Off Day – Jenny 32

 

[For back story go here: Story so far at 17 Sept 2020 and maybe the end of this one.]

[For other back story click in-links]

Peter sat on the bed, phone in his hand.

“It’s all so weird,” he said. “All of it, just bizarre.”

Jenny had brought him toast first, then tea, then more toast and then more tea. He was late for school which, due to the one way walk in system, social distancing and the fact that it was a Wednesday and he had PE on a Wednesday, may yet mean he wasn’t going to school at all. This didn’t worry Jenny unduly, although she hoped she could get through the next conversation in under an hour so she could log on to her first Introduction to Plumbing webinar.

“OK,” said Jenny. “It is. It all is, yes. It’s all bizarre. Which bit in particular do you want to talk about first?”

Peter was flicking through a few things on his phone. Jenny thought it better not to pick him up on how irritating she found this right now although the urge to stop and tell him she wouldn’t speak to him at all unless he stopped and concentrated on the conversation was hard to bear.

“Dunno,” said Peter vaguely. “School?”

It was at this point that a very brisk and breezy Izzy coursed out of the bathroom towards her office for the day in their bedroom (the quietest room in the house she said, even when there was no one else in the house). 

“Shouldn’t you be at school?” she asked. “Helen’s already gone, you need to put your skates on!”

And she carried on. Jenny was going to put Izzy vaguely in the picture but given that she’d carried on she didn’t.

“So,” she reset Peter. “School.”

"I thought we'd be doing interesting things in physics and biology,” he said, “and it's just loads of... stuff to learn."

Jenny nodded understanding, stopping herself from making a wise crack about him doing plenty of practical biology with Jude earlier this year.

"We're just looking at books and sometimes we get to discuss stuff I suppose but we're generally just learning."

"Well, it is a school, Peter," Jenny said gently, “That is what's meant to happen there."

"And it's so tiring, and then they're saying we won't be judged on the exams – or some places say that but we're not – and then the teachers don't know and then they say we should work harder because they don't know and we might be judged on what we’re doing now and then..."

"It all sounds a bit confusing."

"Yeah. Sort of."

"Is there anyone you can talk to?"

"Did you just hear what I said?” asked Peter, a bit too forcefully. "The teachers don't know anything."

"Well, they must know something. They must have been told something. Shall I talk to them?" 

Peter became preoccupied with flicking over something on his phone. He did this for just a couple of seconds too long.

"Peter?" persisted Jenny, “Should I ask someone for you? Or should I just go away?”

Peter looked at her, confused and cross. "It won't make any difference. I've just said. No difference.”

“If you could just put the phone down for a second…”

“But there’s this too,” he waved the phone at her.

“Yes and I want you to put it…”

“No look at it.”

Jenny stopped and did so. On the phone’s screen was an image. Fuzzy, monochrome, but clearly the image from a scan of a baby. Jenny took the phone from Peter and tried not to tear up. But she did anyway.

“He’s… she’s..?”

“He.”

“He’s beautiful,” she said. “When..?”

“Not long,” said Peter. “But she only just sent it to me. He’s really there. He’s really coming and it’s really going to happen.”

Jenny handed him the phone back and hugged him. 

“And it’s all going to be just fine,” she said. “You’re going to be a great dad. And I’ll try and be a good grandparent too. We’ll work it all out.”

They smiled, reconciled and on the same page.

"Why don't you just take it easy today?" said Jenny. “Stay home, relax, chill and maybe try and phone Jude later. I'll bet she'd love to heard from you."

"Yeah," said Peter. “Yeah, maybe I'll do that.” His school tie was already off and before he'd said anything else the jumper followed and he reached for his dressing gown. 

"Thanks mum," he added, and Jenny smiled a 'that's alright smile’ and calculated that she still had time to contact the school about his absence before her webinar.

"And mum?" said Peter and Jenny looked back at him.

"Yes, love?"

"Can you put the log in code into the Xbox please?"