I knock on her door and enter barefoot. ‘Harriet, sorry but I—’
‘Something wrong with your shoes?’ she asks, gawking at me like it’s the first time she’s ever seen feet. ‘Maybe ask Trish or the new girl—’
‘My gubb. . . grandmother is in hospital,’ I say, cutting her off. ‘I’m going to have to leave right away. Family emergency.’
‘Sorry to hear that, Kate, but I’m afraid it’s not a great time. We have that meeting. Do you have those notes for me?’
‘What? Um, yes, they’re on my desk but I don’t think you understand. She’s very ill and—’
‘Let’s just get the Humphries meeting over with and then we can re-evaluate. Make sure you find some shoes.’
Harriet returns to her paperwork, making it clear that the conversation is over. I leave the office stunned, shoeless and even more panicked than I was before.
I get back to my desk and call down to reception.
‘Hey, it’s Kate. I was just wondering if you had any spare. . .’
I pause.What the fuck are you doing, Kate? This job over Gubba? Really?
‘Hello? Are you still there?’ I hear the trainee ask.
‘Yes, sorry, if you could collect the Humphries files on my desk and give them to Harriet. My grandma is really ill and I need to be with my family.’
‘Of course,’ she says. ‘Whatever you need.’
I manage a thank you before I hang up. I feel like I can’t breathe. I grab my coat and move as fast as my bare feet will allow.
Ed
‘Right, everyone, class dismissed. But please drop your worksheets in my basket before you go. Oh, and please don’t do anything on the way home which’ll be caught on someone’s Ring doorbell–Gavin.’
Gavin smirks while the rest of the class rib him. A local resident emailed an impressively high-definition MPEG of Gavin, in his school uniform, rearranging some garden gnomes in what can only be described as a dwarfish orgy.
I’m packing up when my phone starts to vibrate in my pocket. It’s Kate. My heart starts racing. I haven’t spoken to her since New Year.Oh shit,be cool, Ed. Be natural. Don’t make her sorry she called.
‘Kate,’ I say in my best casual voice. ‘Hi. How are you?’
What follows is an incoherent rambling which is very hard to decipher. All I can make out is Gubba, work and shoes, amid crying and the occasional swear word.
‘Slow down,’ I say, switching my phone to the other ear as I turn off the classroom lights. ‘I can’t understand you.’
I hear her take a breath and sniff loudly into the phone. ‘Gubba’s in hospital, Ed.’
‘Oh no! What happened? Is she OK?’
‘Lung infection. It’s all my fault. I gave her those cigarettes. Ohgod, I’ve killed Gubba!’
‘She didn’t just start smoking,’ I say, trying to reason with her. ‘You gave her what was probably two out of hundreds, Kate. This isn’t on you. What does the doctor say?’
‘I don’t know. I’m going to drive up there now. Mum’s with her.’
‘You’re not driving anywhere, Kate,’ I tell her. ‘Not that distance, in this state. I’ll take you.’
‘You’d do that?’ she asks, her voice one tremble away from a full-blown wail.
‘Of course, whatever you need.’
‘I need shoes,’ she sniffs. ‘I broke my shoes.’
