Page 39 of Letting Go of Yesterday
He turned his phone off after that and tried to sleep, but his ability to force the images of Rowan and James out of his head didn’t extend to his dreams and it had been a relief to wake up from another fitful sleep and see sunlight streaming through the window.
The next day he’d worked flat out on the renovation, before starting work at 6a.m. on Monday on the internal fixings of a holiday cottage that he and Will had been building for one of their clients, so that he could finish in time to pick up Leo from school. The playground was abuzz with parents talking about the inspection and discussing what they’d put on the questionnaires circulated on behalf of the inspectors. One woman said she was being interviewed the next day, which seemed to give her minor celebrity status amongst some of the other parents, and Nathan tried to suppress a smile. This was how life worked in Port Agnes, small things became big news and he’d had his own unwanted brush with infamy as a result. He was far happier blending into the background these days, but people still remembered what had happened.
‘Ah, Mr Lark, Leo said it was you who’d be picking him up today.’ Lyra Blythe, Leo’s class teacher, looked disappointed to discover that the information he’d given her was spot on.
‘Is there a problem?’ Everyone at the school knew they could share any information about Leo with both Nathan and his mother, even things that would normally be reserved for a child’s parents. It was in Leo’s care plan, because they did so much to support Will and Heather, and it meant Nathan was finding it hard to imagine a scenario where his presence at pick-up would cause an issue.
‘No, it’s just that one of the Ofsted inspectors asked if they might be able to speak to Leo’s parents about how well they feel the school meets his needs.’
‘My brother was snowed under today, so he asked me to fill in their questionnaire earlier and I sent it back in. But if they still need to speak to someone, I’d be happy to talk to them, if they’re okay with it being me?’
‘I can’t see why not, you’re here at least as much as his parents and Leo is lucky to have such a loving family.’ Lyra’s smile was genuine and it crossed his mind for the first time how attractive she was, and how often she shot a smile in his direction, or let her hand linger on his arm for just a bit longer than was necessary. He’d been so closed down to the idea of being involved with anyone again that he hadn’t even noticed, but Rowan had woken him up. The trouble was now no one else could compare to her and, if she left, he’d be back to closing off that part of himself again.
‘I’ll let the inspectors know you’re happy to have a chat, if you don’t mind waiting?’ Lyra smiled again and he nodded.
‘Of course not, but what about Leo? Can I just take him into the meeting with me?’
‘There are a few other parents meeting with inspectors, so Mr Pengelly is doing an arts and crafts workshop in the Year 6 classroom until the meeting is over. Theo is already in there, so I’m sure Leo will be happy to go along too.’
‘He’s always happy when he’s with his best friend.’ Nathan smiled, pushing the thought of what it might do to Leo if Theo disappeared out of his mind. Those were worries for another day. Right now he had one job to do and that was to get Rowan the recognition she deserved. Maybe if she saw how much her work was appreciated, even after such a short time, it would give her more motivation to stay. If that happened, neither he nor Leo would have to face up to the prospect of losing Rowan and her son.
* * *
The meeting with the inspector, a warm and friendly man, had gone really well. He’d been nothing like the kind of inspectors – of the income tax and VAT variety – who Nathan had encountered on far too many occasions in the run up to his prosecution. He’d talked to him about how Rowan was helping to create a culture of inclusion at the school, securing funding to make the green area accessible immediately after her appointment, and before she was even officially due to start. He talked about how she’d supported other fundraising initiatives and secured support from the governors and PTA to get more sensory equipment for the playground, including a wooden archway with stained-glass-style plastic panels, wide enough to be wheelchair accessible, and an area for water play. There were also plans to develop a sensory garden, all of which allowed Leo to play outside and feel included, even though he wasn’t able to join in with many of the more traditional playground games.
