Morning Rush Hour – Jenny 61

[For a quick guide go here: Quick guide.]

[Old back story is here: Story so far at 30 Nov 2020 and read more recent Jenny episodes especially this one.]

[Other back story through in-links.]

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Life had sort of calmed down for Peter. No more the mad dash to school in the mornings in order to discover if there were actually any lessons today or if someone had tested positive in a home test resulting in gossip, excitement, pleas to be sent home and finally being sent home. And then a second more accurate test would be carried out and reveal that person wan't actually positive at all so everyone had to come back in again. And then someone else would test positive, repeat, remain, return, repeat.

There had been the point when everyone said young people were pretty much OK with getting Covid so didn't need masks and then there had been the closing of schools because they were actually hubs or ‘vectors’ for transmitting it. And then there was the point when they could all go back again but needed to wear masks and then finally there was the bit when they said they didn't need to wear masks any more. Peter suspected this would be followed again by a rethink and re-masking of everyone, but since he'd now officially finished his secondary schooling - bar the exams which weren't actually about to happen - any changes were just vaguely interesting for him, rather than material.

Instead, his waking thoughts today concerned The Masked Dancer, the show he’d been following for the sake of having something to watch and text Jude about each evening for the past week or so. He was wondering if a show called The Masked anything would have been quite so much of a hit at any other time. But there again, the masked dancers, like the masked singers before them, weren't wearing medical ‘don't breathe on me’ masks. The full head gear was impressive and was also, surely, entirely Covid proof. Be funny if everyone at school had to wear those kind of masks. Or trying to swing a game in which celebrities just had face masks and you still had to guess who they were…

He got up and checked the time. Half nine-ish. Helen would already be at her posh school, having moaned at Jenny as she left. Poor Jenny, now having to deal with both of them, taking all the flack and none of the glory. Such was parenthood. 

He sauntered to the bathroom to find the door closed and locked. This was a bit curious, he thought. Jenny should have been long gone to work. He reminded himself of the day of the week and sure enough, all things being equal he should be alone in the house. He was about to knock when the door obligingly opened and a young woman, wearing Jenny's dressing gown appeared.

"Oh!" she said. "Hello! Sorry! Did you want to..?"

"Um..." Peter managed, thrown by the fact the he recognised the dressing gown but not the person in it. 

"You must be Peter," she said.

"Yes," said Peter, still recovering from the surprise. "I must. And you must be…”

The woman’s eyes widened a little. “Oh, I’m, um Anna.”

“Anna.”

"I don’t know if your mum has mentioned me?”

The look from Peter was enough to confirmed this.

“We work together.”

Peter’s look got no better.

“I mean, obviously, well, at work, you know. The builders. That’s where we work.”

“And,” said Peter beginning to get it, “Are you working now?”

Anna opened her mouth a little but then decided against it and smiled instead.

“We’re going to,” she said diplomatically.

“Ok,” said Peter, deciding to smile too. “That’s good.”

“Well,” said Anna. “Sorry to be in your way and everything. I’ll just…”

“That’s fine, it’s fine honestly,” said Peter. “Whenever. Not like I’m busy or anything.”

Anna moved away from the bathroom door and they negotiated themselves so Peter could go in. He turned just before he went.

“Just one thing,” he said. “Break her heart and I’ll break you. OK?”

Anna sealed her lips and nodded. Peter went in and closed the bathroom door.

Snuggling back under the duvet with Jenny, Anna still felt secure.

“Met your boy,” she said.

“Oh,” said Jenny groggily. “Oh!” She repeated, somewhat less groggily and more surprised. “What? How? Erm, how did you get on?”

“House on fire.”

“Good,” said Jenny, “Great. Well done. Should I..?”

“No,” said Anna. “I think it’s going to be alright.”

Jenny smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. She’d talk to Peter - and Helen - later. Have a laugh about it and move their lives on.

“Although I think we’d better do some work,” Anna added.