by Karen Osman
Just then, Chris came out of the shower, towel wrapped around his waist, dripping wet.
‘Like what you see?’ He grinned suggestively at her, doing a little shimmy towards the bed. It was impossible not to laugh.
‘Chris! You’re getting everything wet!’ She giggled as he came and jumped on the bed, wrapping her in a damp hug.
‘You’re gorgeous, you know that?’ he announced as he kissed her. ‘Even in the mornings.’ He winked. She swatted him away and watched him as he dried himself off and got dressed.
‘Mummy!’ The voice came from the room next door.
‘Jamie’s awake,’ she said, as she got up from the bed.
‘I’ll get him; you finish your coffee and have a shower,’ offered Chris, hurriedly pulling on his trousers. Claire sank back gratefully. Just a few more minutes and then she would get up and they would have a lovely morning in Manchester. She wondered if she could talk Joshua into joining them. It would be nice to spend some time with both of them. Plus, if Joshua came, she would get half an hour to look around the shops by herself while Joshua took Jamie to the arcades.
Maybe if she let him sleep in until nine, brought him some breakfast in bed, and promised him a look around the music shop – she knew he’d been eyeing a particular guitar that he was saving for. Well, with her new salary perhaps she could help out a little bit with that. Satisfied she had a plan, she gulped the last of her coffee and went to take a shower.
September 2017
5
Claire slipped the white cape jacket over her silk shirt and black pencil skirt and looked at herself approvingly in the full-length mirror. Her sleek blonde bob – or lob, as her hairdresser had called it – framed her face and emphasised her eyes. She’d taken the time with her make-up, applying eyeshadow and lipstick as opposed to her usual quick flick of mascara and lip balm. All her running had kept her toned and she briefly admired her long shapely legs in the unfamiliar high heels. She felt like a different person. She looked like somebody in control of her life.
‘Mummy!’
Well, not quite – there was still a little person at the centre of her world and she smiled as Jamie barged in to the bedroom, his rucksack too big for his little frame, but not his determination. His first day of school yesterday had gone well. She’d taken Lucy – who’d passed her nanny trial with flying colours – with her to pick Jamie up at half past three yesterday afternoon. Lucy had been with them for the last two weeks, getting to know the household routines in preparation for Claire to return to work. Lucy was efficient, easy-going, and the house sparkled. Claire’s only regret was not hiring someone sooner.
Jamie had bounded out of the school gates straight into his mother’s arms and as Claire buried her head in his shiny blonde hair, she’d had a moment’s doubt at the thought of all the school pick-ups she would miss.
‘Mummy!’ he’d practically shouted. ‘I made a robot!’
‘A robot? How wonderful! Where is it?’
‘Mrs Chiswick hung it on the wall in the classroom! She said it was the best robot she’d ever seen!’
‘Of course she did!’
Taking his hand, Claire gave his school bag to Lucy.
‘Say hello to Lucy,’ instructed Claire.
‘Hello, Lucy,’ he parroted automatically.
‘Hi, Jamie! How was your first day at school? Sounds like you had a good time!’ replied Lucy, warmly.
‘It was great. And I have a new friend – Luke. See? His mummy is over there.’
Claire looked over to see a beautifully dressed woman, holding her mobile phone in one hand and a school bag in the other, bending over a boy who she assumed was Luke. Just at that moment, the woman looked up and Claire gave a wave, keen to be friendly. The woman smiled and started walking towards them, her son tugging on her arm all the way.
‘Hello,’ greeted the woman, ‘you must be Jamie’s mum.’
‘Hello! Yes, Claire,’ she replied introducing herself, ‘and this is Lucy.’
‘Linda Alderton,’ the woman said smiling, ‘and you must be Jamie,’ she continued, kneeling to Jamie’s level. ‘I’ve heard lots about you from Luke!’
Claire watched as her son smiled at his new friend’s mum.
‘I made a robot!’ he announced again, pleased to be able to tell someone else.
