It turned out Declan had been with a woman on Friday evening and had lied about it. Shit. That did sound very damning.
Georgie’s mind whirred as the extraordinarily toned legs of the instructor, Mags, came into her eyeline. What Poppy had just said was so shocking and with so many ramifications that she really couldn’t get her head round it. All she could think about was the very mundane, that Mags had to be well into her fifties but had a body that most teenagers would kill for.
Possibly because she took yoga, even beginner yoga for idiots, far too seriously.
‘Ladies, we aren’t here to chat. We’re here to do yoga. You’re disturbing everyone else. Please be quiet or I’ll have to split you up.’
Mags was ridiculous. Yoga wasn’t GCSE Maths. No oneneededto do it (unless they’d made a stupid resolution that they had to keep).
‘Poppy,’ Georgie whispered.
‘Ladies,’ hissed Mags.
‘Let’s go for a coffee afterwards.’ Ankita wasstillupside down on her shoulders.Howwas her head not throbbing? Unnatural.
‘Can’t,’ Poppy said. ‘I’ve got to get back to Daniel. Although I’d better not get back earlier than I said because I don’t want to see Declan with the other woman.’
Georgie moved round behind Beth to give Poppy a hug. ‘Poppy, maybe there’s an innocent explanation,’ she said, really hoping that was true. Poppy and Declan had had quite a whirlwind relationship and the rest of them didn’t know Declan very well. They’d only met him a few weeks ago when he and Poppy had arrived back from Australia with Daniel. ‘There’s no way Declan’s with another woman at this moment. He’s adevoted father and husband. He’ll be grappling with Daniel’s bedtime and then he’ll probably be kicking back with a beer or something.’
‘I wish,’ said Poppy.
This was terrible. Even Raf probably wouldn’t be able to put a make-someone-smile spin on this.
‘Ladies,’ bawled Mags from the front. ‘Final warning.’
Poppy made a weird gulpy, sniffy sound, like she was crying but trying not to.
Surprisingly, it was yoga queen Ankita who then said, ‘Okay, let’s leave right now. We can find a different class.’
Five minutes later, they were sitting with polystyrene cups of coffee, huddled round a stained Formica table in the unheated leisure centre café.
‘Poppy, whatever happens, we’re all here for you,’ Georgie said, as they saw a tear dribble down Poppy’s cheek.
Beth, who was closest, folded Poppy into her arms, and said, ‘Yes, darling Poppy, always,’ while Ankita said, ‘Absolutely.’
‘Poppy.’ Ankita pushed her chair round the table and put her face right in front of Poppy’s. ‘Have you asked Declan about any of it? Given him a chance to explain in case it isn’t true?’
‘No.’ Poppy sniffed again. ‘I’ve been trying to work out what I should do. I want to tackle him, but I need to know what I want to do afterwards. Like, what if it’s just been a short affair? Would I take him back for Daniel’s sake? So I’ve been waiting. But now I feel as though I’m going mad.’
‘I think you should probably discuss it with him as soon as possible,’ Georgie said, horrified at the awfulness of this for Poppy, and mind-blown at the wider ramifications.
For example, what would happen with Daniel and custody if Poppy and Declan split up?
‘I think you should too,’ Beth said. ‘Now that you’re this upset you need to know for definite. The reality probably isn’t goingto be worse than what you’re imagining and itcouldbe better. Therecouldbe a rational explanation for all of it?’
‘Really?’ Poppy said. ‘I don’t think so.’
‘Better to find out, though,’ Ankita agreed. ‘Would you like any moral support while you ask him?’
Georgie turned to stare at her.Surelyit would be better for Poppy to have this conversation alone with her husband.
‘That’s very kind but I should do it by myself,’ Poppy said miserably.
Beth put her arms round Poppy again. ‘So you’re definitely going to ask him outright? Very soon? I really do think he might be able to reassure you. And you know what?’ She gestured very over-vigorously at Poppy and knocked over her coffee cup. They all stared as poo-brown-coloured liquid dribbled down Poppy’s pale-blue top.
‘I probably look about how I feel right now.’ Poppy did a big circular air-motion around the stain with her right forefinger, with an accompanying head roll.
Georgie felt like her heart might break at the sadness of Poppy trying to claw back some of her usual humour.
