I feel my usual irritation as I shout, “Will you hurry up?”
Already my nerves are frayed and we still haven’t started the actual school run. What with rising at 6 am, making Tom his packed lunch, not to mention his breakfast, and then seeing him out of the door with the usual kiss.
Then it involved waking a grumpy, sleepy 6-year-old and nagging him to eat his cereal, clean his teeth, brush his hair and get dressed in the uniform I pressed and laid out the night before. Then moving on to loading the washing machine and making his packed lunch. After that, I need to consult my daily chores list which reminds me to post the letters, leave the money out for the window cleaner and unload the dishwasher before loading it with the dirty breakfast things.
All of this while peering up at the sky and deciding whether it’s worth the risk to peg out the washing to give the dryer a much-needed day off. I also need to dress smartly and prepare my own packed lunch while speed reading the notes I should have memorised by heart for the important meeting I have set up for today.
“Mum, I can’t find my socks.”
“Look under your bed, they may have fallen when you brushed past it.”
I notice that my phone is low on charge and curse when I see the charger lead is unplugged and Tom’s iPad is plugged in instead. Great, now I won’t be able to charge it until I reach the office because my car is so old, USB points hadn’t been invented when it was made.
It must be close to 8.35 before I manage to bundle my son into his school shoes and coat and drape his oversized backpack across his back, while grabbing my bag and the car keys from the table in the hall.
As I charge down the path, I meet Tina and Jamie heading up it and say apologetically, “Sorry, it’s been one of those days.”
She laughs. “Every day is one of those days. Are you sure it’s ok to drop Jamie to school?”
As the boys climb into the back of the car, I smile. “Of course. I hope it all goes well today. Call me when you have any news.”
Tina’s eyes fill and she looks worried. “What if it doesn’t work out?”
Taking her hand, I squeeze it gently and say calmly, “It will. Think positive thoughts and it will happen.”
She smiles shakily and then yells inside the car, “Jamie, be good for Karen and behave yourself at school. I’ll pick you both up later, so wait for me in the playground.”
As I head around to the driver’s side, I look back and smile. “Go - everything will be fine.”
As she heads down the path, my heart goes out to her. Tina and Harry have been trying to have another baby ever since Jamie was one years’ old. For some reason, it hasn’t happened and Tina is booked in for more tests to see if there’s something medical stopping it. This is their last chance before trying to adopt, which won’t be easy because they never married and Harry works away a lot. I feel sad for them because they would make such amazing parents – as they already are and I wish with all my fingers and toes crossed that they are successful.
The boys chatter amongst themselves as we start the journey to school. It’s not far. In fact, we could walk, but I drive to my job in the city as soon as I drop them off. Tina collects them both after school while I work in a nearby department store in the HR department. The arrangement suits us and enables me to work almost full time, while Jack is happy and cared for. Tina makes sure they do their homework and eat their tea. Occasionally they have after-school clubs where I collect them to give her a break.
The queue to park near the school is a long one and I fear we will be later than ever today. It takes me a little longer than normal to find a space which will involve a sprint finish if I’m to get there on time.
We race from the car against the stream of mothers and fathers who are heading away from the school after having got their timing right and actually managed to get their children to school on time.
As we hurtle towards the classroom door, I look in surprise at the new face smiling her welcome.
Jack and Jamie look at the slim, petite woman who can’t be much older than I am and turn to me in confusion. The woman smiles warmly and consults the list on her clipboard. “Now, let me guess, one of you is Jack Mahoney and the other must be Jamie Sears.”
The boys nod and she laughs. “I’ll take that as a yes. Well, I’m very pleased to meet you, Jack Mahoney.”
She turns to Jack and shakes his hand formally and then winks at Jamie as she smiles and says, “Jamie Sears, I’m very pleased to meet you too.”
The boys look embarrassed and head off as quickly as possible and I say in surprise, “How did you know who was who?”
She winks. “I saw Jack’s name on his schoolbag. It pays to be quite observant in this job.”
Grinning, I shake her outstretched hand. “I’m Karen Mahoney, Jack’s mum.”
She looks at me with interest and then says slowly. “I’m Isabel Rawlins. I’m their new teacher courtesy of Mrs Batchelor who retired at the end of the last term.”
“Oh, yes, of course. To be honest, I completely forgot about that.”
She looks at me with interest. “I’m looking forward to working here. I don’t know many people as I’ve just moved into the area. Can you tell me where a stranger would be best to hang out in order to make new friends?”
She smiles and looks so friendly I find myself warming to her. “Well, you could go to the local pub, The Cockerel and the Spider.”
She laughs and I roll my eyes. “Yes, a little strange, but quite a nice place to hang out. Most of the women here congregate in the nearby gym where there are all sorts of classes to keep you occupied. The social side is good too, maybe you should join with your um … husband?”
She appears to take a deep breath and I see a tinge of sadness darken her otherwise light green eyes. She shakes her head and says a little wistfully, “I don’t have one. It’s just me, myself and I, so as you can see, I need to make friends a priority otherwise things could get lonely around here.”
I feel a pang as I see the sadness within her. Isabel Rawlins is an attractive woman. It’s doubtful she’s not without her fair share of suitors, and I wonder what has happened to cause such sadness in her eyes.
She appears to shake herself and smiles sweetly. “I should head inside. These children won’t teach themselves. It was lovely to meet you Mrs Mahoney.”
“Please, call me Karen. You know, if ever you need anything, please let me know. I would be happy to help.”
She nods. “Thank you, I may take you up on that offer.”
As she heads inside, I feel sorry for her. It must feel strange being in a new town all alone.
However, I don’t have time to think about the new teacher or I’ll be late for work. So, almost as quickly as I arrived at the school, I leave it and brave the morning traffic heading into town.