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“No worries. I don’t mind at all, and please call me Samantha. Where is Noah, anyway?” she asks, hanging her bag on the back of the chair.
“He’s in the play area at the back.” I point at a CCTV screen in the corner of the room. “If you look closely, you’ll see him running around every few seconds.”
She turns her head.
“Oh yes, there he is. He looks a lot happier than he did during school today.”
“He said you made him your special helper,” I reply as I beckon a waitress over.
“Well, his apology was probably the best one I’ve ever heard.”
“What can I get you?” The waitress asks, taking out a pen and notepad from the apron tied around her waist.
Samantha picks up the menu and scans it while I order for Noah and me.
“Can I get the chicken nuggets, jacket potato, and baked beans from the kid’s menu. I’ll have the steak and ale pie, please. And two Diet Cokes to go with that.”
The waitress writes down my order before turning to Samantha.
“I’ll have the chicken and leek pie, please, with a Diet Coke as well.”
Samantha hands the menu back to the waitress.
“I’ll get that out for you as soon as possible.” The waitress smiles and leaves us alone.
“So, what’s this idea you mentioned, Samantha?”
“I’d like to try and organise a fun day for the school. It will be in memory of Noah’s mother. Hopefully, we could raise some money for charity. Was there any specific causes your wife supported?”
I shake my head. “I can’t remember my wife ever mentioning anything.”
“That’s not a problem. We can identify a suitable charity. It’ll be more about the children having fun than anything else.”
“It sounds like a great idea. Noah would love it. It’s definitely something he needs.”
“Brilliant. I’ll start putting plans into place. The only issue I’m going to have is funding it all. The parents’ association has offered to give a small donation, and I’ll be able to get some gifts of food from the parents. I was hoping you could suggest something. Plus, I was wondering if maybe your fire station would allow a fire engine to come on the day? That would be such fun for the kids.” Samantha leans forward while she’s speaking.
I can tell from the excitement in her eyes she’s thrilled about planning something that will make the children happy.
“You really do care about these kids, don’t you?”
She blushes scarlet. “Is it that obvious? I know I shouldn’t have my favourites, and I care about all my students, but Noah’s class is one of the best I’ve ever taught. I hated knowing Noah was so upset, and seeing you and him together yesterday broke my heart. He’s such a lovely lad and a credit to you and your wife. You must be so proud of him.”
“Well, not when he’s telling his teachers to fuck off, but most of the time I am.”
“I can understand that.”
The waitress returns with our drinks, and I sit back in my chair, giving her space to place the glasses down on the table.
“Thank you,” I acknowledge as she leaves. “How do you feel about some of the guys from my station helping to raise some money for the children? I know it’s probably a bit of a cliché, but we could always wash cars for donations?”
“Really?” Samantha stops with her Diet Coke halfway to her mouth and looks me up and down before biting her lip—the look on her face excites me. She really is attractive. “I think it would be fantastic, and if we raise enough money, we can have bouncy castles and other fun stuff. I’m getting so excited about this. It’ll be brilliant. Your wife would be so proud of you for being such a wonderful father.”
I can’t stop the growl of frustration that comes from my throat. “I doubt my wife would care about anything I do.”
“I’m sorry.” She looks away from me and focuses on her coke.
“I shouldn’t have said that. I probably should explain. I loved my wife, and she was a good mother to Noah. But after she died, I discovered she lacked one essential ingredient—fidelity. If she’d been faithful to me, she might still be alive.” I sigh.