Linda laughed and stood up. ‘So, I hear. And a little birdie told me they’re hung on the classroom wall!’
The two boys jumped around together, before breaking into a few robot moves.
‘Well, it’s lovely to meet you,’ said Linda, turning back towards Claire. ‘Perhaps we could arrange for the boys to get together after school? I work full-time, but I’ve taken today off…’
Claire felt a moment’s pleasure about meeting another working mum on the first day. Not that she doubted her decision but still… she’d learnt from Joshua’s time at primary school, the playground could be as harsh on the mothers as it was on the kids.
‘I’m going back to work full-time tomorrow as well,’ said Claire. ‘A playdate sounds great.’
Linda looked up. ‘You work? What do you do?’
‘I’m a solicitor.’
‘I’m in banking. Well, that’s a relief – I thought I was the only bad mother round here!’ Linda chuckled at her own joke, but Claire saw the thin layer of guilt beneath the beautiful clothes and expensively made-up face.
‘Not at all!’ Claire laughed, keen to put Linda at ease. ‘Take my number and we’ll arrange something for the boys. They seem to get on really well.’
Bored of their mothers’ conversation, Jamie and Luke, under Lucy’s watchful eye, had gone back inside the school gates and were inspecting something on the grass. Claire hoped it wasn’t a worm. Jamie had gone through a phase of being obsessed by them, even putting one in his bed and saying goodnight to it before Claire had found it and removed it.
‘They do, don’t they,’ replied Linda, following Claire’s gaze. ‘It’s reassuring to know he’s made a friend already.’
Claire nodded in agreement, searching in her bag for her mobile to exchange numbers, as they chatted.
‘Right, I’d best get off,’ announced Linda after a few minutes. ‘Luke!’
Luke looked up and started running, Jamie and Lucy following behind.
‘Nice meeting you, Claire, and I’ll drop you a message,’ called Linda.
‘You too! Take care.’
As Linda had walked away, Claire could see her scrolling on her phone, her small son walking silently beside her.
Hopefully today – the second day of school – would go just as well. Claire would drop Jamie to school each morning on the way to her office and Lucy would pick him up so Claire could work a full day. She hoped to be back for bath time and dinner but she needed the flexibility of a nanny just in case. Chris also said he would make more of an effort to be back in the evenings, especially if he knew she was going to be late – and he would do the odd drop-off in the morning.
As Jamie stood in front of her now, smart in his freshly-pressed uniform ironed by Lucy, Claire picked up her bag ready for her own first day.
*
‘Oooooh, someone looks smart!’ Julia, who had been briefing Elaine, their receptionist, when Claire had arrived, looked up admiringly as Claire walked in.
Claire did a mock curtsy.
‘Thanks! I thought I would treat myself to mark my return.’ Claire grinned.
‘Well, it looks great – I love that jacket,’ said Julia walking over to embrace her. ‘It’s great to have you back. I’m just about to get on a call, but I’ve left a case file in your office. Perhaps we can have a chat about it later,’ she added.
Curious, Claire looked at Julia questioningly as the two of them walked out of reception.
‘It’s on your desk – take a look,’ Julia instructed, giving Claire a last hug before going into her own office.
Claire went through to her own private office, oblivious to the stylish monoch
rome décor. The file had been placed in the middle of her desk, its contents bulging. Putting her bag on the small table she quickly sat down, her fingers rifling through the file. Domestic violence? Murder? Theft?
Rape.
The word jumped out at her, and Claire automatically recoiled. No wonder Julia had offered to have a chat with her – she rarely took such cases. Picking up the file, she went next door to Julia’s office. Popping her head in, she saw Julia was on the phone finishing a conversation, but Julia waved her hand, indicating for her to come in. Claire sat down on the pale blue sofa opposite Julia’s desk. A glass coffee table was beautifully decorated with fresh flowers, law periodicals, and a pitcher of water and glasses. Claire poured herself some water and sat back, the file on the sofa next to her.
