Disclaimer: Characters belong to Sally Wainwright ant the BBC - any other recognizable pop culture references belong to the proper owners too!
"He'll want to go on the ski trip!"
"Okay." Abandoning her book, Kate relaxed back into the armchair, prepared to enjoy whatever seemingly random panic had triggered Caroline's telephone call at twenty past ten.
"Skiing's not like rugby," Caroline dropped wearily into the couch, resisting the urge to put her feet up – she might never stand up again if she were to get that comfortable. Was it possible for someone to return from a five day rugby trip with more clothes than they'd left with? Evidently, returning with anything not caked in mud was an impossibility.
"No, it's not," agreed Kate cautiously, having absolutely no idea where this conversation was headed.
"But it's less muddy, which has to be a good thing right?"
"I think you're going to need to start at the beginning Caroline…" encouraged Kate gently, unable to keep up the pretence of following her girlfriend's comments anymore.
"Sorry."
"Don't be – Laurence enjoyed himself?"
"Yes – he played all the matches, wasn't teased because of me….sounds like he even made a couple of new friends, oh, and he sprained his wrist."
"His wrist? How?"
"The last match – something to do with a mauling ruck or something…" Caroline and rugby only had a passing acquaintance, "…apparently it's no more serious than a bad bruise – he's got to wear a bandage for a couple more days," explained Caroline, remembering the gist of the obligatory note the School Nurse had sent Laurence home with, a note which basically every boy on the rugby tour got for one bump or bruise or other. Fortunately, there hadn't been anything more serious to report to the Headmistress on the trip's return that lunchtime.
"You okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Caroline sounded genuinely perplexed by Kate's question.
"You are allowed to do the whole 'upset mother thing'," prompted Kate gently, reminding Caroline of the little speech she'd given the sports' teacher on the first night of the trip.
"Oh." Understanding Kate's point, Caroline tucked her feet up under her as she settled back into the couch, all earlier plans to resist getting comfortable abandoned as she considered her girlfriend's observation, "I think it's relief actually," decided Caroline finally.
"Relief that it wasn't more serious?" Kate knew that wasn't the reason but couldn't quite identify another reason she was confident enough to suggest over the telephone.
"Yes, well, no. I mean obviously, I'm his mother, I don't want him to get hurt at all…"
"Course not," murmured Kate, knowing Caroline would get to her point eventually, happy to picture her girlfriend curled up on the couch, probably fiddling with the edge of her jumper as she worked out what she wanted to say.
"It's just…he's so different to William…" Kate decided now wasn't the moment to list off all the ways she found the two brothers to be similar, "…not that I don't love William, love both of them…" Caroline was starting to sound a little bit panicked, prompting Kate to interrupt.
"Society establishes behavioural clichés."
"What?" Kate's sudden interjection served its intended purpose by stopping Caroline from starting to disappear into her own, half verbalised thoughts and instead pulled her back into more of a discussion with Kate.
"We're all brought up expecting to see behavioural clichés and stereotypes fulfilled," started Kate, pausing to see if Caroline was going to interrupt her or whether she needed a bigger hint: she needed a bigger hint. "The obvious ones are that girls will like boys and boys will like girls…"
"And boy's baby clothes are blue whilst girls' are pink?"
"Quite. Another one is that mothers should expect their sons to be physical and athletic rather than quiet and bookish," commented Kate, pleased Caroline was getting her point.
"As a teacher, I know that is ridiculous and regularly tell parents that gender has no greater bearing on personality than any other of the myriad of influencing factors." Caroline had definitely got Kate's point, at least professionally.
"But as a mother…" Kate wasn't sure how far to push the point, so waited for Caroline to make it for her.
"As a mother, I'd always wondered if it was somehow my fault…"
"You know it doesn't work like that," chided Kate gently, wishing she was able to provide physical comfort to Caroline by sitting next to her but also recognising they would probably not be having this conversation tonight if Kate had been at Caroline's, with Caroline often finding it easier to talk about such things if she couldn't see or be seen by Kate.
"Intellectually, I've always known, but emotionally? I forget sometimes," admitted Caroline quietly, causing Kate to smile.
"So we just need to remind forgetful emotional you that intellectual you is always right," teased Kate, trying not to remember a similar conversation she'd had months earlier with Celia – whilst it had had a happy outcome, the events that had lead up to it were painful memories still.
"Mmm." The noise from Caroline was indistinct, and Kate couldn't work out what Caroline was saying, unless…
"Did you just stick your tongue out at me?"
"Maybe?" laughed Caroline, genuinely relaxing now.
"Incredible!" joked Kate, pleased her words had been the right ones and that Caroline was calm again, and, more crucially, that she'd shared her uncertainty and doubt with Kate.
"He had so much fun Kate…"
"Good, I'm glad." They'd both been worried that the five nights away would have been too much for Laurence – not because of being away from home but because they both knew, from experience, that the teachers could only completely supervise behaviour some of the time and what was often acceptable and tolerable as a little bit of friendly banter for a few minutes one lunch time could rapidly turn into full on bullying away from the routine of the school day.
"He's going to want to go on the ski trip," repeated Caroline, their conversation coming full circle.
"Has he asked before?" The ski trip happened every February half term and was open to anyone in Years 8-10. Laurence was currently in Year 9.
"No… I don't think he really noticed it last year, certainly none of his friends had skied and this year…the forms didn't come out at a good time," said Caroline hollowly, recalling how horrible the start of the school year in September had been for all of them with John reacting so very badly to the start of the divorce proceedings.
"Has he mentioned it?" Kate deliberately tried to not them dwell in the past, however briefly.
