the hallway, Bethan hot on her heels, and opened the door .
On the doorstep stood a tall, red-haired woman aged about twenty-five. Kate didn’t recognise her.
‘Are you Kate Baxter?’ the woman asked.
God, maybe she was from the bank? Maybe they were going to talk to her about her lack of funds. This could be the perfect opportunity to ask for the overdraft she’d been putting off. She didn’t look too scary.
‘Yes, I am. Are you from the bank?’ Kate enquired hopefully.
Before she could do or say anything more, the woman struck out, punching Kate hard in the face. Shocked and bewildered, she put a hand up to her bloody nose as Bethan screamed and began to cry, pulling at her legs.
‘Just leave Matthew alone, you vicious witch,’ the woman spat.
‘I…’ Kate began, trying to speak as blood trickled down the back of her throat.
Without saying another word, the woman turned her back on Kate and hurried down the path, almost bowling into Joel, who was on his approach.