She tried to be conciliatory, play the penitent, smooth the waters but it rankled. She heard the slam of the letter box, the thud as the paper hit the mat, Ade’s footsteps coming downstairs. He was scanning the front page as he came into the kitchen, his hair wet from the shower, smelling of deodorant. In his teacher’s garb, white shirt, navy tie, black trousers. He always wore a tie. School expected staff as well as students to conform to their dress code. Smart, respectable. Dull, a little voice whispered in her head.
‘I’ve done their lunches,’ Janet said.
‘Right.’ He put the paper down. Janet took her breakfast, a round of toast and a cup of coffee, to the table. Read the headlines upside down, GROOMING GANG GUILTY, while Ade filled the kettle and put bread in the toaster.
‘Mum?’ Elise, still in her pyjamas, stood at the door. ‘This party. Can I go?’
‘Yes,’ Janet said.
‘No,’ said Ade.
‘We’ve not had time to discuss it.’ Janet took a bite of her toast.
‘What do you need to discuss?’ said Elise.
‘Whether you can go,’ Janet said.
Ade poured water into coffee. ‘Whose party is it anyway?’
‘A friend.’
‘What friend?’
‘John Planter – well, his brother,’ Elise said.
‘We don’t know them,’ Janet said.
‘So? Please?’
‘Look, we don’t have time to talk about it now,’ Janet said.
‘Olivia is going. We can share a taxi back to hers.’
‘Where is it?’ Ade said.
‘Middleton.’
‘Middleton where?’ he said.
‘Don’t know.’
‘What’s the party for?’ Janet said.
‘Why does it have to be for anything? It’s just a party, God!’
‘Look,’ Ade said, ‘if you want to go, here’s what you do: you find out exactly who is having it, what they’re called, where they live. Whether their parents will be there to supervise.’
Elise opened her mouth in protest. ‘I can’t believe this.’
‘You’re fifteen, Elise,’ Ade said, ‘we’re not letting you swan off, God knows where, with a bunch of strangers without asking any questions.’
Elise rounded on Janet. ‘You said yes, you said I could. If Dad hadn’t said-’
‘Enough!’ said Ade.
‘Find out,’ Janet said, ‘and when it starts and finishes. When we know all that, your dad and I can have an informed discussion and let you know our decision.’
‘This is outrageous,’ Elise said.
Janet did think Ade was going a bit over the top but better safe than sorry. ‘We’re not doing this to be awkward,’ she said, standing up.
‘Yes, you are. It’s like living in a prison camp.’ Elise kicked the back of the door with her foot and stormed off upstairs.
Ade sighed, Janet choked back a laugh. ‘She might want to turn the poor-oppressed-victim act down a bit if she wants to go,’ Janet said. ‘Not like Elise to be so moody.’ Elise was the sensible one, the elder daughter, hard-working, responsible. Usually it was Taisie who tested their patience. ‘I’m off, so we’ll talk about it when she’s done her research, shall we?’