The Misadventures of a Playground Mother (17 page)

P
enelope was lying
on top of the bedcover when I walked into her room. It was far from polite to enter without knocking, but frankly, I was still rattled and the sting on my cheek reminded me of just how devious she was. Sitting up, she eyeballed me. Not knowing what to expect, she remained quiet. I sat on the edge of the bed and looked her straight in the eyes.

My heart was thumping and I exhaled sharply. ‘Last night we discovered you were pregnant. I have invited you into my home to join my family on our holiday. When I say invited, actually if I remember correctly there was no real discussion, you booked the flights and gate-crashed our holiday when you found out we owned another home. To top it all off, you have decided to pay for nothing; not once have you offered to pay for food, the car or even contribute towards the villa. You have dumped my clothes in another room and evicted me out of my own bedroom.

Everything has to be on your terms and I am sick of it. I am stepping away from your drama. This is your circus and these are your monkeys. I would have supported you in your predicament, but time after time, you have taken advantage of me. The last straw came today, when I had to prove to my husband that I am not the one pregnant. I have not shared your news with either Rupert or Matt, but I suggest you get up off your sorry backside and go and own up to the hell that you have put me and my husband through this morning, because if you don't, I will.'

There I'd said it; I couldn't believe I had been so bold and not a quiver could be detected in my voice even though I was shaking inside. Without giving Penelope the opportunity to respond, I rose from the bed and walked straight to the kitchen to pour myself a very well deserved gin and tonic leaving behind a stunned Penelope.

‘Is everything OK?' Matt asked me.

‘Yes, I'm just going to nip to the bedroom and change into my bikini; I'm longing for a dip in the pool. I haven't even been near the water yet, and thank you for keeping an eye on the children, I haven't even spent enough time with them either.'

Returning to my bedroom – the guest room – I changed out of my clothes and into my swimwear. I thought I may have gone a little too far with Penelope. But not relaying the full facts of the situation to Matt was making me uncomfortable, and I was pleased I'd finally confronted Penelope and given her the opportunity to own up.

Tipping my junk-filled handbag onto the bed, I was tried to locate the sugar-pink nail varnish I knew I had tossed somewhere into the deep, dark depths of the handbag before heading off to the airport. A quick swim to cool myself down, painting of my nails and a read of the new Angela Marsons paperback I'd purchased was now the order of the remaining hours of the day.

I found the nail varnish, and began to scooping all the odds and ends back into my handbag, making a mental note to have a good sort out very soon. There were numerous receipts that I no longer needed; screwing them up into a ball, I successfully hurled them into the waste paper basket, shouting, ‘get in.'

Noticing the scratch card that I'd purchased just before the sprint to the plane, I took a penny that had been lying in the bottom of my bag, and scratched off the silver foil. Smiling to myself, I reminisced about the time I'd won a tenner on a similar scratch card years ago and thought it was Christmas. Using that tenner I purchased a £9.99 bottle of Pinot, thinking I was the bees knees; I'd never purchased a bottle that expensive before. Flicking away all the speckles of black silvery dust, I was stunned; looking twice at the card, there appeared to be three matching numbers staring back at me. Things were looking up! I was not pregnant, and I was fifty quid better off than I was a few minutes ago. Smiling to myself and placing the card on the bedside table I turned to see Matt opening the bedroom door.

‘What are you up to? You have been ages?'

‘I've been changing and I've just had a quick sort out of my handbag while looking for my nail vanish, but look over on the bedside table, I was just coming out to tell you. That scratch card, the one I purchased at the airport, we have won fifty quid!'

‘Excellent!' Matt exclaimed, wandering over to the table. ‘We must remember to cash it in and not chuck it out,' he commented while retrieving the card from the bedside table and studying it.

Matt gasped and dropped on to the bed. ‘Rachel, it doesn't say fifty pounds! Rachel come here quick, look! We have won fifty
thousand
pounds, Oh my! I can't believe it; we need to guard this with our lives!'

Taking the card from Matt's hand, I looked at it more carefully. We grinned at each other. He was correct; it was fifty thousand pounds! I thought that would be a fair few £9.99 bottles of wine I could purchase with that little lot. Matt, picked me up like a giddy schoolboy and whizzed me round in circles in excitement, ‘I can't believe it! You little beauty!'

‘It's probably best we don't leave it lying around in case we misplace it or it gets lost.' He took his wallet from his jeans ‘I'll put it here for safekeeping and we can cash it in when we return to England,' Matt suggested.

We moseyed back outside to the pool; our earlier upset replaced with excitement and laughter. The sun was beating down and if nothing else, I was determined to relax for the remainder of the afternoon. The children had organised themselves into teams, and were playing pool in the games room and Daisy was in her playpen.

