Norah couldn’t miss the concern in her tone. ‘Are you worried about finding it?’ Norah asked.
‘I had to sell my car,’ Poppy admitted, trying to hide her embarrassment, but Norah could see it.
She decided the best thing to do was to approach the problem practically. ‘Did you keep the kid’s car seat?’
Poppy raised an eyebrow. ‘Yes...’
‘Come with us.’
‘No, you’ve done me enough favours. I’ll figure something out...’
Norah shook her head. ‘I’ll drop by your place at about ten thirty. We’ll get the seat set up in my car.’
Poppy gaped at her. ‘You’re saving my actual life at the moment.’
‘We’re saving each other’s,’ Norah assured her.
She really meant it. There was a lot wrong with Norah’s life, but Poppy’s appearance wasn’t on that list anymore. She was glad of the shift. All it took was her selfish bastard of a husband to be his usual self, and somehow, things were different. Their past felt less like a huge balloon full of old pain that Norah was holding on to. It was deflating, shrivelling, drooping.
She just hoped she didn’t do something stupid, like attempting to address what had happened at the end. Everything would be better if she could just let that part go. They were kids, right? Eighteen. You couldn’t hold someone responsible for something that happened when they were barely out of braces.
‘Wait, is there room in the car? Three adults and two kids?’ Poppy exclaimed.
‘Max never comes to the parties. It’s his relaxation time,’ Norah admitted.
Poppy didn’t react to that. ‘Well, his loss is my gain. Thanks, Norah.’ She turned. ‘Luna! Let’s roll!’
‘In a minute!’
‘We’re having pizza for dinner, but only if you come right now.’
Luna stood and started brushing sand off herself.
‘We’re having pizza no matter what she does,’ Poppy said quietly, out of the corner of her mouth. ‘Because I want it.’
‘Let them never find out we love junk food as much as them,’ Norah replied.
And with that, Norah knew she and Poppy were mum friends.
Twenty Years Ago
Norah was seething. This was getting ridiculous. It had been a week, and she could not get hold of Poppy. She lived down the street, and she couldn’t find a single minute for Norah. After everything?
She looked at the last text she’d had from Poppy for the hundredth time.
Sorry, the band is busy right now. There’s a showcase next week and someone from a label is coming. We’re practising every minute.
That was it. That was all she had to say. Nothing about them being together. Nothing about any kind of feeling. Not a thing to imply she was desperate to see her or anything like that.
Norah had seen Poppy around school, but the few times they’d bumped into each other in school, the disinterest was unmissable. ‘Oh, hi. Nice to see you. Got to run.’
Norah was pretty sure she was getting dumped. She felt so stupid, so hurt, so blindingly angry. She’d thought they were something. She’d thought...
How could someone who’d written a song about her turn out to be a user?
Norah couldn’t take it anymore. She couldn’t just let this happen without saying something. While she had no desire to look Poppy in the eye and have it all confirmed, she was losing her mind. She needed the truth.
She walked downstairs to see her mother coming in. ‘You going somewhere?’ she asked, taking her coat off.
‘Yeah, just need a quick word with... Poppy,’ she said nervously. She’d tried not to bring her up since the snoggus interruptus incident.
‘You haven’t seen her much lately?’ her mother said.
‘Is that a question?’ Norah asked.
‘An observation, that’s all.’
‘Yeah, I guess.’ They looked at each other like there might be more to say. But no one said it, so Norah decided to tie the interaction off. ‘Well, back in a bit.’
She left the house, walked down the street and up the path to Poppy’s. She didn’t ring the bell right away. She needed to collect herself, think up a game plan, an opening line, something. Then she realised if she stood out here much longer, someone was going to look out of a window and see her psyching herself up, which would make this whole thing that much more embarrassing. So she rang the doorbell.
She heard someone walking towards the door. It was fifty-fifty whether it was Poppy or her mum who would answer.
It was Poppy. ‘Oh, hi!’ she said, trying to smile, but Norah saw the fear in her eyes.
Norah licked her lips. ‘Hello. Thought I’d pop round and check in.’
‘Check in?’ Poppy asked.
