Page 80 of Dancing Fools and All That Jazz
I nod.
‘Are you sure? We must put our dance performance above and beyond any personal concerns.’
‘Yes, sure… No problem.’ I give Clarissa a weak smile and mechanically head for the dressing rooms.
Well, Monica. Thanks a bunch. You’ve had your revenge good and proper.
23
Ingrida
It is good to see Sheila and her group are not in the dressing room. We take it in turns to use the ladies’ toilets, as it will not be easy once we are dressed in our saris. I take my phone and look at it as I wait for a free cubicle.
There is still no message from Neil, and I cannot wait any longer, so I call him. There is no answer and just when I think it will put me on the answer service to record a message, another voice comes onto the phone. I know this voice. It is Rita, Maya’s mother.
‘Hello, Neil Goodman’s phone, can I help you?’
‘Hello, Rita. Is Neil there?’
‘Who is this?’
‘It is me. Ingrida. Can I speak to Neil?’
‘Hang on I need to put this on speaker phone. Sorry, who is this?’
‘Ingrida.’
‘Ingrid? Oh, yes, the nanny. Can it wait? Neil is just out with my husband, Terry. And I am rather busy with the children.’
I can hear Lizzy crying in the background, and my stomach has a knot. When Rita says, “Oh, yes, the nanny”, I know this mean Neil has not told them we are married. I do not know why he has not when he promised he would.
Lizzy cries even louder and shouts, ‘I want Guy-da.’
I feel my heart spasm. ‘Rita, please can I talk to Lizzy?’
‘Good grief, no – you are on holiday, are you not? Why on earth would you want to speak to the children? Now I am sorry, but I must get back to my granddaughter. She probably needs a rest…’
‘No, Lizzy does not have a daytime rest.’ I am unable to make myself heard as Lizzy is now wailing right next to phone. I want to pick her up and tell her everything is OK, but I cannot even speak with her.
‘Stop that crying this minute, Elizabeth.’
I hear Rita’s shout and clap of the hands. Or is it a smack? Please do not be a smack.
I grip the phone tightly. ‘Lizzy…’
‘What? Sorry, I cannot hear a word with this din. I have to go. I will tell Neil you called, Ingrid. Enjoy your holiday. Goodbye.’
I cannot believe it. I steady myself against the sink and take a deep breath. The children are OK. Rita is their grandmother. She would not hurt them.
I turn on the tap and flick a little water on my face and frown at myself in the mirror. Why has Neil not told them? I need to warn him about my uncle. Oh, why has Neil not called me? The Latvian wordglevulis, it goesround and round in my head. Neil, he isglevulis… What is the English word? Then I remember, it is coward.
‘Bez mugurkaula glevulis,’ I say aloud.
‘Wow, you sound angry, Ingrida.’ Bonnie appears from one of the cubicles.
I had forgotten she was in here.
‘What does that mean, then?’
