Page 7 of When We Were Friends
‘I… just really wanted to see you all again, hoped the school grounds might remind us of…’
‘Of how our friendship ended? Mission accomplished,’ said Emily and an ugly look crossed her features.
Morgan twisted her hands. ‘But also… I need the society’s help.’
‘The society?’ Emily mimicked and she burst out laughing and the other two quietly joined in. Morgan winced and the smile dropped from Emily’s face. ‘Look… sorry, but really? Are you mad? We aren’t kids any more.’
‘Emily’s right. You want to revive a teenage club that hasn’t been up and running for nineteen years?’ said Paige and she tightened her cream scarf. ‘I’ve got a business, marriage, I don’t have time for playing at being a detective.’
‘We don’t look a day older, if you ask me,’ said Tiff and primped her hair, a smile showing off whitened teeth. ‘But agreed, life is busy enough. I’m surprised you thought we’d be interested, Morgan. Out of all the people in your life, why ask us for help?’
You’re my besties. My partners in solving crime. Her throat caught.And complete strangers.
Emily turned to go. ‘You three enjoy chatting about your lives, your journeys to this point may be gilded with gold, and I’m happy for you, I am, despite our falling-out…’ Her voice sounded strained. ‘But mine’s been potholes all the way.’
‘I’ve got a son,’ Morgan blurted out. ‘Olly hates bluebottles but won’t kill them, he could spend hours staring at a night sky, his favourite meal is chicken curry, as long as it’s served with an onion bhaji, he refuses to wear belts and used to bite his nails and once he likes a song, he plays it eternally on repeat.’ She stopped for breath. ‘He’s about to go to college. I need to find his dad. Olly is desperate to know who he is. He doesn’t even know his name.’
Those last words echoed in Morgan’s ears. Saying them out loud made it sound even more unfair on her son.
The other three stood stock still. ‘College?’ asked Paige finally. ‘He’s a teenager? That means…’
‘Blood and sand. You had a kid that young?’ Emily let out a long whistle and gave Morgan a curious look.
‘Must have been hard,’ said Tiff, giving Morgan her full attention for a minute.
Morgan paused and then did breaststroke in the air. Dory said to keep on swimming if things got tough. However, the others didn’t acknowledge the gesture from their teenage years, let alone replicate it. Cheeks burning again, her arms dropped. She ran a hand across her forehead. ‘Olly’s the best thing that ever happened to me. His dad left Dailsworth before I could tell him I was pregnant. Olly and I have managed fine on our own, but…’ Her voice broke. ‘Things have come to a head. If my lad starts college without me helping him connect with his dad finally, I might lose him forever. He’ll grow up fast there and I worry that if that independence is full of resentment… I urgently need to find his dad. Things have come to a crisis point.’
‘But you presumably had this baby a couple of years after we lost contact,’ said Paige. ‘Why not ask your friends from that time, or I’m sure you can find him on the internet? Failing that, hire a proper detective.’
‘Right, because we’ve all got as much money as you, Paige,’ said Emily and she shook her head.
Paige flinched.
‘I didn’t have any friends. Not like you three,’ said Morgan. ‘The four of us used to be like dice, each side different, yes, but with similarities, like the way two sides of a dice always add up to seven. I’ve never found that synchronicity with anyone else.’
‘You’re still obsessed with maths, then,’ muttered Paige.
Morgan stared at her, and then the others. They didn’t want to get involved? Of course not. How could Morgan have been so foolish, believing that nineteen years would have salved the hurt and resentment, that they would still have things in common?
Tiff looked into the distance, at the school grounds. ‘They still have no sixth form here? Which college is your son going to, then?’
Morgan breathed in, and then exhaled slowly as the wind lifted and clouds darkened further. ‘They do have a sixth form here now. But by college, I mean… university. Olly’s just turned eighteen. He’ll be leaving home soon. He’s keen on a course in Bristol.’
‘Eighteen?’ said Tiff, face looking like it used to when she worked on a case – she’d roll her lips together and not blink for a while. The others would joke that she never concentrated as hard in lessons as she did for the work of the society.
‘I had no idea at the time, but…’ It was as if the years had wound back and Morgan was breaking the news to her parents, the doctor, the neighbours… Her voice shook. ‘I was pregnant at the prom.’
For a moment, the only noise was the caw of a crow.
‘Holy shit,’ said Emily.
‘You can’t have been…’ said Paige, cheeks pale.
‘But you always swore you’d never end up like your parents,’ said Tiff. ‘You’re messing with us, right? This is some a prank?’
‘Who is the father, then?’ asked Paige. ‘Why haven’t you ever told Olly his name? It’s not…’ Her voice became unsteady. ‘Was he in one of our classes?’
Morgan bit on her fist. ‘In the end, you all knew him better than you wanted to. In the end, he knew too much about us too.’
