While she chopped and sliced and danced to her favourite playlist, Daniel rolled and gurgled and did his best to beat the anti-opening devices she had on the drawers and cupboards.
This wasgood. She and Daniel were both having fun, she was making a Moroccan dish that she’d never made before, she was managing to put Declan out of her mind todayandshe had her three best friends coming over this evening to sample her tagine and share some wine.
She was having a really nice afternoon and she could do this any day. If she ended up single she would befine.
Half an hour later, as she was finishing the made-from-scratch pomegranate jus for her exotic fruit salad – she wasn’t havingdessertdessert, but no one could call fruit salad unhealthy and she couldn’tnotserve her friends pudding – her phone pinged.
She had a message from Beth and there was another one from Ankita from an hour ago that she’d missed, probably while she’d been busy trying to hula.
Beth had written:
I’m so sorry, darling Pops, Dominic’s insisting that I go to dinner with a client who’s just arrived unexpectedly. I told him about dinner with you but he’s getting really angry so I have to go. I’m so sorry about this evening but am free tomorrow – could I come over then instead?
And Ankita had written:
Poppy I’m so sorry but I’m caught up at work finishing something off and couldn’t finish at lunchtime after all.
Poppy knew Ankita had a long weekend in the Cotswolds planned and had booked an afternoon off work.
So won’t make it for dinner BUT I’ll be a lot freer soon – will tell you everything when I see you – tomorrow??
Oh-kay, that was a little bit disappointing, but Poppy could still have a really nice evening with Georgie and maybe see the others over the weekend. And it would be good to have more one-on-one time with Georgie in case she’d seemed a little bit miserable before; she didn’t want her friends to pity her or worry about her, so it would be good timing to be able to prove that she was actually very happy.
Twenty minutes later, after a quick walk, she and Daniel were back inside, Poppy’s teeth still chattering as she unwrapped a much warmer Daniel from his snowsuit.
‘Right,’ she told him as he amused himself alotby pulling her hair as hard as he could. ‘We need to get you fed and bathed fast so that I can get everything ready for Georgie.’
She took her phone out to check the time and… there was a message from Georgie.
Poppy, I’m so sorry but Max has a friend here for a sleepover and the babysitter just cancelled and I can’t leave them so I’m not going to make it for dinner now. I’m so disappointed not to see you all and eat your lovely food!!! Sooooo annoying. Have fun though with Beth and Ankita! Could Max and I come over and see you tomorrow or Sunday for a walk instead? And maybe sample some delicious leftovers??
Oh.
Poppy sat down on the bottom stair with Daniel in her arms and hugged him tightly into her. At leasthealways wanted to see her.
No. It wasn’t that her friends didn’t want to see her, it was just that they had other stuff going on. And of course they did. They had their own lives.
It didn’t feel good, though, having a whole Moroccan-themed meal pretty much ready and just waiting to be served to… no one.
She heaved another enormous – pathetic, if she was honest – sigh, and carried Daniel into the kitchen and put him in his highchair. Again. There was alotof in-and-out of the highchair when you had a baby. There was a lot of repetition, full stop.
She looked over at the fridge. She’d made him a turkey, potato, broccoli, carrot and cranberry mush earlier. And right now all of a sudden it felt like it was too much effort just to walk over to the fridge and get it out and get it ready for him, let alone feed it to him and – yet again – dodge all the mess. She was just sobored. Hmm. Maybe Georgie was rightto think she needed cheering up.
Daniel wrenched his bib off with a massive effort and threw it at her and laughed and laughed.
His gorgeouslittle double chin was wobbling away as he chortled. Poppy couldn’t help laughing too.
And, okay, she was notgoing to give in to a little bit of unhappiness aboutallthree of her best friends cancelling on her one after the other. She was a mother. She shouldn’t be giving in to misery, she should be a grown-up. She didnotneed to be cheered up, actually; she wasfine.
There had to be someone else she could share the meal with.
As she manoeuvred the pureed turkey into Daniel’s mouth with her right hand, she typed out a message to her mum with her left. She’d almost phoned her but had worried that an actual call might seem a bit desperate.
Just suddenly decided to cook some Moroccan food and wondered if you’d like to come over and try it??
That was good. Nonchalant. Not remotely humiliated and let down.
Her mum replied immediately.
