The Perfect Lie

by Karen Osman

  ‘You go ahead – I was planning on going out for a run,’ said Chris putting his laptop to one side and getting up from the chair.

  He walked into the hallway and she could hear him getting his trainers out from the shoe cabinet. Following him out of the living room, she watched him plug his earphones into his mobile.

  ‘Hope it helps,’ she said as he opened the front door.

  Chris didn’t reply, simply nodded, and as he shut the door behind him, she tried not to mind that he hadn’t bothered to ask her about her day.

  *

  The next morning, Claire woke up alone. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was almost eight. After telling Joshua to turn his music down and checking he’d done his homework, she’d done some more work herself before going to bed last night. Feeling slightly disorientated, she rose out of bed and grabbed her dressing gown. As she descended the stairs, she could hear Chris and the boys in the living room. She needed coffee.

  Going into the kitchen, she was dismayed to see the state of it. They had clearly been making pancakes, the creamy batter a trail of splodges on the worktop. The large mixing bowl had been left abandoned with just a small pond of mixture in the bottom. A bottle of syrup stood without its cap, the sides of the bottle smeared with its contents. A half-full carton of strawberries lay to one side while a frying pan sat on the cooker waiting to be cleaned.

  The dining table was no better and the sight of the mess made Claire want to turn around and head straight back upstairs. Instead, she went to the coffee machine, inserted a coffee pod and watched as the machine gurgled and spat, trying to ignore the din that came from the living room. Picking up the cup, she inhaled gratefully. After a few moments, she felt calmer and followed the noise.

  Walking into the living room, she saw Chris on all fours, Jamie straddling his back wearing a Superman cape. Joshua sat in the armchair with his phone, trying his best to not look interested, although Claire could tell he was desperate to get down on the floor with them as well. It was the way his eyes followed them, trying not to laugh as Chris made ridiculous neighing noises.

  Oh, but he was such a good dad!

  Chris could be a difficult man, but you couldn’t fault his parenting when he did get involved. She knew Joshua could easily be off with his own friends, doing his own thing, but Chris was so much fun and so energetic with them. The very fact that Joshua was not locked away in his bedroom on one of his devices or sleeping was a testament in itself.

  ‘Morning.’ Claire smiled, sitting down on the couch, placing her coffee cup on the coffee table in front of her.

  ‘Mummy! Daddy’s a horsey!’ shouted Jamie. On cue, Chris did one last buckaroo, sending Jamie into fits of laughter as he clung on to his father’s neck.

  ‘Superman! Come on! We have to save Mummy!’ Chris galloped – as best as he could with a five-year-old on his back – over to Claire and deposited a sliding Jamie onto her lap.

  ‘Mummy! I’ve come to save you!’ cried her son as Chris got to his feet and flopped down next to her.

  ‘Jamie, when did you get so big?’ said Chris, rubbing his own back.

  When indeed. The days were long, but the years were short.

  Her mother’s words came to her now and she held her youngest son as if he was a baby. She kissed him and released him, his limbs eager to be moving again.

  ‘Come on, Joshua – you’re the horsey now,’ demanded Jamie and in an instant Joshua was off the chair scooping Jamie up in his arms and flying him around.

  ‘Superman!’ cried Joshua and Jamie copied his brother’s cry, delighted. Joshua ran out with Jamie tucked under his arm, no doubt to their den where they could play video games.

  ‘Thanks for getting up with Jamie,’ said Claire now, once the room had gone quiet. ‘It was nice to have a little bit of lie-in.’

  ‘I miss them,’ said Chris, simply. ‘I thought I’d take them to the park this morning, being as the weather is so nice. Kick a football around.’

  ‘They’ll enjoy that.’

  Claire felt the luxury of a free morning stretched ahead of her.

  ‘You look tired. I hope you’re going to get a bit of rest rather than doing work,’ said Chris, looking at her pointedly. ‘I meant what I said last night – all these late nights – they’re starting to take a toll.’

  On you or me?

  ‘You’re right,’ said Claire instead hoping he would let the matter drop. ‘I might go back to bed for an hour.’

  ‘What’s keeping you so busy?’ asked Chris.

