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“Josh here wants to be a film director,” she said proudly. “Before your encouragement, we thought he’d be unemployed and playing computer games for the rest of his life.”
Davina felt like she was in an alternate universe.
“So,” she said at last, “you’re not angry?”
“Good heavens no,” Madge said with a chuckle. “What gave you that idea?”
Davina shook her head slightly.
“I was under the impression that you didn’t know about the movie,” she told them.
“Ah,” one of the mothers said, as the three of them shared a look, “we didn’t at first, but teenage boys aren’t that good at keeping secrets.”
“Thank heavens,” said the other.
“Amen,” said Madge.
“We were a bit annoyed about them missing school and then we started to get reports that their effort had improved, and their absences didn’t matter so much after that,” Brian’s mum said.
“No, I looked on it as work experience,” said Joshua’s mum.
“Huh,” said Davina again.
She plopped down in the old armchair. They all smiled at her. They seemed to be waiting for something.
“The movie was a disaster,” she said. “I didn’t even finish it.”
Madge beamed at her.
“It might not have reached your expectations but it surpassed ours.” She grinned at her son. “You really lit a fire under these boys.”
Davina tried to smile back. They seemed to expect more of a response than that.
“Well, that’s nice,” she said. “Any time.”
The women gathered their things. Each one shaking her hand and thanking her personally as they left. Joshua lagged behind, hanging his head shyly.
“When I’m a movie director,” he told her, “I’m casting you in everything I make. Just like Tim Burton and Johnny Depp.”
“Thanks,” Davina said.
He turned beetroot red and ran from the room. For a second Davina stared after him.
“Do you hear that, Mar?” she told her friend. “I only have to wait another ten or twenty years and I’ll get a movie role.”
“Good to know you have a plan for the future,” Marianne said. “Now how about helping me to clean up? I feel like the live-in maid, only I don’t live here and I’m not your bloody maid.”
“Fine,” Davina grumbled as she picked up the dishes. “Nobody forced you to take time off work to hassle me.”
“Help you.” Marianne corrected. “And yes, somebody did force me. You.”
Davina ignored Marianne. If there was one thing she knew about her friend it was that no one could force her to do anything. Well, no one outside of her family anyway.
As she put away the mugs, her head was reeling. It wasn’t every day that she was told she’d had an impact on someone’s life. Three someones, in fact. It boggled the mind. After a while pondering the visit, Davina decided to file it under ‘things she would never understand.’ It sat there along with her thoughts on bank charges and views on pedal-pushers.
As the day progressed, it became increasingly stranger. Students from the evening class she taught came to tell her how much she’d influenced and inspired them in their career choices. Her boss from the college paid a visit and suggested that she apply to become a full time member of staff as soon as there was a vacancy. Davina was touched. Her tiny film crew had rallied and were trying to make her feel better. Each one of them told her not to be sad, that they’d had a great time working with her and would do it again in a heartbeat. Marianne added that next time they made a movie, it would be nice if it was legal.
By the end of the day Davina was beyond stunned. She felt like someone had reached into her head with a whisk and scrambled her brain.