I threw my book and towel on top of my sunbed, and jumped into the pool's inviting water. I swam a few lengths before climbing out and settling myself in the sun. Matt, who hadn't stopped smiling since the discovery of the lottery win, cracked open a beer and with an almighty ‘cheers', swigged it back. Rupert, as usual was also catching some rays; but with the misunderstanding from the morning madness cleared up and put behind us, the atmosphere was without a doubt less tense.

Penelope had not been seen since my little visit to her bedroom. I hoped I had given her food for thought while she was pondering her next move. I did sincerely empathise with her circumstances; no woman would want to be faced with the situation that she had created for herself, but I was not having anyone, and certainly not Penelope, cause trouble within my family unit.

With my feet up and my G&T resting on the table at my side, I started to read my new book. Matt was searching the internet on his iPad and Rupert was flicking through the pages of an English newspaper. All was peaceful and restful; even the gulls that usually circled overhead had flown elsewhere.

Hearing a sniffle I turned my head, thinking it was perhaps one of the children. They were getting on particularly well, but no doubt, an argument would soon erupted among them. But there wasn't a child in sight, just Penelope who was standing over all of us dabbing a tissue at the tears that were flowing from her bloodshot eyes. Rupert shifted over on his sunbed and she balanced on the end.

How could she possibly tell everyone about the baby? She knew she needed to do it now, before I confided in Matt because if that happened it would only be a matter of time before Rupert found out. Surely, it was now or never for Penelope, I thought. If she left it much longer, her clothes would be clinging tighter to her belly and people would soon guess.

Penelope snivelled, but said, bravely, ‘The pregnancy test belongs to me,'

Matt was the first one to look up and process this announcement. The thought had never crossed his mind that the test could belong to Penelope. Rupert stared at her, and then said, ‘Don't be silly Penelope, your test? How can it possibly be your test? Forgive me for a silly question, but don't you have to have sex to become pregnant these days?'

Now it was my turn to gawp at Penelope, and I suddenly realised the extent of her dilemma. Whatever their reasons for getting back together – a free holiday or to support Little Jonny – she would not be able to pass Rupert off as the father of her child.

What more could Penelope say, I was the only other person who knew who the biological father was, and the image of him and Penelope in that toilet for the disabled was one that would haunt me forever. Obviously, Rupert needed answers; he demanded answers.

‘What do you take me for? How far gone are you?' he asked, furiously

‘Approximately ten weeks,' she replied.

Rupert's mind seemed to be in overdrive, and speaking before he had put his brain in gear he said, ‘well you still have plenty of time to get rid of it then, don't you.'

I would have quite liked to watch the drama unfold however, this was Matt's and my cue to leave. This conversation was none of our business; throwing Matt ‘the look', I nodded my head towards the patio doors. As much as he was dying to uncover the identity of the baby's father, he took my lead and followed me quickly in to the villa.

Just as I was about to slide the patio doors shut to give the pair of them more privacy, I overheard Penelope say, ‘I've made up my mind; I'm going to keep the baby.'

Rupert looked stunned, and dropped his head in his hands.

‘
S
pill the beans then
,' Matt insisted the moment we were out of earshot. ‘Who is the father? Is it a father from school – one of the petty tedious army husbands?' He winked, giving me a sly smile.

I knew the identity of the father would be revealed eventually, and there was no doubt about it, the vicious tongues of the playground mafia would most definitely be wagging when they discovered Rupert was not the biological father.

I hesitated, but against my better judgement I continued, ‘Penelope has told me the baby was conceived in March.'

Matt tipped his head to one side, willing me to continue.

‘Believe me, he wasn't a handsome man, he wasn't the type of person that carries a business card, more like a bloke that carries a menu from the local kebab shop.'

‘Sounds like you shared the moment with her,' Matt joked.

I pretended to be insulted.

‘So come on then, the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth,' Matt persisted inquisitively.

‘Penelope shagged a bloke in the toilets at that speed dating night. It was just a one-night stand and he wasn't the type of bloke she could see herself with in the future.'

Matt's eyes widened. ‘Wow,' he said, shaking his head and scratching his chin. ‘What a mess.'

We exchanged looks. The boiling kettle interrupted the moment. Matt pouring two mugs of tea, and continued ‘What do you think she is going to do?'

‘Well, judging by what I heard when I slid the doors shut a moment ago, she told Rupert she was keeping the baby. Looks like Rupert will have a few decisions to make; he can either throw himself into the role of becoming a father again, or disappear back to his flat to enjoy a single life again – I know which my money is on.'

‘Shush, they are on their way in,' Matt whispered.

Penelope was looking flustered and fidgety, her eyes burning with tears. However, Rupert appeared otherwise, quite calm in fact.