  ‘We just have a lot of cases on at the moment. And with Donald away, we’re also carrying his work as well.’ Donald was one of the senior partners but his wife had fallen ill unexpectedly. ‘I don’t know how long he’ll be off for. We’re hoping to get an update on Monday from him. It’s a tricky one – we don’t want to push him with Vera being so ill.’

  ‘No, of course not,’ replied Chris. ‘What cases are you working on?’

  ‘A big fraud case,’ answered Claire, feeling pleased he’d asked. ‘A couple of thefts as well but I’m also overseeing some of Donald’s work and then there’s the rape case…’

  ‘Rape?’ queried Chris.

  Claire immediately wanted to kick herself.

  ‘Yes, but I’m just helping out on that one – not leading it,’ replied Claire. ‘Anyway—’

  Chris looked at her, eyebrows raised in surprise.

  ‘Rape? Are you kidding, Claire? After everything you went through?’

  ‘I know, I know. I declined it at first but then Julia…’ She trailed off, immediately regretting bringing her into the conversation. While always polite to each other, Chris and Julia had never really hit it off as she’d hoped.

  ‘Julia what?’ asked Chris, eyes narrowing.

  ‘Nothing. Like I said, I’m just the face of it – nothing more than that. Chloe is handling it mainly and I’m just there to support,’ replied Claire firmly. She needed another cup of coffee.

  ‘Claire, are you sure that’s such a good idea?’

  ‘It’s fine. I’m fine,’ said Claire, getting up. ‘Now I’m going to tackle the kitchen and get some toast. Do you want anything?’

  Chris didn’t reply but she could feel his eyes boring into her back and knew she should never have mentioned the Rose Aiker case.

  9

  ‘Hi! Come in, come in,’ greeted Linda, opening the front door wide. Even though it was a weekend, Linda was again beautifully made-up. Luke came charging down the hallway.

  ‘Jaaaammiiiieeeee,’ he shouted, clearly thrilled to see his friend on a Sunday morning outside of school. Luke was wearing a pirate outfit, the eye patch skewed on his face. Linda smiled. ‘He’s been excited all morning.’

  Claire grinned as the two boys ran off. ‘I hope they don’t destroy your house! It’s beautiful by the way,’ she complimented, looking around.

  ‘Thank you! Yes, we’re very happy here. Don’t worry, the playroom’s in the back and there’s loads of toys – they’ll be happy for hours. Well, twenty minutes at least!’ Linda laughed.

  ‘Thanks for inviting us over,’ said Claire as she followed Linda into the kitchen.

  ‘It’s a pleasure. Ian works away a lot so it’s nice to have the company. I hope I haven’t interrupted any family time.’

  Claire thought of Chris at the dining table, hunched over his laptop and Joshua, still asleep when she left.

  ‘No, not at all,’ said Claire. ‘Oh, this looks lovely,’ she added catching sight of the dining table. ‘Croissants, fruit salad, pancakes… Where do you find the time?’

  ‘Well, weekdays are so busy – trust me – it’s literally a bowl of cereal shoved down Luke’s throat, so I do try and make a bit of an effort on the weekends,’ replied Linda.

  ‘Well, it looks great.’

  ‘Thanks – sit down and I’ll get you some coffee,’ said Linda, before walking through to what Claire guessed was the playroom.

  ‘Boys! Are you hungry?’ Li
nda’s question was answered by a thunder of footsteps as the boys ran into the kitchen. Claire hoped Jamie wasn’t going to be difficult about the food. He could be a fussy eater when he felt like it.

  ‘Jamie,’ coaxed Claire. ‘Come and look at this spread! There’s even pancakes!’

  Jamie peered cautiously over the table before tentatively raising a hand to touch the food. Claire knew it could go either way. He would either eat everything or refuse to even sit at the table.

  ‘Why don’t you come and sit next to me and then you can see everything?’ added Claire temptingly. She picked up a strawberry and popped it in her mouth, looking anywhere except at her son in order to give the impression that she really didn’t care either way whether he sat down or not. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jamie clamber up on to the chair and Claire silently congratulated herself.

  ‘Boys, would you like some orange juice?’ asked Linda.

  ‘Yes please, Mummy,’ replied Luke.

  ‘Jamie, would you like some juice as well?’ prodded Claire.

