Part 14 (1/2)

19.

A week had pa.s.sed. All day it had been raining torrentially. Parts of Britain were suffering from the worst flooding in centuries. But not, to Poppy's bitter disappointment, the village of Brettenden in Oxfords.h.i.+re, where their school reunion was being held that night. At six sharp Meena was sitting outside Poppy's front gate in her s.h.i.+ny Audi, a present from her doting dad, ready to ferry her friend back to their alma mater.

'G.o.d, what took you?' she yelled when, fifteen minutes later, Poppy, sodden from running just three yards from the front door down the garden path, jumped into the car beside her. 'I've smoked at least ten f.a.gs while I've been waiting for you.'

'Sorry, sorry. Clara threw her supper all over the dress I was going to wear, so I had to get changed at the last minute.'

'Christ, I've been cacking myself,' said Meena, with her usual poetic charm. 'I'm so b.l.o.o.d.y nervous I think I'm going to have to drop a Valium.'

'I don't think that's a very good idea if you're driving,' Poppy admonished her gently, but Meena was too busy checking out Poppy's outfit to notice.

'Oh G.o.d, Poppy. I mean, you look pretty and everything like you always do, but couldn't you have worn something a bit funkier?'

'Oh.' Poppy had thought she'd looked all right in her floaty black chiffon skirt and blue cardigan. She glanced at Meena in skinny jeans and a green T-s.h.i.+rt. Somehow she'd got it exactly right looking as if she hadn't made any effort while still being dazzling. Poppy, on the other hand, looked like the boring dependable mum she had become.

'Christ, I'm dreading this,' Meena squawked, scrutinizing her eye make-up in the mirror as they sped up the outside lane of the A40, rain tom-tomming on the bonnet. 'Why did you make me go, Poppy?'

'I didn't make you! You made me. I told you it would be terrifying.'

'What's the problem for you? You're married to a rich and sort-of famous man. You've got a beautiful baby. What about me? Single. Receptionist. I was meant to have it made by twenty-one.'

'Being married doesn't mean you've got it made,' Poppy said softly.

Meena glanced at her, hitting the motorway and roaring into fifth. 'Is Luke giving you grief again?'

'Well... he's a bit cross because I told the nanny we'd pay her twelve pounds an hour. But it was him who wanted a nanny, not me.'

'Mean git.' Meena cut in front of a white van. Poppy grasped the edges of her seat. 'He's loaded, isn't he?'

'I don't know. He keeps complaining about how broke he is with all the other children's school fees.'

'Shouldn't be sending them to posh schools then. I always told Dad he'd be better off putting the cash in the bank to buy me b.o.o.b job. Or pay my dowry.'

'So what's the latest man news?' Poppy asked.

'Boring. Quiet. No City boys around at the moment; they're all trying to get their bonuses. I keep begging Mum and Dad to fix me up with this cousin of ours who's a software mogul in Bangalore, but they say arranged marriages are old-fas.h.i.+oned. Like I care.'

Despite the weather, it seemed no time at all before they were pa.s.sing through the high gates that marked the beginning of Brettenden's long, gravel drive.

'Oh, help. I'm seriously spooked out. Turn the car round, Meena. Let's go and have a curry in Henley. I can't face this.'

'Shall I?' They were pulling up in the car park now, tyres fizzing on the wet tarmac. 'I could, couldn't I?'

'Go on.' Poppy nodded. Meena placed her hand on the gear stick but just as she was about to reverse, there was a tap on the window.

'Meena! Poppy! Hey!'

Gurning through the rain-streaked gla.s.s was a round face set off by black-rimmed spectacles. Strawberry-blonde hair in bunches. Green spotty raincoat.

'Oh, f.u.c.k me,' Meena said. 'It's Lolly Frickman. s.h.i.+t, last time I saw her she was crying because she'd lost out on being Yum Yum in Mrs Grinder's production of the Mikado Mikado.' Lolly tapped again. Meena sighed and wound down the window. 'Lolly! G.o.d, look at you! You look great great.'

