pregnancy last week and as far as they were concerned any energy directed her way was dead energy. Matt chucked some paper clips past her, at Danny, and she gave a little jump.
‘Oy!’ shouted Danny, laughing. ‘You’re a bad loser, man.’
‘Oh, the football, right?’ asked Anna-Marie.
Danny raised his arms in the air. ‘Two-one!’ he sang again.
‘Well done.’ She grinned. She turned to Matt. ‘Bad luck.’ Matt gave a quick jerk of his head upwards in response.
Oscar was more mature than these two gibbons, thought Mark. And they were senior managers. By seven o’clock that evening, he thought he might still make it home in time to see Oscar. By eight, he knew that wasn’t going to happen. At nine o’clock, he called one of his team over.
‘Right,’ he said. ‘I think I’ve found a hole in the books.’
‘What?’ cried Matt. ‘You’re kidding me. Fuck.’
‘Someone will have to go to Birmingham tomorrow to check this out. No one above Assistant Manager. I’ve got an 8 a.m. meeting with the board, so I’ll be in mid-morning.’
‘Right, boss,’ sighed Matt.
As he walked through the still-buzzing office, he heard Danny telling his wife that he wouldn’t be home till midnightand Matt telling Anna-Marie that a car would come and collect her from her house at 6.30 a.m. and take her to Birmingham for a 9 a.m. conference.
Oscar woke early on Friday morning and insisted the au pair drop him at Daisy’s flat on the way to school. He stood outside Daisy’s front door, his entire bodyweight leaning on the doorbell as the car made its halting exit. Eventually, the door opened and Daisy’s mum stood in the narrow hallway she shared with two other flats, looking down at him with an unimpressed expression.
‘You know what?’ she shouted. Oscar’s finger jumped off the doorbell. She lowered her voice. ‘The doorbell works.’
‘Sorry, Lilith,’ he said, running past her up the stairs to her flat. ‘Forgot I was pressing it.’
‘Daisy’s in the kitchen,’ she said, following him up, although she knew he wasn’t there to see Daisy, he was there to be part of a family breakfast. Most ten-year-old boys didn’t want to know girls and Oscar only just scraped into the exception bracket. Lilith knew that he and Daisy barely made eye contact in school, but out of school they leant on each other almost as much as Mark leant on Lilith. She would have been insulted on behalf of her daughter by this double standard if it wasn’t for the fact that Daisy felt just as hypocritical about him.
They were in the kitchen in no time, the flat being what an estate agent would call bijou and what Lilith called ‘big enough to swing a cat in if you wanted to kill it’.
Daisy looked up from her cocoa pops and
heat
magazine. ‘Hi.’
‘Hi.’
‘Have you got a packed lunch?’ asked Lilith.
‘No,’ said Oscar.
She sighed and handed him a lunchbox. ‘How did I guess?’
Oscar froze, staring at the lunchbox. Lilith froze too, staring at Oscar.
‘What?’ she asked. ‘Is there a problem?’
‘It’s pink,’ mumbled Oscar.
Her eyebrows rose into her fringe. ‘I think,’ she said, ‘you mean “Thank you, Lilith”.’
‘Thank you, Lilith,’ he mumbled unconvincingly.
Lilith sighed, took it back and started repacking his lunch in a blue box while issuing orders to Daisy. ‘Coat and shoes on! Satchel, lunchbox and homework. Lights off! Wait for me on the pavement!’ She shut the front door behind them all, handing Oscar a lunchbox.
‘That’s my lunchbox!’ screeched Daisy.
‘I know!’ Lilith screeched back, handing Daisy the pink one. ‘Why don’t you write and tell all those Third World children who are dying of starvation?’
Daisy raised her eyes to heaven. ‘God,’ she muttered. ‘Bo
ring
.’
Lilith hugged the living breath out of her daughter. Then she did the same to Oscar.