  ‘Yes, please,’ he said.

  Claire was impressed. She had been working on getting Jamie to say please and thank you since what seemed like forever.

  ‘Right then,’ said Linda, bringing the drinks, including Claire’s coffee, and sitting at the table. ‘I think we’re all set. Tuck in, everyone.’

  Everyone started eating, even Jamie, and after a few mouthfuls Claire could see why. The food was delicious.

  ‘So, how have your first few weeks back at work been?’ asked Linda.

  ‘It’s been great,’ said Claire, automatically. She paused. ‘For the most part anyway – you know how it is!’

  ‘I do indeed,’ replied Linda ruefully. ‘It’s exhausting sometimes, isn’t it, trying to be everything to everybody.’ Linda leant in conspiratorially, keeping her voice low so the boys couldn’t hear although they were so engrossed with their sword fight using their forks that Claire doubted they were paying any attention. ‘And you know what, I’m actually glad sometimes that Ian does work away so much.’

  Claire tried to keep her face expressionless and nodded noncommittally, but the surprise must have shown on her face.

  ‘Oh, not because I don’t love him, or anything like that,’ backtracked Linda. ‘Just because I’m so exhausted in the evenings, I don’t have anything left to give. It’s quite nice to just do what I want in the evenings.’

  Claire thought about the night before, Jamie refusing to go to bed, Joshua egging him on, and Chris’s eyes locked on the TV studiously ignoring them, forcing Claire to intervene. It had been almost ten o’clock when she managed to get a minute to herself.

  ‘I can only imagine. I barely have time for myself these days and when I do, I’m too shattered to do anything!’

  ‘Exactly,’ replied Linda. ‘And I only have one child! You have an older son as well, don’t you?’

  Claire nodded. She must have mentioned Joshua when they’d first met in the playground.

  ‘How old is he?’ asked Linda.

  ‘Seventeen. He’ll be taking his A-level exams next year.’

  ‘You do have a lot on. Is it stressful with the exams coming up?’

  ‘Oh, he’s fine,’ replied Claire. ‘Joshua is one of those kids who sort of sails through life, very easy-going, nothing is too much trouble.’

  Claire wondered if it sounded like she was boasting, so she quickly added, ‘Although we did have a rough few months with him last year. Plus, he sleeps all the time!’

  Linda laughed. ‘You know, I’m actually looking forward to Luke’s teenage years – I might be able to get a bit of a lie-in then!’

  Claire chuckled too, warming to her new friend. It was nice to meet someone who understood what it was like to be a full-time working mum and it was great that she lived so close – just a ten-minute walk away. Claire adored Julia – they’d been best friends since they’d met at JWTS; she was her one constant, but their lifestyles were very different. Julia was single, having gotten divorced a few years ago. It had been a difficult time for her friend but looking back, it had been the making of her. Perhaps the constraints of marriage just didn’t suit some people.

  Julia lived life to the full. She put so much of her energy into their business and was a massive part of its success – much more than Claire if she was being honest with herself. Julia also had an extensive social life and knew anyone and everyone in Manchester. She networked regularly, bringing in much of the business and was the face of the firm from a PR perspective. Claire knew she was lucky to have such a dynamic business partner and while she adored her family, she did feel the occasional blast of envy at Julia’s carefree lifestyle. She wondered if Julia felt the same envy when she came over to Claire’s house for a meal, especially during times like Christmas. Somehow, she didn’t think so.

  ‘So, what exactly do you do for the bank?’ asked Claire. The boys, bored of their sword fight, were starting to fidget.

  ‘Mummy, can I get down?’ interrupted Jamie.

  ‘Have you finished your breakfast?’

  ‘Yes.’

  Claire looked at his plate and was surprised to see it empty. ‘Well done for eating everything up! Can you say thank you to Linda for making you such a delicious breakfast?’

  ‘Thank you,’ replied Jamie automatically, already getting down from the chair.

  ‘Just a minute, Jamie, let’s wait for Luke to finish as well,’ replied Claire.

  Seeing Luke still chewing his food, she hoped Jamie would be patient. Turning back to Linda, she was relieved to see Jamie start helping himself to some more strawberries.

