Chapter 2 #2
Hannah’s online recruitment job was commission-based and she often worked incredibly long hours. She earned quite a lot, but had a tendency to live beyond her means.
When things were going well, she’d splash out on herself and the kids. But then when she went through a lean patch, she’d realise there was scarcely enough in the bank to pay their big bills and even bigger mortgage.
Despite all this, she and Mac appeared to jog along well enough and Edie was fond of them both. Recently, though, she’d noticed more bickering between them and Hannah seemed to have lost some of her bounce. She hoped Mac had nothing to do with it.
As soon as she’d rung off, she started an email to Mrs Papadakis.
She’d already discussed the villa in bed with Ralph this morning. He’d been so hung-over he’d have said yes to anything.
‘Dear Mrs Papadakis,’ she wrote. ‘I’m delighted to say my husband, friends and I would love to take Villa Ariadne for the week of Saturday 24 May to Saturday 31 May. I hope it’s still available? I’ll transfer the deposit as soon as I hear back from you.
‘We look forward very much to meeting you and spending time on your beautiful island.
‘Thanks and very best wishes…’
‘Hello, you!’
Edie swung round, blurry-eyed, propping herself up on an elbow on the back of the sofa. She realised she’d been miles away, staring into space.
‘I was thinking about Crete,’ she told Jessica, apologetically. ‘I may have found us a villa to rent.’
‘Well done.’
Jessica was standing very straight, with a pile of exercise books clutched to her chest. She was smiling but something about her seemed different; Edie couldn’t put her finger on it.
‘Nearly the weekend, thank goodness,’ Edie said brightly. It was Friday and the mood in the staffroom and round the school was always cheerier. ‘What are you up to? Got any nice plans?’
Jessica would normally reel off a list of arrangements: a visit to some or other historical site, a running challenge, a tennis match or theatre trip, for instance. Whatever she’d organised always sounded interesting. Edie sometimes felt a teeny bit envious.
Her weekends were mostly taken up with marking, housework, catching up on admin and watching TV with Ralph, possibly with a takeaway thrown in.
She’d occasionally suggest inviting friends for supper or offer to book theatre tickets, but he was never that keen.
He always said he had work to catch up on.
It seemed Jessica did most of her activities alone – she rarely mentioned friends. Feeling a little sorry for her and also seeing her as a potential companion, Edie had once asked her along to a film they’d discussed. Jessica reciprocated soon after with an invitation to a blues event.
Both evenings had gone well and Edie had suggested arranging another night out soon.
Jessica had never followed her up on the idea, however, and not wanting to be pushy, Edie had decided to park it. Perhaps her colleague preferred her own company. She was certainly very independent.
Edie was slightly in awe of Jessica, actually. She herself would never go to a film, play or concert alone; she’d be far too self-conscious. Silly really. She probably missed out.
She was mulling this over while she waited patiently for a response from Jessica but for once, she seemed lost for words.
‘Are you OK?’ Edie asked, looking more closely at her friend and noticing her downcast eyes and the slight quiver in her lip.
‘Actually, no.’
Jessica’s face reddened and her features sort of scrunched together, as if she were fighting back tears.
‘What’s happened?’ Edie asked in alarm, patting the empty space on her right. ‘Come here. Tell me what’s wrong.’
Jessica hurried round to the other side of the sofa and sat down. It was a shock to see her so vulnerable, her thin knees, encased in opaque black tights, pulled together as if for comfort, and she was staring blankly at the pile of books on her lap.
‘It’s my dog – Ernest,’ she began, with a catch in her voice.
Edie frowned. She knew Jessica was very fond of her pet, a dachshund. She mentioned him quite often.
‘His heart’s been bad for a while but he was doing OK on medication,’ Jessica continued. ‘But last night when I got back from work, he was coughing and gasping for breath. He seemed really distressed.
‘I rushed him to the vet and they kept him in for tests. The vet rang just now; I just spoke to her. She said his heart’s giving up and there’s nothing more they can do.’ She swallowed, wincing as if it hurt.
