Lemonade and Lies

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Book: Lemonade and Lies Read Online Free PDF
Author: Elaine Johns
I scoured my memory for a clue to Mandy’s last theme.
    “Yes?”
    Brains are wonderful things. Mine suddenly leapt into forward gear and made a sensible contribution to the current topic (a deputy’s responsibilities, not Millie’s new trainers).
    “I was just wondering about lesson observations,” I said, trying to look as if I really was.
    “Excellent point. Yes, it’s possible you may have to take on some lesson obs – that sometimes happens when Emily’s busy. Then of course there are the interviews for next year’s new student intake. But you won’t have to worry about those until next term.”
    Mandy smiled at me. The sort of smile you’d give a small child, or a relative showing the first signs of Alzheimer’s. And she was looking closely at the scribbles in my notebook.
    “Tell you what,” she said, briskly (like someone you’d expect to find on a hockey pitch wearing large, sensible knickers and a sports bra) “you get on with whatever else you’ve got to do, and I’ll jot down some bullet points for you. Summarising is one of my strengths.”
    Obviously it wasn’t one of mine . So I nodded. Said a gracious ‘thank you’.
    She looked relieved. Whether that was because I was leaving, or she’d managed to tick another box in her busy to-do list, I could only guess.
    I’m not good with lists. Or small, airless rooms with no windows. I wondered what Emily Thomson, my normally sensible boss, had spotted in me that made her think I might be management material. I gave up. It’s impossible to see yourself as others see you. But I made my mind up about one thing. I’d keep the office door open. I’ve never been happy in small spaces. They freak me out.
     
    *
     
    The footsteps were still there. Regular as clockwork. Regular as mine. They’d been there since I started walking. I felt like a kid bunking off school, but my classes were sorted until late in the afternoon and Mandy had dismissed me. So, ideal. I could get a decent lunch and nose around the shoe shops. It couldn’t be that hard to find a cheap pair of kid’s trainers.
    It was a good day for a walk. Not summer-like exactly, but still warm for an October day. Whoever the footsteps belonged to must have felt the same. Why didn’t they pass me? I wasn’t going that fast.
    I couldn’t stand it any longer. I looked over my shoulder; one of those casual glances into the distance. Like I’d suddenly thought of something important and wanted to check it out.
    A middle aged woman was behind me. It was her wide-fitting, sensible brogues that were keeping up the regular rhythm on the flagstones. The only other person around was a tall man. But he was several yards behind the woman and neither of them seemed to have any interest in me or anything I was doing.
    I felt like a stupid, drama queen. And it was all that man James McDonald’s fault. He’d planted the seed in my head that something strange was going on, and now I was looking for melodrama around every corner.
    Dear God, it suddenly came to me. He said he’d gone to check on the kids. But what if, when I’d fainted, he’d searched my house? Suddenly, the warm day felt chilly. But he’d seemed so pleasant, more than that, I’d actually allowed myself to believe in the guy. In his concern for me, and in his smile. A smile that said he found me attractive.
    My shoe caught the uneven edge of a paving slab and I almost went arse-over-tit. That settled it. Concentrate. Walk. Don’t day dream. Get the bloody trainers. Enjoy a bowl of soup and a bread roll. A decent cup of freshly brewed coffee. Then get back to work. Teach for the last two periods and go home to real life. Forget the man.
    Except that real life doesn’t always go according to plan, does it. Oh, I got the trainers okay. There was a sale in the shoe shop, but even so it wasn’t easy dipping into my overdraft. That was for emergencies. But a promise was a promise and Millie was a good kid, didn’t ask for much.
    I
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