  ‘I’m VP for the investment banking division,’ replied Linda. ‘Our head office is in Manchester.’

  Claire felt slightly taken aback and then chided herself. She had automatically stereotyped Linda the morning they’d met at the school, thinking that she worked in the bank itself, perhaps as a cashier or a floor manager.

  ‘Wow, that sounds exciting – and stressful,’ replied Claire, impressed.

  ‘Mummy, can me and Jamie go and play?’ asked Luke.

  ‘Yes, just take your plate and put it in the sink and off you go,’ said his mother.

  Claire watched as Luke carried his own plate and put it in the kitchen. She was forever clearing up plates and cups from Joshua’s room and he was seventeen! Jamie jumped down from the chair as well and although he didn’t take his plate to the kitchen sink, he did take his cup and Claire gave him a wink of gratitude.

  ‘It is a bit stressful,’ replied Linda, watching the boys run off, ‘but I love it. I took a year off when Luke was born but apart from that I’ve always worked. I can’t imagine doing anything else – as much I love being a mum, I think I would struggle to do it full-time.’

  Linda paused, taking a sip of coffee. ‘You know that’s the first time I’ve ever admitted that out loud.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘That I wouldn’t like to be a full-time mother.’

  ‘It’s strange isn’t it, how we are supposed to be programmed to just love motherhood,’ acknowledged Claire. ‘Even though I only went back to work part-time after each of my sons was born, I still felt so judged, you know? Even by my own family!’

  What was she doing? She never talked about this stuff.

  Linda looked Claire straight in the eye. ‘Well, fuck ’em!’

  The expletive was such a shock coming out of Linda’s mouth that Claire began to laugh.

  ‘Fuck ’em all! You know what one mother said to me at the school gates the other day?’ said Linda. ‘She said, “Oh, Linda, how nice to see you! If you can spare a minute away from your mobile, I’d love a quick word.” What the…?!’

  ‘Let me guess – that was Tate’s mum. Tall, thin, always in her gym gear?’

  ‘Yep, that’s the one. Know her?’

  ‘Only in so far as she seems to be the queen of the school gates,’ said Claire. ‘I do my utmost to avoid her at drop-off. A quick “hi�
�� and I’m done.’

  ‘I should have guessed. She tried to rope me into helping out on the PTA. I told her I’d think about it.’ Linda rolled her eyes.

  ‘I’ve done quite a lot over the years, what with Joshua going to the same school and even after he left. But when Jamie started, I told myself no more.’

  ‘I don’t blame you – it’s the last thing I need, but I do feel I should do it especially as we’re quite new to the area.’

  ‘Oh really? Where were you before Castlefield?’

  ‘Well, we lived in central Manchester, but it wasn’t ideal with a small child. We had to make the move to the suburbs at some point!’

  ‘Do you like it?’

  ‘I do but sometimes I find it all a bit provincial. I miss the anonymity of the city. How about you?’

  ‘I’ve pretty much lived here all my life,’ said Claire. ‘I went to university in Manchester and Chris and I lived in the city for a while, but then we had kids, and you know, like you, we decided to move a bit further out and commute in.’

  ‘So, you must know everyone around here, then?’ asked Linda.

  ‘Most people,’ acknowledged Claire. ‘It’s a nice town although everyone does like to know everyone’s business.’

  I would know all about that.

  ‘Really? Like who?’ asked Linda, clearly curious.

  ‘Oh, you know, you’ll see them at the school gates. Sheena – have you met her yet? She’s Annabelle’s mum – be careful what you say to her because she loves a good gossip. And Tamara will always try and rope you into having her twins over to your house but never inviting your child – at one point, I was pretty much her permanent babysitter!’

  Linda laughed. ‘Thanks for the warning! To be honest, I haven’t had time to meet anyone. Luke’s nanny Lena picks him up and drops him off most days.’

  ‘Yes, I think I’ve seen her a few times – she looks nice.’

  ‘She’s brilliant,’ said Linda. ‘I honestly don’t know what I’d do without her during the week!’

  ‘Well, she can handle the school gate mums then!’ Claire laughed.

  ‘Yeah, Lena doesn’t take crap from anyone – especially Luke! I give her full credit for Luke’s behaviour and manners.’