'Thanks,' beamed Lolly, 'you too. Nice to see you, Poppy.'

'And you,' Poppy said, realizing the game was up. She got out of the car, looked up at Brettenden's Gothic facade, s.h.i.+ny in the rain. 'Yuk. Return to Colditz.'

'Didn't you like BH?' Lolly was astounded.

'No, I hated it,' Poppy said, as they hurried up the wet stone steps and pushed open the vast green doors that led into the entrance hall. It still smelt of polish and p.u.b.escent sweat and its walls were still covered with green boards where the achievements of OBHs, as they were known, were set out in gold leaf. Meena and Poppy always used to giggle about them. 'Greatest number of doughnuts ever consumed without licking the lips: Meena Badghabi.' 'Largest number of excuses concocted to get out of netball: Poppy Price.' Poppy turned her attention to Lolly, who, after exchanging animated boasts with Meena, was now tugging at her sleeve.

'So, Meena's an executive for the Holmes Place group. And what about you, Poppy?'

'I'm married.' A touch defensively, she added, 'Happily married.'

Lolly laughed. 'No way! You are joking aren't you?'

'No,' Poppy said as they walked in to the old a.s.sembly hall, full of screeching women. G.o.d, was that Amelia Crinch? She must must have had a nose job. 'I've got a baby.' have had a nose job. 'I've got a baby.'

'Really?' said Lolly taking a gla.s.s of white wine from a trestle table and downing it in one. 'How grown-up. I don't think I could be coping with a baby just yet. Nappies, eeeuch! And sleepless nights. No thank you.'

'It's not that bad,' Poppy said, a bit hurt she hadn't congratulated her or asked to see photos. 'What are you up to, Lolly?'

'I'm an accountant.' Lolly fiddled with one of her hair slides. 'Got a trainees.h.i.+p when I graduated. It's pretty amazing. I meet all sorts of interesting people and the money's great too. I've just put a deposit down on a new-build flat in Paddington.'

'I live near there! In Maida Vale.'

She didn't know why, really, because she'd never even liked Lolly who had the dubious distinction of being Brettenden House's most boring girl despite stiff compet.i.tion, but it was still a bit of a blow when instead of saying, 'Oh how great, we must meet up some time', she responded, 'Oh. Right.'

'Yes,' Poppy said. She felt oddly humiliated. Her life was meant to be every woman's Holy Grail: married to a handsome, successful older man, with a beautiful daughter, a lovely home in a desirable part of London and childcare to boot. Why did people with their nine to five office jobs look at her so condescendingly? 'Must find the loo,' she mumbled, 'see if they're still as stinky as they used to be.' But as she turned on her heel, a voice cried.

'Poppy? Is that Poppy Price?'

A glamorous woman with short brown hair in a green minidress, long black boots and sporting what Poppy recognized as the latest Balenciaga bag came towards her. Poppy thought of pretending she had no idea who she was, but what would have been the point?

'Migsy Remblethorpe!' She'd been one of the coolest girls in the year, always surrounded by other cool girls who giggled at her catty put-downs and copied her outfits. Apart from asking Poppy to pa.s.s the salt a couple of times at dinner, they'd never exchanged a word. 'How are you?'

'Really well. Really Really well. It's funny to be called Migsy, I've been Mich.e.l.le for years now. So what are you up to?' well. It's funny to be called Migsy, I've been Mich.e.l.le for years now. So what are you up to?'

'I'm a model,' Poppy said. No way was she peddling the 'mother' line again.

'Really? I thought they had to be, like, anorexic. How refres.h.i.+ng to see a real woman doing it.'

Perhaps she shouldn't have lied. 'Well, I was was a model, but I've got a small child now, so... How about you, Migsy?' a model, but I've got a small child now, so... How about you, Migsy?'

Migsy smiled smugly. 'I work for Wicked Wicked magazine. Do you know it? I'm the features editor. It's so much fun. I get to travel all over the place and meet so many celebrities.' magazine. Do you know it? I'm the features editor. It's so much fun. I get to travel all over the place and meet so many celebrities.'