Page 83 of The Bad Mother's Diary

The teacher had a big smile, pigtails and a swimming costume with cupcakes all over it.

It must be nice to be happy all the time.

As soon as the singing started, Daisy started splashing like a maniac, kicking her arms and legs around and getting water all over the other mums and kids.

By the end of the class, there were two metres of space around us.

As we were leaving, I noticed one of the mums looking at me. Then, as we all walked to the changing rooms, I realised who it was.

Clarissa Fielding.

God, I haven’t seen her in years.

Not since the school sports day, when she stopped being my best friend. I think because Mum turned up in a see-through purple vest. No one knew where to look when she ran the Mother’s Day race.

Clarissa looked great, actually.

Even with soaking wet hair, you could tell she had lovely caramel highlights.

I tried to catch her eye in the changing room, but she just gave me an embarrassed, ‘I don’t know you. Okay?’

After I’d changed, I went to the Sports Centre café and phoned Dad. He must have been in the beer cellar, because the call went through to answer machine.

As I was trying to get a tea from the vending machine, Alex Dalton walked past.

By the way he was swinging his racquet I guessed he’d just pummelled an opponent.

He was wearing black shorts and a T-shirt like a sporty hit man.

Alex noticed me, frowned and said, ‘Juliette. You’re not a member here.’

I said I was just here for ‘Sing and Splash’.

Alex said, ‘Daisy has a sequin on her cheek.’

And then out of nowhere Clarissa appeared at my side. She did the whole, ‘Juliette!’ (Big fake pretend laugh.) ‘It is you, is it? I wasn’t sure …’

She kept glancing at Alex and smiling.

There was a beautiful blonde baby on Clarissa’s hip in a spotless dress and white frilly socks.

I said, ‘This must be your little one?’

Clarissa said yes. Then she looked at Daisy and said, ‘And she must be yours.’

Daisy gave a big half-tooth grin, snot running out of her nose, wet hair plastered to her little head. She tried to grab Clarissa’s scarf.

Clarissa took a step back.

I said, ‘She likes to grab things. I should train her to go for jewellery. She could make a fortune.’

Clarissa, still with half an eye on Alex, told me about all the things she’d been up to. The sailing club socials and how her husband had just reached ‘the next level’ in his banking job.

She asked me where Nick was, and I told her we’d split up.

She said, ‘Oh.’ But it was three syllables long. ‘Oh-hh-hh.’ Then she added, ‘You weren’t married then? Before you had Daisy …’

I said that we’d nearly got married. But we’d fallen at the last hurdle, i.e. saying ‘I do’ in the church.

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