Page 91 of Second Verse

Poppy turned to Norah. ‘I really thought no one was gonna want my stuff. It’s very mediocre.’

‘I think you overestimated the standards at a school bake sale,’ Norah told her. ‘It’s thirty pence a cake. They were willing to risk it.’

‘Nothing’s left!’ Luna suddenly wailed.

‘Yeah! We wanted cakes!’ Freddie huffed.

‘Sorry, guys,’ Poppy said sincerely.

‘What if we go to the park and find the ice cream van?’ Norah suggested. ‘Would that be OK?’

The kids both screamed like Santa was doing a live drop-by.

Poppy smiled, pleased. It would be nice to all go to the park—like nothing was different. ‘Alright, let’s pack up.’

Thirty-Six

The kids were going hard at their ice creams next to the van that had just dispensed them. Luna had an Oreo sundae in a plastic cup, while Freddie had gone with a more traditional cone and flake situation.

Norah watched Luna eating her ice cream. ‘Why didn’t I get one?’ she muttered to herself.

Luna shrugged. ‘Go and get some then. The van is right there.’

‘She makes a strong case,’ Norah said to Poppy. ‘You in?’

Poppy smiled and turned to the kids. ‘You two head into the park,’ she said, gesturing at the nearby gates. ‘We’re getting back in the queue.’

The kids didn’t need telling twice, and they legged it with their treats into the play park. Poppy and Norah joined the back of the queue.

‘What are you getting?’ Poppy asked.

‘Something absurd,’ Norah said with delight.

‘Yeah?’

‘I’m feeling daring,’ Norah added. Buthowdaring did she feel exactly? Enough to treat herself to looking good for a change. But what was she hoping to achieve with that, besides boosting her own self esteem?

They moved forward a place in the queue. ‘Oh, guess what?’ Norah said.

‘What?’ Poppy asked with an interested smile.

‘I got fired,’ Norah said.

‘What?!’ Poppy squawked in shock.

‘Yeah. I made a mistake and that was that.’

‘They fired you for one mistake?’ Poppy said.

Norah laughed. ‘That’s exactly what my mum said.’

Poppy looked disturbed by that.

‘But it’s OK,’ Norah said.

‘Is it?’ Poppy asked.

‘It shouldn’t be, right? Everything’s gone wrong. I got fired from my job and my marriage in the same year.’ Norah laughed, but she couldn’t think why. Her life was in the toilet.

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