‘I'll keep this short.' He announced. ‘We will not take up anymore of your precious holiday; Penelope has made her decision to keep the baby.' Rupert sucked in his breath and continued. ‘We had decided to give our marriage another chance for the children's sake but now things have changed. It's not exactly what I had in mind to bring up another man's child.'

Rupert had resolved the dilemma himself; he was going to return to his bachelor pad leaving Penelope holding the baby – but who could blame him – it wasn't his baby to hold.

‘We will get our stuff together and if you would be kind enough to arrange a taxi to take us to the airport in about an hour's time, we will sit there until the airline is able to reschedule our flights home.

Penelope was about to butt in, but Rupert cut her dead with a sharp glance, ‘don't you even think of suggesting staying behind with the children to spoil their holiday any further; you need to leave these people in peace. Go and pack your cases.'

Matt and I were left looking at each other as they disappeared into the bedroom.

‘Can you believe that? Day two of our holiday and we can now enjoy the rest of our two weeks in peace as a family. It's like winning the lottery!' Matt joked.

‘We didn't even tell them about our lottery win,' I laughed.

‘It is probably best not to rub any more salt into Rupert's wounds and I won't be telling a soul until the money is safely deposited into our bank account.'

T
he remainder
of the holiday was blissful – but the two weeks of pure relaxation was over. As we touched back down on the tarmacked English soil, I wondered what had happened in the village during our time away and whether the news of Penelope's pregnancy had spread. I was looking forward to catching up with Melanie and no doubt, she couldn't wait to grill me about all that had occurred on holiday. Of course, by now, she would be fully aware that Penelope's holiday had been cut short.

On the way back from the airport, we collected the dog, and purchased a few essentials from the local shop and finally arrived back at home. Once everyone had piled out of the car, I took a step back to get the full effect of our house. ‘Home sweet home,' I smiled.

We had only been gone for two weeks but it seemed like a lifetime. I was curious to find out what had happened to the Kensingtons, but Matt had convinced me to steer clear. If Penelope wanted to resume the friendship on our return, she would no doubt soon be in touch.

Matt was right, did I really need a friend like her in my life? Penelope had always blown hot and cold; every time she needed bailing out of trouble, I was the one to be roped into the situation. Her antics in Spain could have caused massive trouble between Matt, and me and even though I wouldn't wish her circumstances on anyone, her behaviour had been inexcusable. It was time to put my husband and children first.

Matt was about to put the key in the lock when an eager Melanie shot up the drive quicker than the Playground Mafia fighting for a seat at the Christmas school production.

‘Hurry up and put that kettle on, I've been watching out for you all morning.'

‘Hi Melanie, how are you!' I responded sarcastically. ‘Really, I never would have guessed!'

‘Are you OK Rach? You look shattered. It looks like you need a holiday!' Melanie joked.

‘Cheeky mare!' I responded, but made another mental note to book a doctor's appointment to check out my iron levels.

Opening the door wide, Melanie stepped inside.

Matt walked past and ruffled my hair; he winked at me, ‘you two enjoy your cuppa. I'm just going to nip upstairs and telephone the number on the reverse of the scratch card to see what we do about claiming the money.'

‘Ooh, what money?' Melanie asked.

‘I will reveal all in a moment, now get those teabags in the mugs, I'm parched.'

Matt disappeared upstairs clutching his wallet and the children settled down to watch a movie.

‘Come on then Rachel, what on earth happened? Penelope was clocked in the local supermarket three days after you all left for sunnier climes.'

‘Where do I start?'

‘At the very beginning.'

‘This may take a while.'

‘I'm all ears.'

When I had finished telling her about the Kensington's shenanigans – from the outgoing journey to Penelope's pregnancy, Melanie looked utterly shocked. .

‘The nerve of that woman! To terminate a friendship over a box of chocolates is one thing, but what she has put you through is another – it's unbelievable! You are a very patient woman Rachel Young, very patient.'

Raising my eyebrows at Melanie I replied, ‘yes it is all a little unbelievable.'

Melanie clapped her hands in delight. ‘Well come on then, you have missed out the only bit of information I want to know; who is the father? ‘Is it someone's husband from school?'

My description of Penelope's speed-dating escapade with the Jonny Vegas look-alike had Melanie doubled over, with tears of laughter rolling down her face. ‘Rachel Young, I can't believe you kept this quiet; why didn't you tell me you'd gone speed-dating with Penelope?'

‘Probably because it is something I would rather forget, and I knew I'd get this reaction,' I replied, sticking my tongue out at Melanie.

‘Oh gosh, make yourself useful will you, and pass me one of those tissues. I've never belly laughed so much in my life. So, I'm curious, is she still in contact with this bloke then?'

‘Not to my knowledge, I'm not even sure she knows anything about him.'