‘Ooh, you’re both so
scrummy
,’ she said. She stood up. ‘Be good. And if you
‘Oy!’ shouted Danny, laughing. ‘You’re a bad loser, man.’
‘Oh, the football, right?’ asked Anna-Marie.
Danny raised his arms in the air. ‘Two-one!’ he sang again.
‘Well done.’ She grinned. She turned to Matt. ‘Bad luck.’ Matt gave a quick jerk of his head upwards in response.
Oscar was more mature than these two gibbons, thought Mark. And they were senior managers. By seven o’clock that evening, he thought he might still make it home in time to see Oscar. By eight, he knew that wasn’t going to happen. At nine o’clock, he called one of his team over.
‘Right,’ he said. ‘I think I’ve found a hole in the books.’
‘What?’ cried Matt. ‘You’re kidding me. Fuck.’
‘Someone will have to go to Birmingham tomorrow to check this out. No one above Assistant Manager. I’ve got an 8 a.m. meeting with the board, so I’ll be in mid-morning.’
‘Right, boss,’ sighed Matt.
As he walked through the still-buzzing office, he heard Danny telling his wife that he wouldn’t be home till midnightand Matt telling Anna-Marie that a car would come and collect her from her house at 6.30 a.m. and take her to Birmingham for a 9 a.m. conference.
Oscar woke early on Friday morning and insisted the au pair drop him at Daisy’s flat on the way to school. He stood outside Daisy’s front door, his entire bodyweight leaning on the doorbell as the car made its halting exit. Eventually, the door opened and Daisy’s mum stood in the narrow hallway she shared with two other flats, looking down at him with an unimpressed expression.
‘You know what?’ she shouted. Oscar’s finger jumped off the doorbell. She lowered her voice. ‘The doorbell works.’
‘Sorry, Lilith,’ he said, running past her up the stairs to her flat. ‘Forgot I was pressing it.’
‘Daisy’s in the kitchen,’ she said, following him up, although she knew he wasn’t there to see Daisy, he was there to be part of a family breakfast. Most ten-year-old boys didn’t want to know girls and Oscar only just scraped into the exception bracket. Lilith knew that he and Daisy barely made eye contact in school, but out of school they leant on each other almost as much as Mark leant on Lilith. She would have been insulted on behalf of her daughter by this double standard if it wasn’t for the fact that Daisy felt just as hypocritical about him.
They were in the kitchen in no time, the flat being what an estate agent would call bijou and what Lilith called ‘big enough to swing a cat in if you wanted to kill it’.
Daisy looked up from her cocoa pops and
heat
magazine. ‘Hi.’
‘Hi.’
‘Have you got a packed lunch?’ asked Lilith.
‘No,’ said Oscar.
She sighed and handed him a lunchbox. ‘How did I guess?’
Oscar froze, staring at the lunchbox. Lilith froze too, staring at Oscar.
‘What?’ she asked. ‘Is there a problem?’
‘It’s pink,’ mumbled Oscar.
Her eyebrows rose into her fringe. ‘I think,’ she said, ‘you mean “Thank you, Lilith”.’
‘Thank you, Lilith,’ he mumbled unconvincingly.
Lilith sighed, took it back and started repacking his lunch in a blue box while issuing orders to Daisy. ‘Coat and shoes on! Satchel, lunchbox and homework. Lights off! Wait for me on the pavement!’ She shut the front door behind them all, handing Oscar a lunchbox.
‘That’s my lunchbox!’ screeched Daisy.
‘I know!’ Lilith screeched back, handing Daisy the pink one. ‘Why don’t you write and tell all those Third World children who are dying of starvation?’
Daisy raised her eyes to heaven. ‘God,’ she muttered. ‘Bo
ring
.’
Lilith hugged the living breath out of her daughter. Then she did the same to Oscar.
‘Ooh, you’re both so
scrummy
,’ she said. She stood up. ‘Be good. And if you
Similar Books
