Party On – Jenny 30

 

[For back story go here: Story so far at 17 Sept 2020 and more recent Jenny episodes.]

[For other back story click in-links]

One of Helen's PSHE projects described the impact of doing the unexpected. It talked about working outside comfort zones but also pushing back boundaries and reframing things which otherwise might be seen negative or immovable barriers to doing new things or thinking new thoughts. The objective wasn’t to change the overall status quo, it was to test what the status quo really was, and to adjust one’s external perspective in order to make the status quo more acceptable. Jenny came across the project one morning while secretly tidying Helen's room in a ‘more than interested in the dust’ sort of way. She thought it was a bit worthy and wordy, but that she might give it a go whatever.

For this reason she decided to mark the start of the second lockdown with a celebration rather than a downbeat sigh. Difficult times were continuing, of that there was no doubt. Izzy was being sent back to work from home as from this evening, so there would be change and frustration and the need for more sliced bread to make morning and afternoon snack toast. But should this be a completely negative experience, she wondered?

By lunch time, cookies were cooking, a fresh order of ice cream had been delivered and she'd created a rather fine make shift banner using a half-ripped dust sheet and the dregs of house paint Izzy had marked for the tip. Using these, Jenny had painted a mainly black and red rainbow and the words 'Happy Lock' before the paint entirely ran dry. Refusing to be beaten, she found a batch of magic markers and scrawled a down-pointing arrow to complete the phrase.

Using garden twine she swung the banner across the middle of the sitting room. She rearranged things a little, introducing new tables and scattering snacks, iPads and xbox controllers across every surface. Most plug sockets had charging cables coming out of them and the slippers and slipper socks favoured by each member of the household were arranged in front of their favourite (or second favourite) seat. There were blankets a-plenty.

The kids arrived first. Helen, a little mystified by everything but finally coming round to the idea thinking it wouldn’t be half bad to party for a while. There might even be some useful photo opps for Instagram. There was also the offer of a large strawberry cheese cake milk shake with all the trimmings.

Peter was fine just with toast, the sofa and the xbox controller. He got it and loved it and ran with it. He even facetimed Jude to show her what was going on and include her in the festivities. Jenny and Helen raised a milk heavy glass in her honour.

Finally Izzy arrived, tired and late from work, laptop under one arm and way too many files under the other. While the business had thought it had got to grips with working remotely successfully, it transpired that not everything was possible to be carried out by a remote working financial controller with no access to paperwork. Various in person socially distanced meetings and a couple of zoom calls later, a list of what could be taken off site was drawn up and handed over.

For a good half an hour the house was full of laughter, screams, alcohol, popcorn and everything else in between. They all crashed the vehicle of their choice on the xbox driving game, Helen and Izzy managed to dance slightly to a couple of Spotify tracks before Helen became too self conscious about the whole thing, and Jenny rewarded herself with having forecast to perfection how much milk, ice scream and sundries they would require before people started feeling ill.

Slumping on the sofa as the sugar rush ended and the evening’s usual TV kicked in Jenny looked around her and was content, even if, given the outside circumstances of the world in general, she couldn’t claim to be happy.

“I’m pleased I did this,” she smiled. “I mean, it shows that everything doesn’t need to be grim.”

"Absolutely,” said Izzy, "Lockdown 2 – like it never went away."

"It never did," observed Helen. “Everyone just pretended it did.”

“What I mean is it's just like Lockdown 1."

"Only better,” smiled Jenny. “Like they say – we got this."

"Yeah," said Helen resentfully, "Like Lockdown 1 but we have to go to school."

“There you go – Lockdown 1, only better,” flicked back Izzy.

Peter hit her with a cushion and she fell backwards spilling wine over her top.

“This reminds me of a PSHE thing we talked about in class where…” Helen stopped and stared at Jenny. “ You didn’t, did you?”

Jenny headed for the kitchen to get something to wipe Izzy’s top.

“Oh great, I’m actually living a PSHE project,” stormed Helen. “How grim is that?”