Rowan and Lyra had also arranged for a guest speaker, who was part of the UK paralympic swimming team, to come and talk to the whole school about her experiences. Practical adaptations had been made for Leo too and it was clear, as Nathan had told the inspector, that none of those things were an afterthought that had to be requested by the family, or done just to tick a box. He and the inspector had been laughing together like old friends by the end, and he’d even given the man some advice on how to deal with the crumbling render on the back wall of his house. He hadn’t realised quite how long the meeting had gone on for, until he went through to the Year 6 classroom to find Leo and had discovered that the only other child left there with him was Theo. Mr Pengelly looked delighted to see Nathan, shooting him almost as warm a smile as Leo’s class teacher had done an hour earlier.
‘Oh brilliant, you’re all done. How was it?’ Mr Pengelly lowered his voice as he asked the question, casting his eyes around the room as though he expected one of the Ofsted inspectors to spring out from underneath a desk at any moment.
‘Very well. I told them how great you all are with Leo.’
‘He’s the great one. I wish all the kids were as much of a joy to be around as he and Theo are. It’s been heaven for the last twenty minutes, just the three of us.’ Mr Pengelly looked over his shoulder again, laughing as he did. ‘Yeah, I probably shouldn’t say things like that out loud at the moment, should I?’
‘Maybe not.’ Nathan laughed too, before giving the teacher a more serious look. ‘How do you think the inspection is going overall? Have you got any idea yet?’
Nathan wanted to ask how Rowan was holding up too, but it might have seemed overly familiar and made Mr Pengelly question just how close Rowan and Nathan’s relationship had become. It wouldn’t take much to trigger the kind of gossip he knew she was desperately trying to avoid, especially now that James was back on the scene.
‘Mrs Bellamy has just been in to give a briefing to the rest of the staff, mostly about the outcomes of the teaching observations, but the two of us are catching up once I’m done here. As head and deputy, it’s probably our necks on the line more than anyone else’s if we don’t get the outcome everyone is expecting. If it’s anything less than the good grading we got last time we could get the chop.’ He’d lowered his voice again, shooting a glance towards the two boys this time, but they were far too busy splashing brightly coloured paint onto a huge piece of paper.
‘It sounds like you’re both really busy and if it’s okay with Mrs Bellamy…’ Nathan paused for a moment, something about using her married name feeling far more poignant since James’s arrival. ‘I could take Theo back to our place so that he can hang out with Leo, until she finishes work.’
‘I’m sure she’d really appreciate that and I know I would, because it means we can get stuck straight in to reviewing what’s happened today. Bella’s already gone home with one of her friends, so that would mean poor old Theo being left here on his own otherwise.’ Mr Pengelly smiled again. ‘Can you keep an eye on the boys for two minutes and I’ll go and see what she says?’
‘Of course.’ Nathan watched the deputy head disappear, and wondered if he could get away with asking Mr Pengelly if he knew why Theo hadn’t been picked up by his father. But that would definitely have been overstepping the mark.
‘She said you’re an absolute lifesaver and that she’ll come and pick Theo up from your place. She won’t be any later than seven, even if I have to shove her out of the door at half past six myself!’
‘Great. Can you let her know I’ll make sure the boys have dinner by then too. I really hope the rest of the inspection goes well for you all.’
After a bit of negotiation with Leo about bringing their part completed painting home to finish, the three of them headed off. They were two minutes away from the house when Nathan’s phone started to ring. It was Will.
‘Are you still at the school?’ His brother’s voice sounded strained and Nathan’s scalp prickled in response.
‘We’re just on our way back now. Did you get my text saying I had to speak to one of the inspectors?’ He felt guilty that his late arrival home with Leo might have made his brother or Heather worried, but he’d checked that the WhatsApp message he’d sent had been read before he’d gone into the meeting.
‘Yes, and I’m glad you got the chance to talk to them about how great the school is. It’s just…’ Will hesitated for a moment. ‘Are you on speaker phone?’
‘Yes, and I’ve Theo with me too. Rowan’s working late.’