‘Did you mean this to come to me?’ Claire asked, holding up the file, as soon as Julia had finished.
‘Yes, that’s the one,’ replied Julia. ‘Crown Prosecution Services said there wasn’t enough evidence to prosecute so the client decided to go private. Apparently, our firm was recommended, and the client asked for you specifically.’
‘They’d be better off with Alan or Greg,’ countered Claire.
‘I did suggest that,’ replied Julia, ‘but understandably she wanted a woman and I’m slammed at the moment. I’m sorry, Claire, I know it’s not ideal but do you think perhaps it might be time to—’
‘I’ll call her and explain,’ interrupted Claire, picking up the file and standing up. She’d started to leave but Julia spoke.
‘Claire,’ said Julia gently. ‘If she’s requested you, perhaps this might be a good opportunity to… you know, put the past behind you? Besides, it’s a good piece of business—’
‘I won’t lose us the business,’ replied Claire tersely ignoring the implication about her past. ‘I’ll just propose Chloe can take it on and Greg can assist.’
Julia nodded and let it go.
After walking back to her own office, Claire picked up the phone. The name on the file said Rose Aiker and she dialled the mobile number listed. It was answered immediately.
‘Hello?’
‘Hello, this is Claire Carmichael, from Stephens and Carmichael.’ Claire could hear loud music playing in the background. ‘Am I speaking with Rose Aiker?’
‘Yep, it is. I’ve been waiting for your call.’ Claire held the phone a few centimetres away from the receiver as Rose shouted down the phone, no doubt trying to hear herself above the music.
‘Well, that’s the reason I was calling,’ continued Claire.
‘What?’ shouted Rose. ‘Wait, let me turn this off.’
Suddenly the music stopped.
‘I said, that’s the reason I was calling,’ repeated Claire. ‘I would recommend you speak to one of my colleagues. We can of course arrange a female lawyer. Shall I get my assistant to make an appointment for you?’
Silence came down the line and for a minute, she wondered if Rose had hung up.
‘Are you licensed to try this case?’
‘Well, yes, of course, but—’
‘Then I would like an appointment to see you,’ replied Rose firmly.
Claire paused, Julia’s warning about not losing the client coming back to her. ‘Just give me a moment to check my diary.’
Perhaps during a meeting, Claire could be more persuasive. Confirming an appointment for the next day, Claire decided she would invite Chloe and Greg to the meeting as well. She would just have to explain that her colleagues had more experience in this particular field and Rose would have to see reason.
*
The rest of the day passed in a gratifying blur of meetings and phone calls. With the exception of a message from Lucy late afternoon and a call from Chris at lunchtime, she’d not had chance to think of her family, but as she sat with a cup of green tea reading over some documents, she wondered if she could leave in a few minutes and make it home in time for dinner.
She opened her laptop and scanned her diary. Her only appointment the following morning was Rose Aiker at eleven o’clock. She would go home and take Rose’s file with her to read after Jamie had gone to bed. Chris wouldn’t mind. He probably had his own work to do anyway and with no dinner to prepare or laundry to deal with, she would have plenty of time to review everything. Anyway, if she got her way, the case would be handed over to one of her team. Satisfied with her plan, Claire packed her bag and left the office, eager to see her sons.
6
Claire sat back, happy but exhausted in her chair at the office on Friday afternoon. One week done. She heaved a sigh of relief that nothing disastrous had gone wrong, either on the work or the home front. It had been the right decision. There had been a small part of her that had worried she would hate working full-time and missing out on seeing Jamie and Joshua in the afternoons and catching up with them about their day. And if she was honest, she did miss it, but it was a price worth paying in her opinion.
When she’d been working as a professional support lawyer, she’d ended up doing mainly predictable contract and administration work and her heart simply wasn’t in it. And even though it had only been three mornings a week, she’d always been rushing. Rushing to drop Jamie off at playgroup, rushing through her job, rushing to pick him up and then rushing to make dinner, not to mention feeding Joshua and all his friends.
