“Have you seen Jane?” asked Celeste, as if she’d read her mind.
Perry and Ed had walked ahead of them.
“Have you told him . . . ?” Madeline lowered her voice and inclined her head at Perry’s back.
“No!” hissed Celeste. She looked almost terrified.
“Anyway, Jane isn’t here,” said Madeline. “Remember, she’s got the thing with the thing.” Celeste looked blank. Madeline lowered her voice. “You know. The appointment.” Jane had sworn them to secrecy about the appointment she’d made for Ziggy to see the psychologist. “If people hear I’m taking him to a psychologist, they’ll think it’s proof that he’s doing something wrong.”
“Oh yes, of course.” Celeste tapped a finger to her forehead. “I forgot.”
Perry slowed down so that Madeline and Celeste could catch up with them.
“So Ed has just been telling me about this bullying controversy,” said Perry. “Is this Renata Klein’s daughter? The poor little girl who is being bullied?” He said to Madeline, “I sort of know Renata through work.”
“Really?” said Madeline, although she already knew this from Celeste; it always seemed a safer policy not to let husbands know just how much information their wives shared.
“So should I sign this petition if Renata asks me?” asked Perry.
Madeline drew herself up, ready to go into battle for Jane, but Celeste spoke first. “Perry,” she said, “if you sign that petition I will leave you.”
Madeline laughed with uneasy surprise. It was obviously meant to be a joke, but there was something wrong with Celeste’s delivery. She sounded perfectly serious.
“That’s telling you, mate!” said Ed.
“It sure is,” said Perry, and he put his arm around Celeste and pressed his lips to her head. “The boss has spoken.”
But Celeste still didn’t smile.
To: ALL PARENTS
From: YOUR SOCIAL COMMITTEE
The much anticipated AUDREY AND ELVIS TRIVIA NIGHT kicks off tomorrow in the school assembly hall at seven p.m.! Put your thinking caps on and be ready for a night of fun and merriment! THANK YOU to Year 2 dad Brett Larson, who will be our MC for the night. Brett has been busy preparing some tricky mind-benders to keep us on our toes!
Fingers crossed the weather forecast will be wrong (90 percent chance of rain—but, hey, what do they know?) and we’ll be able to enjoy cocktails and canapés on our beautiful balcony before the night begins.
THANK YOU also to all our generous local sponsors! Raffle prizes include a FAB MEAT TRAY kindly donated by our friends at the wonderful Pirriwee Perfect Meats, a scrumptious BREAKFAST FOR TWO at BLUE BLUES (we love you, TOM!) and a SHAMPOO AND BLOW-DRY at HAIRWAY TO HEAVEN! WOW!
Remember, all money raised goes to buy SMART Boards for the education of our little folk!
*Hugs!* from your friendly Social Committee,
Fiona, Grace, Edwina, Rowena, Harper, Holly and Helen!
xxxxxxx
P.S. Mrs. Lipmann reminds us all to be mindful of our neighbors and to keep noise levels to a minimum when we’re leaving.
52.
Samantha: I was watching the kindy kids do a poem at school assembly the day before the trivia night and I noticed all the Renata supporters were on one side and all the Madeline supporters were on the other side, just like at a wedding. I had a little chuckle to myself.
Pirriwee Public School assemblies always took far too long to start and finish, but the one thing you couldn’t complain about was the location. The school assembly hall was on the second floor of the building and had a huge balcony that ran all the way along the side, with big glass sliding doors that revealed a glorious view out to sea. Today all the glass doors were slid open, allowing the crisp autumn air to flow through. (The hall did get a bit stuffy when all the doors were closed, with all the farting children, perfumed Blond Bobs and their lavishly cologned husbands.)
Madeline looked out at the view and tried to think happy thoughts. She felt ever so slightly snappy, which meant that tomorrow would be her peak day for PMS. Nobody better cross her at trivia night.
“Hi, Madeline,” said Bonnie. “Hi, Ed.”
She sat down on the empty aisle seat next to Madeline, bringing with her a nose-tickling scent of patchouli.
Madeline felt Ed’s hand come down and rest unobtrusively, comfortingly on her knee.
“Hi, Bonnie,” said Madeline wearily, looking over her shoulder. Was this really the only empty chair in the place? “How are you?”
“Very well,” said Bonnie. She pulled her single plait over her white, hippy-like shoulder with its little scattering of dark moles. Even Bonnie’s shoulder felt alien to Madeline.
“Aren’t you cold?” shivered Madeline. Bonnie was wearing a sleeveless top and yoga pants.
“I just taught a Bikram yoga class,” said Bonnie.
“That’s the sweaty one, right?” said Madeline. “You don’t look sweaty.”
“I showered,” said Bonnie. “But my core body temperature is still quite high.”
“You’ll catch a chill,” said Madeline.
“No I won’t,” said Bonnie.
“You will,” said Madeline. She could sense Ed on her left trying not to laugh.
She changed the subject while she still had the last word. “Nathan not here?”
“He had to work,” answered Bonnie. “I told him he probably wouldn’t miss much. Skye is so terrified of performing, she’ll probably hide behind the other kids.” She smiled at Madeline. “Not like your Chloe.”
“Not like my Chloe,” agreed Madeline.
At least you can never take Chloe away from me, the way you’ve taken Abigail.
It seemed quite outrageous to her that this stranger knew what her daughter had for breakfast this morning and yet Madeline did not. Even though she’d known Bonnie for years now, even though they’d had a hundred civil conversations, she still didn’t seem like a real person. She felt like a caricature to Madeline. It was impossible to imagine her doing anything normal. Was she ever grumpy? Did she ever yell? Fall about laughing? Eat too much? Drink too much? Call out for someone to bring her toilet paper? Lose her car keys? Was she ever just a human being? Did she ever stop talking in that creepy, singsong yoga teacher voice?
“I’m sorry that Nathan didn’t tell you about canceling the math tutor,” said Bonnie.