Big Little Lies(36)


“Apparently poor little Ziggy isn’t invited to that party,” Jane’s mother said in a lowered voice.
“Mum,” said Jane. “Leave it.”
“What? She shouldn’t be handing out invitations in the playground unless she’s asking the whole class,” said Madeline.
She scanned the playground for Renata and saw Celeste walk in through the school gates, late as usual, holding hands with the twins, looking impossibly gorgeous. It was as though another species had turned up at school. Madeline saw one of the Year 2 dads catch sight of Celeste and do a comical double take and nearly trip over a schoolbag.
And there was Renata, bustling straight for Celeste and handing her two pink envelopes.
“I’m going to kill her,” said Madeline.
Mrs. Lipmann: Look, I’d rather not say anything further. We deserve to be left in peace. A parent is dead. The entire school community is grieving.
Gabrielle: Hmmm, I wouldn’t say the entire school community is grieving. That might be a stretch.

?   ?   ?

Celeste saw the man trip while he was checking her out.
Maybe she should have an affair. It might make something happen, push her marriage over the cliff it had been inexorably creeping toward for so many years.
But the thought of being with any other man besides Perry filled her with a heavy, listless sensation. She’d be so bored. She was not interested in other men. Perry made her feel alive. If she left him, she’d be single and celibate and bored forever. It wasn’t fair. He ruined her.
“You’re holding my hand too tight,” said Josh.
“Yeah, Mummy,” said Max.
She loosened her grip.
“Sorry, boys,” she said.
It hadn’t been a good morning. First, there was something cataclysmically wrong with one of Josh’s socks that could not be rectified with any amount of adjusting. Then Max couldn’t find a very specific little Lego man with a very specific yellow hat that he required right at that very minute.
They’d both wailed and wailed for Daddy. They didn’t care that he was on the other side of the world. They wanted him. Celeste wanted Perry too. He would have fixed Josh’s sock. He would have found Max’s Lego man. She’d always known that she was going to struggle with the school-morning routine. She and the boys were late sleepers and generally out-of-sorts in the morning, whereas Perry woke up happy and energetic. If he’d been here this morning, they would have been early for their first day at school. There would have been laughter in the car, not silence, interspersed by pitiful shudders from the boys.
She’d given them lollipops in the end. They were still sucking on them as she got them out of the car, and she’d seen one of the kindergarten mothers she recognized from the orientation day walk by and smile sweetly at the boys, while flicking Celeste a “bad mother” look.
“There’s Chloe and Ziggy!” said Josh.
“Let’s go kill them!” said Max.
“Boys, don’t talk like that!” said Celeste. Good God. What would people think?
“Just pretend-killing, Mummy,” said Josh kindly. “Chloe and Ziggy like it!”
“Celeste! It is Celeste, isn’t it?” A woman appeared in front of her as the boys ran off. “I met you and your husband at the uniform shop a few weeks ago.” She touched her chest. “Renata. I’m Amabella’s mum.”
“Of course! Hi, Renata,” said Celeste.
“Perry couldn’t make it today?” Renata looked around hopefully.
“He’s in Vienna,” said Celeste. “He travels a lot for work.”
“I’m sure he does,” said Renata knowingly. “I thought I recognized him the other day and so I Googled him when I got back home, and that’s when it clicked! The Perry White! I’ve actually seen your husband speak a few times. I’m in the funds-management world myself!”
Great. A Perry groupie. Celeste often wondered what the Perry groupies would think if they were to see him doing the things he did.
“I’ve got some invitations for the boys to Amabella’s fifth-birthday party.” Renata handed her two pink envelopes. “Of course, you and Perry are most welcome to come along. Nice way for all the parents to start getting to know one another!”
“Lovely.” Celeste took the envelopes and put them in her bag.
“Good morning, ladies!” It was Madeline, wearing one of her beautiful signature dresses. She had two spots of color high on her cheeks and a dangerous glitter in her eyes. “Thank you for Chloe’s invitation to Amabella’s party.”
“Oh dear, is Amabella handing them out?” Renata frowned and patted at her handbag. “Oh dear. She must have taken them from my handbag. I did mean to hand them discreetly to the parents.”

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