‘They’ve dosed him up with sedatives and painkillers but he’s not happy. They said the kindest thing would be to put him down.’
‘Oh, Jessica, I’m so sorry.’ Edie wrapped an arm round her friend’s shoulders and squeezed.
It was too much for Jessica, who let out a sob, attracting the attention of a group of nearby staff, who were sitting round a table eating lunch.
Most looked away quickly but Janine Murray, the gossipy Art teacher, caught Edie’s eye and raised her brows in question. Edie quickly glanced in the other direction, pretending not to notice.
Jessica’s hands shot up to cover her face.
‘He’s been such a dear friend to me these past twelve years,’ she said falteringly. ‘I couldn’t have asked for more. I’m going to the vet’s after work today to say goodbye.’
Tears pricked in Edie’s eyes, too. She could only begin to imagine how Jessica must feel, and she didn’t even have a husband or partner to support and comfort her.
‘I’ll come with you,’ Edie blurted, before hesitating. ‘If you’d like me to, that is.’
There was a pause, while Jessica weighed up the offer.
‘That’s very kind of you,’ she replied at last, ‘but no. You’ve got enough on your plate. I’ll be fine. I knew something like this was going to happen sooner or later. I’ll miss him, that’s all.’
‘It’s no trouble, honestly,’ Edie persisted. ‘I can drive you there. I’ll wait outside if you prefer.’
She wouldn’t have wanted to be on her own if Dilly had to be put down; she’d be an absolute mess. But Jessica’s mind was made up.
‘No. I’m a big girl. I can cope,’ she said, before inhaling sharply and straightening her back.
‘I want him to have a calm, peaceful death; it’s the least I can do. Hopefully he’ll just drift off to sleep on my lap.’
Clearing her throat, she pushed back a strand of loose hair and secured it tightly with a clip. Seeming more composed now, she rose, still clutching her pile of books, and Edie did the same.
‘Thank you for your kindness,’ Jessica said.
She was back to her old, polite, slightly formal self.
‘I hope it goes OK later, or as well as you could hope for,’ Edie replied. ‘Let me know if you change your mind about the lift.’
It wasn’t long before the bell rang and Edie didn’t see Jessica again until the end of the day. Children were spilling out of her ground-floor classroom, jostling with each other in the corridor and chattering excitedly. It was Friday, after all.
‘Er, excuse me,’ Jessica said in a loud, commanding voice, appearing at the door just as Edie approached. ‘Lower the volume, please, and walk, don’t run. We don’t want any accidents.’
Edie’s lesson had finished promptly and she’d been on her way to the car park with her coat in one arm, her heavy canvas tote bag, packed with exercise books, in another.
She paused, waiting for the last pupils to leave, before asking Jessica how she was feeling.
‘All right, thanks. I think I’ve got my head round it now. He’s a dog, after all, and he’s had a very good life. One mustn’t be silly and sentimental.’
Edie was surprised. As far as she was concerned, it was totally natural to be sentimental about the death of a much-loved pet. Still, she admired her friend’s stoicism.
‘You’re right,’ she said, doubtfully. ‘That’s a very sensible attitude. I’d be blubbing all over the place if Dilly died. I don’t know what I’d do without Ralph?—’
The comment just slipped out and Edie inhaled sharply, wanting to kick herself. If only she could take it back! The last thing she wanted was to make things worse by drawing attention to the fact Jessica didn’t have a partner. But she needn’t have worried.
‘Oh, I’ve never needed a man to hold my hand,’ Jessica replied airily. ‘In my experience, most of them aren’t up to much.’
Edie was momentarily stung on Ralph’s behalf, but quickly recovered. After all, it’s not as if she hadn’t been aware Jessica was somewhat anti-male. Indeed, she’d sometimes wondered if her friend had had a bad experience or if she were gay, but there’d never been any evidence.
She drew herself up with a nod.
‘I agree. Women are much stronger than men,’ she said, touching Jessica lightly on the arm. ‘Good luck. I’ll be thinking of you.’