Chapter 51
LIV
I went home with my head in a spin. Tears pressed forward in my eyes every time I went over the conversation with Maya in my mind.
My hands were trembling so much that it took me several attempts to get the key into the lock.
I went inside the house and tried to distract myself by doing some laundry but I couldn’t get the conversation out of my head.
Jay called me on his lunch break to see how it had gone and I fell apart as I told him what had happened.
‘How dare she!’ he kept repeating. ‘How dare she try and pin this on our son! It was Elliot who started the whole thing and now because we thought we were doing the right thing by advising Finn not to play with the bully, he ends up being the one accused of bullying! I actually can’t believe it.
I’m off tomorrow; I’ll call the school and make an appointment to see his teacher. ’
I couldn’t even formulate a response. I just kept crying.
When I collected Finn that afternoon, I kept my head down and I was relieved when Maya and I didn’t cross paths. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to keep a lid on my emotions.
We went home and after I had given Finn a snack and revised his phonics with him, we built some Lego together. I wanted to chat to him about the situation with Elliot but I knew he’d just clam up if he sensed I was questioning him so I needed him to be distracted.
‘Did you play with Elliot in school today?’ I probed as I pushed a brick down onto the wall that we were building.
He shook his head. ‘I didn’t want to play with him cos he’s always mean to me and he says bad things to me.’
‘Did you tell your teacher about him being mean to you?’
He shook his head. ‘No.’
‘Elliot said to his mammy that you and some of the other boys were being mean to him,’ I went on. ‘Is that true?’
‘But you saided that I didn’t have to play with him if he isn’t being nice!’
‘I know, sweetheart, I did. But now his mammy said he is sad because he’s feeling left out.’
‘Well then he should be nice,’ he said simply.
I searched my son’s dark eyes for any hint that he might be hiding something from me but only saw purity within.
‘He should,’ I agreed, knowing he was being truthful.
Jay hadn’t calmed down when he came home from the hospital that evening. I dissolved into tears as soon as he took me into his arms as the stress and tension of the day rushed over me once again. He made dinner and even a dessert because he wanted to cheer me up.
I was just lifting a spoon loaded with the last bite of apple crumble when I heard my phone ring and saw it was Maya. Immediately, my heart started thumping.
‘It’s Maya,’ I mouthed to him as though she could hear me.
‘Don’t answer it.’
‘I can’t, Jay. I need to take it. Hi,’ I said, pressing the answer button before he could talk me out of it.
‘Liv, it’s me,’ she began. ‘I’ve been so upset all day… I just wanted to say that I’m sorry about earlier. That wasn’t how I intended it to go. You’ve been such a good friend to me and I think I handled it all wrong. I don’t want to fall out with you over this.’
‘I don’t either,’ I said, softening.
‘I was thinking about what you said and I know you have your feelings on it as do I so I think we should talk it out. All of us together: you and Jay and me and Hugo. I know the four of us can sort this between us rather than getting the school involved.’
‘I don’t know…’ I said cautiously.
‘Please,’ she begged. ‘I feel desperate about how I handled it earlier. I think the emotion overcame me and it wasn’t how I had hoped it would go. I really think if the four of us adults sit down and talk calmly and rationally, we can sort this out. I wonder, would you come over tomorrow evening?’
‘I don’t know…’
‘Please, Liv, it’s important that we resolve this now before it grows into something bigger.’
‘Well, I guess…’ I acquiesced. It sounded like hell.
I didn’t think we could resolve anything more than she and I had tried to do in the café, especially if the men were involved.
I’d imagine a man like Hugo didn’t discuss anything calmly.
I knew Jay would kill me for agreeing to it; after the last time they had met, I had promised him that we wouldn’t go out with them again.
‘Thank you, Liv. We all want the same thing which is for the boys to get along and be happy. I really think this is the best way to sort all of this out.’