Now, she knew she had the whole day, five days a week to dedicate to her career and with Lucy watching Jamie and checking in on Joshua in the afternoons and doing all the domestic side of things, she felt much more relaxed. Even Chris had agreed they should have hired extra help sooner. If anyone appreciated a spotless house and home-cooked meal, it was Chris. He was slightly old-fashioned that way. Claire blamed his mother – she’d done everything for him growing up. What was great about Lucy was that she did the job well, but she also did it happily. She’d brought good energy into the house, thought Claire one evening when she’d come in late from work.
‘Really?’ Lucy had laughed when Claire had commented on it. ‘Well, I suppose I’m just happy to be out of my own house! It’s bedlam there!’
With so many brothers and sisters, Claire could only imagine what it was like for Lucy, and she wondered how Lucy’s mum coped. It was challenging enough with two boys. The odds were stacked against you from the beginning as a working mum, not to mention the hormones, the guilt, the bitchiness of other women, the constant balancing act, and the blatant discrimination in most companies. Thank God, she and Julia had set up their own firm. She couldn’t imagine how she would have coped otherwise. It would have been difficult to get back into a role like this at another firm after five years off.
Claire looked around her office now with a quiet sense of satisfaction. These were the same offices in the leaflet that Julia had put under her nose when she had first proposed the idea over lunch all those years ago. When they’d first moved in, the place was barren – a semi-derelict cave that would need some work, reflected in its attractive asking price. But the location! Claire had to admit Julia had chosen well. Located in St. Peter’s Square, between Piccadilly and Deansgate, it had been a real find and it hadn’t taken long for Claire to visualise how the office would look.
The two women had spent their weekends tidying, painting and redecorating, roping in as many family and friends as they could to help. With the exception of two private offices, which they would keep for themselves, and the meeting rooms, they had designed an open-plan layout giving enough space for approximately twenty associates and paralegals. Both Julia and Claire had furnished their offices with the best desks they could afford, conscious that clients would be visiting and that first impressions were everything. But apart from those, it was IKEA all the way.
Claire smiled fondly to herself – despite the exhaustion and stress, they had been great days. Every new client had been celebrated with a glass of champagne and as their reputation grew, so did their company. Despite the mix of male and female solicitors, their client base was mainly made up o
f women. They had started off small, then recruited to widen into commercial, corporate, and criminal law. In the last couple of years, they’d seen an increase in private prosecutions as well. They were one of the few female-led law firms in Manchester and it had taken time and hard work to compete with the big boys; but within a few years, they were doing well, and their accountant was happy. Even so it was a never-ending task to keep new business coming in and Claire was very much aware that Julia did most of the networking and wining and dining needed to sign new clients.
Claire looked at the clock – almost five. If she left now she could get back home for six. She saw the pile of case files on her desk, most of which needed to be read by Monday afternoon, including the Rose Aiker file. Rose had cancelled her last appointment. Claire had been disappointed – she’d been looking forward to getting that case off her to-do list. Elaine had told her Rose had rescheduled the appointment for the following Monday. Looking at the pile of files again, Claire decided she would work for another hour and be home by six thirty at the latest.
*
Claire’s mobile phone rang, its sharp chirp startling her. She’d been engrossed in her reading. Picking it up, she saw it was almost seven.
Shit.
‘Hey, where are you?’ asked Chris.
‘I’ve just left the office,’ lied Claire, already shoving files into her bag, phone clamped between her shoulder and ear.
‘What? I thought you’d be almost home by now. I’m just calling to say I’ll be late.’
‘Really? Why?’
‘The Dubai account has gone pear-shaped and we need a plan by tomorrow.’
‘Tomorrow’s Saturday,’ challenged Claire, although she knew it was a complete waste of time.
‘Yep, but some companies in Dubai work on Saturday.’