"Not specifically, just very enthusiastic about sports trips generally and hoping he can be on next year's rugby trip."
"I'm sure he will be, he's evidently quite good," agreed Kate, recalling the various discussions she'd overheard in the staff room and what she'd seen and heard when they'd gone to watch some of his matches at the school – Laurence Elliot was definitely not on the rugby team because his mother was Headmistress.
"Which is why he'll go on the ski trip!"
"How do you know? Isn't it always oversubscribed?" Kate was struggling to work out exactly what was driving Caroline's worry.
"Yes, but he'll meet the criteria – he's not been before, is physically fit and active, no disciplinary record, average or better grades in the majority of his subjects;" Caroline's automatic recitation of the criteria the school used to shortlist the pupils was hardly a surprise considering she was the final Judge and Jury for any parent who couldn't accept the Sports Department's decision. "It wouldn't matter that he's never skied before."
"Ah." And suddenly, Kate understood the problem. "It's quite unusual for Year 10s to apply if they've never skied before, isn't it?"
"Yes, and usually they're disqualified for one reason or another, usually the disciplinary record."
"Only interested in the après-ski?" guessed Kate, probably able to name three or four such pupils if she really thought about it.
"Mischief makers," confirmed Caroline.
"Laurence isn't that though."
"No! But he might not be any good – rugby isn't skiing."
"It would be too easy…" agreed Kate, all too readily able to picture the generally amiable (especially when compared with the average teenage boy) Headmistress' son being picked on by the younger pupils who were all proficient skiers whilst he struggled in the ski school sessions.
"He might be a natural," reasoned Kate, an idea forming, though she had no idea how Caroline would react to it.
"He might be Bambi on ice!"
"So let's find out?"
"What?" Kate's perfectly calm suggestion had caused Caroline to sit up properly on her couch.
"Let's see if there's a last minute deal to a good resort and offer the boys a week skiing," suggested Kate adding, "we were talking about trying to get away for a week, altogether."
"I was thinking the Caribbean…"
"I know you were…"
"How?" Caroline was sure she hadn't begun dropping hints yet.
"You talked in your sleep on Saturday morning."
"Oh…oh!" Caroline blushed as she remembered that dream and how her mother had interrupted it – Celia still hadn't rung her yet.
"We could go skiing…" repeated Kate thoughtfully, allowing Caroline to get over her momentary embarrassment, "…that way, if Laurence hates it, he doesn't need to bother with the school trip and, if he likes it, he's not a total beginner."
"Is a week enough?"
"If it's done right," said Kate with a conviction that hinted at past experience.
"You can ski, can't you?"
"Only sport I mastered, other than running," admitted Kate, wondering how Caroline would react.
"Are you real?" That was not what Kate had expected.
"Think so… felt pretty real when I put most of 9T in detention this afternoon, and felt very real this morning when you were…" Kate couldn't finish her gentle teasing.
"Yes, well, what I meant was…" Now it was Caroline's turn to be interrupted.
"Caroline, I'm not superwoman – I read French and Italian Literature in French and Italian because I studied those languages and continue to use them in my job. I have one hobby, which is playing the piano and organ. I'm hopeless at all sports except skiing, which I'm only any good at because I spent part of a Gap Year being a Chalet Girl and had no choice but to learn, and I was only a Chalet Girl in the first place to improve my French and Italian."
"Sounds rather dull when you put it like that," agreed Caroline, accepting Kate's underlying point.
"This from a woman who knows how to make explosives and nerve gas!"
"I've a doctorate in Chemistry…" protested Caroline before conceding, "…which is exactly your point.
"Do you want to sleep on it?" suggested Kate, conscious tomorrow was going to be a long day for both of them, what with the school concert in the evening.
"I've never skied."
"Have you ever wanted to?"
"No."
"So don't ski – doubt William will want to ski if there's a log fire, books to read and his Mum for company." It was all too easy for Kate to picture the scene.
"That sounds lovely," agreed Caroline, unable to articulate how much she had missed her eldest son whilst he'd been at university: seeing him at the weekend had only made her realise how much, although it had been wonderful to see him, "you sure you don't mind?"
"Mind?"
"Mind going skiing – if he likes it you'll get no peace," said Caroline, remembering what Laurence had been like when, with Kate's help, he'd first discovered the Asterix books.
"Depends…" pondered Kate, regretfully realising she had to think about going to bed.
"Oh?"
"On how many massages you'll give me."
"I think I might like you going skiing…" muttered Caroline, suddenly getting some rather attractive images flashing through her mind.
"I'll have a look, see what's available?" asked Kate, trying to get their conversation back on track.
"I won't say anything," agreed Caroline, not wanting to get Laurence's hopes up.
"Okay then…" Kate wasn't entirely sure how to finish the conversation but Caroline's unexpected yawn solved the problem, "…bed, for both of us."
"I'm going to miss waking up with you," admitted Caroline, not caring if she sounded silly – spending the last five nights with Kate had been blissful.
"Me too," confirmed Kate, trying not to dwell on the significance of that statement – realistically and practically, they were still a long way off being able to think about changing living arrangements.
"I'm going to fall asleep here," confessed Caroline after she'd yawned a second time.
"We both have beds – time to use them," decided Kate, standing up.
"Night, love you…."
"Go to bed Caroline."
"Yes…yes…" Sleepily, Caroline stood up, "I'm standing up, I'm going to bed."
"Good…" Kate smiled as she pictured a sleepy Caroline starting to turn out the lights ready to retreat to her bedroom, "…I love you too, now, sleep well."
"And you, night." And, with a discipline that always surprised them, they both hung up the phone – after all, they'd both see each other in the morning, even if it wasn't really the same as waking up together.