Nate pulled the car to a stop in a visitor’s parking space in front of the school. He turned to Lili. ‘Who knows – old Mr Galbraithmight remember us,’ he said.
Entering the building brought back such vivid memories of their school years that they both felt as though they had been there just the day before. Five minutes later, they were sitting in the headteacher’s office.
The headteacher they remembered, Mr Galbraith,was long gone. In his place was a woman much younger than Lili expected for a school headteacher. Lili guessed that she was not even thirty. She was very pretty and neatly turned out in a grey pleated skirt, crisp white shirt and suit jacket. Model-thin, she had straight blonde hair and expertly applied makeup.
Lili glanced down at the dress she’d bought from Debenhams. Although Lili was not overweight, she knew she didn’t have that sort of figure and didn’t buy those sorts of clothes – she imagined they came with a designer label. There was nothing wrong with the department stores she shopped in, she told herself. Like most people, she was not earning the sort of salary a headteacher of a private school could command, so she couldn’t afford expensive outfits and pricey accessories. Lili stared at the young woman’s silver necklace and fingered the ring on her chain.
‘Welcome back,’ the woman said warmly. Lili noticed that her gaze settling on Nate a little too long. She leaned forward and planted her hands on the solid oak desk in front of her. ‘It’s lovely to have old boys and girls come and visit us.’
Lili cast her gaze about her. The headteacher’s office resembled a study, with bookshelves lined with books and two high-backed chairs in front of a giant oak table, behind which the young, diminutive head sat; she almost looked funny, like a pupil had dressed up and was pretending to be the headteacher. Lili expected the real headteacher to walk in at any moment and tell her to stop larking about and go back to class. She tried not to grin at the thought.
Lili had rarely ventured into the inner sanctum of the headteacher’s office herself while she was at school. That privilege was reserved for two kinds of students – the ones receiving awards, and the ones who were getting a ticking off for doing something bad.
Lili only remembered visiting the room once, and it hadn’t been for an award. She glanced at Nate. It had been his fault. If he hadn’t thrown the party, then she and Hannah wouldn’t have got into trouble for leaving the school grounds without a pass. Lili sighed. Although the young woman couldn’t take her eyes off Nate, she was glad it wasn’t the old head – even though she imagined there were many, many students who passed through this room, over the years, so it would have been doubtful he’d remember her transgression.
The young woman wiggled her nose in consternation and glanced out of the window. ‘Do you hear that?’
Nate and Lili exchanged an innocent glance, pretending they couldn’t hear a dog howling. Nate said, ‘Nope, I don’t hear a thing? Do you?’
Lili threw Nate a conspiratorial smile as she shook her head, denying all knowledge of a dog called Bella making a god-awful racket from Nate’s car. She sounded like the Hound of the Baskervilles. It was something Lili hadn’t factored in when they had decided to leave the dog.
Luckily for them, Bella fell silent. The head shrugged. ‘It must have been the wind,’ she said. She turned from the window and glanced at them. ‘Why do you two seem so familiar?’
Nate said, ‘Well, weareformer pupils. Perhaps you saw some yearbooks from way back when.’
‘Or perhaps I was in one too, way back when.’
Nate looked at her in surprise. So did Lili. ‘You were a student here?’
‘Oh, yes. I left in …’
Nate and Lili exchanged a glance. ‘You were in our year,’ they both said in unison.
No wonder she was staring at Nate, Lili thought. Perhaps she’d fancied him years earlier, and they’d been friends. If she was single – Lili didn’t see a ring – maybe she rather fancied her chances with the young, single doctor.
‘God, it’s Laurie, isn’t it?’ Nate exclaimed.
‘Yes, I was wondering when you’d remember me.’
‘You were friends with …’
Lili zoned out at that point, not interested in listening to this. She stared at Laurie, trying to picture her from their school days. Then she recognised her. She had been one of the popular girls who had often thrown disparaging remarks at Lili and Hannah. She’d hardly changed a bit. It was the makeup that had thrown Lili. She looked even prettier than Lili remembered.
Lili was feeling uncomfortable, like a third wheel, but it wasn’t just that. She was having second thoughts about being there. She got out of her seat, interrupting their conversation.
Nate looked up at her. ‘Where are you going?’
Lili wanted to leave. ‘You know what? I think this is a waste of time.’
Laurie looked from Nate to Lili. ‘What’s a waste of time? How can I help? I’m sure you’re not here for a social call.’
Lili glanced at Nate.I bet he wished he was, she thought. Her attention shifted to Laurie. ‘I don’t think you will have the information I need,’ she said. She frowned. Perhaps she’d prefer it if Laurie didn’t know that she’d been there on a scholarship and that her parents weren’t rich, like Laurie’s.
Laure smiled at Lili. ‘Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?’
Nate reached for her hand. ‘Sit down, Lili, please.’
Lili relented and sat down. Nate was still holding her hand, she noticed. She saw that Laurie had noticed too.