In between various work requests and support calls from customers, I sat at work this morning watching the clock - watching for 11am to arrive; knowing it would mark the end of a little life in a vet’s surgery a few miles away.
I didn’t tell anybody at work until the time had passed. I worried about calling home - wondered if I should or not. Wondered if somebody would want to hear from me, or if they wanted to be left alone.
In the end I did call, and was surprised at the upbeat voice on the other end of the line. We didn’t talk much. I asked if it had gone okay. I got a despondent “yes”. I volunteered that I might be able to finish early and pick the children up from school.
Thus began the task of requesting an early finish, and telling various female friends at work about the fate of our little man - a trouble we had not shared with many. The surprise was perhaps that both male and female staff were taken aback. Our little man had become known to quite a few colleagues over the years - singling them out for claws and footprints on their smart clothes while en-route for a night out (or a night in with pizza and rubbish movies).
I made my way down to school, and took a wrong turn. I went the wrong way in the town I have lived in for the last ten years. I got lost in the same roads I walk every weekday morning with the girls.
Fate decided that I would be breaking the news to the girls. Little Miss 4 didn’t really understand.
“Where Mummy?”
“She’s staying at home because she’s very sad”
“Why is she sad?”
“Because you know Simpson was very poorly? He died.”
“He died already?
After a few minutes stood among the gaggle of Mums - many of which I know, and all of which totally ignored my presence (and W’s absence), Little Miss 6 came bursting from school. Little Miss 4 broke the news.
“Simpson has already Died!”
“Oh no!”
“We need to get nother cat! Cheer Mummy up!”
“Yeah! Dad - we are going to get two cats…. (pause for thought)… can we get three cats Dad?”
I say nothing. She starts skipping.
“Yay! We’re going to get three cats. We’re going to get three cats!”
“I said nothing of the sort little madam”
“Awwwwww”
She then feigned tears, before brightening up considerably on sight of one of her friends, and went racing off to play in the playground while we waited for the eldest to finish school.
Without exception, each child’s first remark upon leaving school was “I’m starving - have you got anything to eat?”. It’s nice on days like today to have some kind of consistency.