‘It's hilarious, such class, and you caught them at it?'

‘Yes Melanie, now leave it there; it's a vision I would rather forget,' I stated.

That was what was missing from my life, a friend who made me feel at ease, someone I could laugh with. I was hoping Melanie was going to stay around for a while; she and the Farrier seemed settled and happy and school was definitely more bearable now I had an ally on the same wave- length.

Melanie and I were still laughing when Samuel opened the door to the kitchen. ‘Mum, Penelope's here,' he said, as she strode behind him straight into the kitchen.

Penelope's timing was unfortunate. I gave Melanie a warning look to say nothing and disappear quickly. However, there was no way Melanie was going anywhere. As far as she was concerned, this was an opportunity not to be missed. I saw the mischievous glint in her eye. Standing up and waltzing over to the kettle she asked, ‘anyone for another cup of tea?'

I wasn't sure that a cup of tea was going to make this situation any more bearable, but then sometimes life did seem better when hugging a mug of tea.

‘Did you have a lovely holiday?' Melanie asked Penelope.

I didn't meet Penelope's eye, but from past experience I knew she would be scowling.

Now it was my turn to scowl at Melanie.

Melanie grinned back at me.

Penelope had already gained an awful lot of weight, but she didn't in the least look blooming, in fact she looked like she had overdosed on chocolate followed by a whirl on the waltzers. She looked positively sick. A change of subject was quickly needed.

All of a sudden, Matt burst through the kitchen door.

‘Steady on Matt, you nearly took the door off the hinges,' I said.

Matt bounded over to where I was sat and cupped my cheeks in his hand, then planted a huge smacker right on my lips.

‘Never mind the door, we could purchase a thousand doors, it's all ours! After confirming the serial number on the back of the card they double-checked our bank account details and fifty thousand pounds has now been deposited into our account. I can't believe it; it was as easy as that!'

My natural response was to bring my finger up to my lips. It wasn't the type of news I wanted to share with Penelope but they had already clocked my action.

‘What's going on?' Melanie asked

‘Wifey here, my gorgeous, lucky wife has picked a winner! She's only gone and purchased a scratch card that won us a whopping fifty thousand pounds!'

Now it was Melanie and Penelope's turn to stare at me.

'Who'd have thought? What are the flipping chances of that?' I screeched ecstatically. Jumping to my feet, I flung my arms around Matt's neck, squeezing him tight.

‘Do you mean the scratch card that we bought at the airport?' Penelope was looking hostile and I began to sense some sort of animosity.

‘Yes, that would be the very one.'

I don't know why, but I began to panic. What was with the unpleasant tone to her voice? Wouldn't any friend be genuinely delighted for you; join in your celebrations?

‘Wow! That is absolutely brilliant!' shrieked Melanie. 'The most I have ever won was a fiver and I don't think I even cashed it in.

‘You kept that quiet on holiday, when were you thinking of telling me?' sniped Penelope.

'There was an awful lot going on, if you remember,' I replied curtly.

I know the symptoms of pregnancy are moodiness and irritability – I wasn't sure what Penelope's excuse was before the pregnancy – but there was no need to be so tetchy with me.

‘How do you know that card wasn't mine? Penelope questioned.

‘What the heck are you getting at Penelope?'

‘How do you know that when you passed the card to me at the airport that you didn't hand me the wrong card? I bought the first card that was ripped from the roll; how can you be one hundred percent certain that you didn't hand me the wrong card? Half of that money is potentially mine.'

Matt and I exchanged a frantic stare and Melanie had no idea where to look. Fury was rising up inside my body. Luckily, for Penelope, she was pregnant. Remain cool and professional at all times, were the thoughts running through my head.

There was only one-way to tackle this situation – the death stare. I felt wretched; my body was trembling, my heart thumping, and my blood was pulsing in my neck.

Staring Penelope straight in the eyes I spoke. ‘I'm not sure what court of law you are thinking of dragging me through with your petty attempt to steal half of our money, but I think you may find you will be laughed out of any solicitor's office. No money was exchanged for your ticket Penelope. You didn't pay me for your scratch card, holiday, car or food. Go on Miss Marple, do your worst, prove it.'

Penelope began to squirm.

Melanie, shaking her head in disbelief started to clap, a slow clap.

Matt strode to the kitchen door and held it open, ‘I think you should leave Penelope, I think you should leave NOW.' There was a different quality to Matt's voice, he meant business and Penelope knew it.

‘You've not heard the last of this,' she screamed as she stomped past Matt and slammed the front door behind her.

Right at that second, I knew I could never be friends with Penelope again.

‘Well you've outdone me, Young. A child's toy is nothing compared with fifty thousand pounds!'

Rolling my eyes, I looked at Matt, ‘Jesus! I need a drink. Is it too early?'