Part 16 (1/2)

'Two o'clock. Right, I'll be ready. We'll go to the park. He always loves that. See you at two, then, dear. Bye for now.' Susan replaced the receiver firmly. She wouldn't have Karen dictating to her. If and when Louise got in touch, she'd make up her own mind about what to do.

She didn't have long to wait. She was was.h.i.+ng up after her lunch when the phone rang. She dried her hands and went to answer it. 'h.e.l.lo, Susan Davies here.'

'Susan, it's me, Louise.'

'Louise. How are you?'

'Not good, I'm afraid. I'm throwing myself on your mercy, Susan,' Louise said. 'Things are not well with the show and I'm back in London. I gave up my flat to go on tour. I have got another in view but the trouble is, it won't be available till the week after next. I know there were a few hiccups last time I was there and I can't apologize enough for the misunderstanding, but could you possibly bear to put up with me for a few days? I've nowhere else to go and I'm throwing myself on your mercy.'

'Well, I suppose it's all right,' Susan said. 'But what about that nice friend of yours; Dianne, isn't it?'

'She's moved her boyfriend in.'

'I see, but she's got two bedrooms, hasn't she? And as you said, it's only for a few days.'

There was a slight hesitation at the other end of the line then Louise said, 'There was a bit of a problem when I left last time. We parted on well, not the best of terms.'

Susan sighed. Clearly Louise had upset her friend. When would she ever learn? 'Well, in that case you'd better come to me,' she said resignedly. 'When do you want to come?'

'Today, if that's all right.'

'Today! When? I'll be out for most of the afternoon but I'll be back about four.'

'OK. Susan thanks. I do appreciate this. I know last time things got a bit fraught and I'm sorry, but it was all a misunderstanding.'

'Never mind that now,' Susan said. 'I'll see you later.' As she replaced the receiver she sighed. G.o.d only knew what Karen would say. Maybe she needn't find out, she told herself; after all, it was only for a few days. Oh well, she'd just have to deal with that when and if it happened.

Karen arrived dead on the stroke of two and refused Susan's offer of a cup of tea.

'I've left Peter's buggy in the hallway downstairs,' she said, handing over the bulging bag containing all his toys and accessories.

'What is this interview you mentioned?' Susan asked.

Karen hesitated. 'Mum, I'm going mad, staying at home with Peter all day. I love him to bits of course and I wouldn't be without him, but I never visualized being a full-time mum. I saw this advert for teachers willing to do some tutoring. It's an agency.'

'And that's where you're going this afternoon?'

'Yes. I telephoned them and I've got an interview this afternoon.'

'Is Simon all right with this?'

'He doesn't know yet.' When she saw her mother shaking her head Karen went on defensively, 'Well, it might all come to nothing so what's the point of telling him?'

'And if it does come to something, I mean?'

'I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.' Karen looked at her watch. 'Look, I'll have to go or I'll miss the interview. Sure you're all right with Peter?'

'Yes, of course. You get off. What time will you be back?'

'I don't really know. By four, I hope.' She bent to kiss Peter. 'See you soon, darling. Be a good boy for Granny. Bye, Mum.' And she whisked out of the door.

Peter loved his outing to the park. They fed the ducks with corn that Susan bought at the park kiosk along with ice cream, and finished up in the children's play area. Peter played happily in the sandpit and then begged to go on the swings. Susan hesitated. He was still very little for the swings. Peter sensed the reason for her anxiety.

'Mummy lets me go on the fwings,' he a.s.sured her. 'She pushes me up to the sky.' He raised one chubby arm as high as it would go, treating his grandmother to his most beguiling smile.

'All right,' Susan said. She lifted him and began to ease his fat little legs into the baby swing but he screwed up his face and struggled.

'Not baby fwing,' he protested. 'Big-boy fwing.'

'No, you might fall and hurt yourself.'

'No! Won't won't!' He began to cry and Susan could see that he was going to have a tantrum. Since Adrey had left, she had noticed that he was more p.r.o.ne to them than before.

'All right, then, don't cry,' she said. 'But you must hold on very tightly and not let go.'

Having got his own way, Peter smiled again and allowed himself to be extricated from the barred swing. The next minute he was seated on the swing next door.

'Push, Granny. Push,' he shouted as Susan gently moved the swing.

Very tentatively, she pushed him a little higher but it wasn't enough for Peter. He twisted round to shout at her again and the next moment he had let go and slipped from the seat. He let out a loud wail as he hit the ground.

Heart in mouth, Susan picked him up and surveyed the damage. His knees were grazed and bleeding. The moment Peter saw this he let out a scream of fear.

'It hurts! Want Mummy!'

Susan lifted him into her arms and put him into the buggy. There was a little first aid hut not far from the play area with a St John's nurse on duty. Taking him there would be quicker than going home. She glanced at her watch as she hurried along, and was concerned to see that it was a quarter past four. She'd better let Karen know she'd be a bit late getting back. Pausing to take out her mobile phone, she pressed in Karen's number but her phone was switched off. With a sigh of frustration she hurried into the first aid hut, hoping it wouldn't take long.

The kindly middle-aged nurse bathed the grazed knees with antiseptic and applied a couple of plasters. 'There,' she said soothingly. 'You're a very brave boy, aren't you? And now you've got two lovely plasters to show off.' She slipped a chocolate b.u.t.ton into Peter's mouth. 'There, no harm done,' she said to Susan. 'Might be as well to put him in the baby swing next time,' she said. 'He's very little to go on the big ones yet.'

'He said his mummy lets him go on the big ones,' Susan said, feeling feeble. The nurse smiled.

'They can be very manipulative, even at this age,' she said. 'Still, no real damage this time.'

When she got back to the flat, Susan found an irate Karen waiting outside the door. 'Oh, Mum, there you are. Where have you been and ...' She spotted the plasters on Peter's knees. 'What's happened?'

Susan was puffing a little as she put a struggling Peter down. 'It's nothing, he fell and grazed his knees,' she said. 'I took him to the first aid hut in the park. That's why we're late.'

'I got p'asters,' Peter announced proudly. 'I went on the big-boy fwing and I falled off.'

Karen stared at her mother in horror. 'Mum! Why didn't you put him in the baby swing? Haven't you got any sense at all?'

'He wouldn't go,' Susan said wearily. 'He said you let him go on the big ones.'

'Of course I don't! He's only three, Mum. What were you thinking?'

'I tried to ring you,' Susan said as she put her key in the door, 'but your phone was switched off.'

'Well, of course it was,' Karen snapped. 'I wouldn't leave it on when I was in an interview, would I?'

'Well, Peter's all right, Karen, and please stop shouting at me for all the neighbours to hear.' Inside the door she turned to her daughter. 'After all that, did you get the job?'