Drop-off

I was feeling inexplicably blue this morning. Maybe it was the cold weather or the prospect of yet another trip to Asda after the morning drop-off, but definitely a little blue.

Having dropped m’boy off, The Youngest and I wandered into her little playground with her bumping into me as she does and me bopping her on the head with her water bottle. One of the mum’s wandered over pushing her current youngest in the pushchair and smiled. She doesn’t wear a mask – I don’t know if it’s because she’s a bad-ass or has an exemption, either way I’m not bothered because we’re out in the open – but that’s how I know she smiled.

In our brief exchange, she revealed that she was expecting her fourth child in eight weeks (her bump having gone completely unnoticed by me over the past few weeks) - in my defence I did say that I am not in the habit of staring nor commenting on women’s stomachs as no good has EVER come from that - and then she added the kicker that she was in the middle of a separating from a husband who wasn’t making it easy for her.

It was probably best that I had my mask on as it stopped my lower jaw from hitting the floor entirely. She smiled again and when I asked how she was doing, she responded with a beautifully calm and understated: “it’s quite hard, isn’t it? I’m 28, a single mum and soon to have four kids.”

Lower jaw bungeeing once more back into position and steadfastly resisting the urge to envelop her with a hug, I told her that it was tough, whilst trotting out the old cliché that it does get better over time and also, that she should trust my opinion as I’ve done it twice now. It was my turn to smile as she grinned and exclaimed “TWICE?!”

Exiting the school grounds and so free from the confines of my mask, I lifted my bobble hat to reveal my bald head and asked her simply: “Why do you think I look like this?!” 

She laughed as we went our separate ways, my blues evaporating in the heat of her fortitude.

Also, it snowed today and this was the only photo I took.