said. Rerun the conversation with him and said all the right things. I took a deep breath, and opened my mouth to speak.
‘So if there’s nothing else, I think we’re finished for today,’ Lewis said. ‘There isn’t anything else, is there?’
I paused. ‘No. There’s nothing else.’
Ladies toilets. Now.
I texted Carly.
She arrived a couple of minutes later, as I was reapplying my lipstick.
‘Are you OK?’ she said, placing her hand on my arm. ‘Your hand is shaking.’
I saw it then – my right hand trembling as I held the tube of No.7 lip colour.
‘Not really,’ I said, putting it away in my handbag.
‘What’s up?’
I tidied my hair in the mirror and pressed my lips together to even out the colour. ‘It’s this place, Carls. You give and you give – and you get nothing back. Garrett just told me there’s a new Head of English starting.’
‘They didn’t … ?’ Carly said, leaning against the basin and looking at me straight on. ‘They wouldn’t … ?’
‘They wanted to get in someone external. But it’s not just that: they’re moving my exam classes over to this new guy – the ones that it’s most important I see through, anyway.’
‘That’s terrible,’ Carly said, shaking her head.
‘It’s crap. I feel really undermined.’
‘I’m not surprised. There comes a point where you need to put yourself first.’ She put her hand on my arm.
‘I don’t have any choice right now but to accept what Lewis is proposing – well, telling me,’ I corrected myself.
‘Don’t you?’ Carly said, tilting her head. ‘The last thing I want is for you to leave, but there are other schools around.’
‘I can’t resign.’ I shook my head. ‘Not now. I mean … we’re buying this cottage. I’m not sure we’d even get the mortgage approved without my job.’
‘You’re a great teacher, Amelia. You’d find something else. Hopefully somewhere they’d look after you a little better than here.’
I let the thought settle. ‘I can’t.’ I bit my lip. ‘I really can’t. But just in case I change my mind,’ I said, ‘the notice date – it’s the end of May, isn’t it?’
Carly nodded.
*
On Saturday morning Jack was babysitting his nephew Oscar round at his sister’s house, and I was emailing the surveyors to arrange for them to look at Arcadia Cottage. We would need to get going quickly if we wanted to keep things on track for our agreed completion date with our buyers – mid-August.
With the offer on our flat lower than we’d been hoping for, and with the costs of moving we’d worked out, Jack and I were going to need every penny we could get. I was goingto have to call in my dad’s loan. I rang him on his landline, and Caitlin picked up again.
‘You’re in luck, love,’ she said warmly, but with that same hint of strain in her voice. ‘He’s just walked in through the door.
Joe!’
she yelled. ‘It’s your daughter here on the phone for you. The well-behaved one.’
‘Hi, sweetheart,’ Dad said. His voice carried a faint Irish accent now, after years in Dublin.
‘How’s it going, Dad?’
‘Fine, thanks. Just been out in town, met a few friends for a drink. Needed one after the job I had this morning – really demanding customer, and the electrics he’d done himself were a mess. Pouring down out there though. I’m soaked. How are you doing?’
‘Good, thanks,’ I said. ‘Actually, I’ve got some exciting news. Jack and I have just had an offer accepted on a cottage – we’re moving to Kent.’
‘To the countryside, eh? That’s great, Amelia.’
‘We’re really looking forward to it. This cottage is perfect, Dad. You know how I always used to dream about living in the country, when I was into
Anne of Green Gables
and all that.’
‘Did you? Yes, rings a bell. That’s nice.
Caitlin
!’ he called. ‘Couldn’t make me a tea while you’re at it, could you? Chilled to the bone over here.’
‘Anyway, Dad.’ I paused, trying
‘So if there’s nothing else, I think we’re finished for today,’ Lewis said. ‘There isn’t anything else, is there?’
I paused. ‘No. There’s nothing else.’
Ladies toilets. Now.
I texted Carly.
She arrived a couple of minutes later, as I was reapplying my lipstick.
‘Are you OK?’ she said, placing her hand on my arm. ‘Your hand is shaking.’
I saw it then – my right hand trembling as I held the tube of No.7 lip colour.
‘Not really,’ I said, putting it away in my handbag.
‘What’s up?’
I tidied my hair in the mirror and pressed my lips together to even out the colour. ‘It’s this place, Carls. You give and you give – and you get nothing back. Garrett just told me there’s a new Head of English starting.’
‘They didn’t … ?’ Carly said, leaning against the basin and looking at me straight on. ‘They wouldn’t … ?’
‘They wanted to get in someone external. But it’s not just that: they’re moving my exam classes over to this new guy – the ones that it’s most important I see through, anyway.’
‘That’s terrible,’ Carly said, shaking her head.
‘It’s crap. I feel really undermined.’
‘I’m not surprised. There comes a point where you need to put yourself first.’ She put her hand on my arm.
‘I don’t have any choice right now but to accept what Lewis is proposing – well, telling me,’ I corrected myself.
‘Don’t you?’ Carly said, tilting her head. ‘The last thing I want is for you to leave, but there are other schools around.’
‘I can’t resign.’ I shook my head. ‘Not now. I mean … we’re buying this cottage. I’m not sure we’d even get the mortgage approved without my job.’
‘You’re a great teacher, Amelia. You’d find something else. Hopefully somewhere they’d look after you a little better than here.’
I let the thought settle. ‘I can’t.’ I bit my lip. ‘I really can’t. But just in case I change my mind,’ I said, ‘the notice date – it’s the end of May, isn’t it?’
Carly nodded.
*
On Saturday morning Jack was babysitting his nephew Oscar round at his sister’s house, and I was emailing the surveyors to arrange for them to look at Arcadia Cottage. We would need to get going quickly if we wanted to keep things on track for our agreed completion date with our buyers – mid-August.
With the offer on our flat lower than we’d been hoping for, and with the costs of moving we’d worked out, Jack and I were going to need every penny we could get. I was goingto have to call in my dad’s loan. I rang him on his landline, and Caitlin picked up again.
‘You’re in luck, love,’ she said warmly, but with that same hint of strain in her voice. ‘He’s just walked in through the door.
Joe!’
she yelled. ‘It’s your daughter here on the phone for you. The well-behaved one.’
‘Hi, sweetheart,’ Dad said. His voice carried a faint Irish accent now, after years in Dublin.
‘How’s it going, Dad?’
‘Fine, thanks. Just been out in town, met a few friends for a drink. Needed one after the job I had this morning – really demanding customer, and the electrics he’d done himself were a mess. Pouring down out there though. I’m soaked. How are you doing?’
‘Good, thanks,’ I said. ‘Actually, I’ve got some exciting news. Jack and I have just had an offer accepted on a cottage – we’re moving to Kent.’
‘To the countryside, eh? That’s great, Amelia.’
‘We’re really looking forward to it. This cottage is perfect, Dad. You know how I always used to dream about living in the country, when I was into
Anne of Green Gables
and all that.’
‘Did you? Yes, rings a bell. That’s nice.
Caitlin
!’ he called. ‘Couldn’t make me a tea while you’re at it, could you? Chilled to the bone over here.’
‘Anyway, Dad.’ I paused, trying
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