Big Little Lies(37)

“Yes, because it looks like you’re inviting the whole class except for one little boy.”
“I assume you’re talking about Ziggy, the child who left bruises on my daughter’s neck,” said Renata. “He didn’t make it onto the invitation list. Surprise, surprise.”
“Come on now, Renata,” said Madeline. “You can’t do this.”
“So sue me.” Renata shot Celeste a glinting, mischievous look, as if they were in on a joke together.
Celeste took a breath. She didn’t want to be involved. “I might just—”
“I’m so sorry, Renata,” interrupted Madeline with a queenly look of apology. “But Chloe won’t be able to make it to the party.”
“What a pity,” Renata said. She pulled hard on the diagonal strap of her handbag, as if she were adjusting body armor. “You know what? I think I might terminate this conversation before I say something I regret.” She nodded at Celeste. “Nice to see you again.”
Madeline watched her go. She seemed invigorated.
“This is war, Celeste,” she said happily. “War, I tell you!”
“Oh, Madeline,” sighed Celeste.
Harper: I know we all like to put Celeste on a pedestal but I don’t think she always made the best nutritional choices for her children. I saw the twins eating lollipops for breakfast on their first day of school!
Samantha: Parents do tend to judge each other. I don’t know why. Maybe because none of us really know what we’re doing? And I guess that can sometimes lead to conflict. Just not normally on this sort of scale.
Jackie: I, for one, don’t have the time to be judging other parents. Or the interest. My children are only one part of my life.
Detective-Sergeant Adrian Quinlan: In addition to the murder investigation, we expect to be charging multiple parents with assault. We’re deeply disappointed and quite shocked to see a group of parents behaving this way.

Chapter 19
19.

Oh, Madeline,” sighed Ed.
He parked the car, pulled the keys from the ignition and turned to look at her. “You can’t make Chloe miss her friend’s party just because Ziggy isn’t invited. That’s crazy.”
They’d driven straight from the school down to the beach to have a quick coffee at Blue Blues with Jane and her parents. It had been Jane’s mother who had suggested it, and it had seemed so important to her that Madeline, who had an overly ambitious list of things to achieve on the kids’ first day at school, felt she couldn’t say no.
“No it’s not,” said Madeline, although she was already feeling the first twinges of regret. When Chloe heard she was missing Amabella’s A party there would be hell to pay. Amabella’s last birthday party had been insane: jumping castle, a magician and a disco.
“I’m in a very bad mood today,” she told Ed.
“Really?” said Ed. “I would never have noticed.”
“I miss the children,” said Madeline. The backseat of the car felt so empty and silent. Her eyes filled with tears.
Ed guffawed. “You’re kidding, right?”
“My baby has started school,” wept Madeline. Chloe had marched straight into the classroom, walking right alongside Miss Barnes, as if she were a fellow teacher, chatting the whole way, probably making a few suggestions for changes to the curriculum.
“Yep,” said Ed. “And not a moment too soon. I think those were the words you used yesterday on the phone to your mother.”
“And I had to stand there in the school yard, making polite conversation with my ex-bloody-husband!” Madeline’s mood flipped from teary back to angry.
“Yeah, I don’t know if I’d use the word polite,” said Ed.
“It’s hard enough being a single mother,” said Madeline.
“Um. What?” said Ed.
“Jane! I’m talking about Jane, of course. I remember Abigail’s first day of school. I felt like a freak. It felt like everyone was so disgustingly married. All the parents were in perfect little pairs. I never felt so alone.” Madeline thought of her ex-husband today, looking comfortably about the school yard. Nathan had no clue as to what it had been like for Madeline for all those years she’d brought Abigail up on her own. He wouldn’t deny it. Oh no. If she were to scream at him, “It was hard! It was so hard!” he’d wince and look so sad and so sorry, but no matter how hard he tried, he would never really get it.
She was filled with impotent rage. There was nowhere to aim it except straight at Renata. “So just imagine how Jane feels when her child is the only one not invited to a party. Imagine it.”