‘I’d like that,’ I replied enthusiastically. ‘Shall I call for you on the way to Bugsy’s later?’
‘Yes! Give me two barks when you’re outside and I’ll come right out. Sally’s always watching her soaps at six while she’s cooking, so she won’t miss me slipping out the back door, which she always opens to let the steam out.’
‘But how will you get back in?’ I asked. The last thing I wanted was for Peg to get stuck outside.
‘Oh, if she’s shut the door by then I’ll just bark outside and she’ll think I just nipped out into the garden somewhere. Our Sal doesn’t think too deeply about anything,’ Peg woofed.
Just then Sally let out a high-pitched tinkling laugh. The sound gave me a real fright. The last time I had heard anything like that was when the fire alarm went off by accident at the tails of the forgotten. I looked around and saw Sally was giggling at something Simon had said. Simon too was boasting a smile that reached the corners of his eyes and he had an air of jollity about him he never had at home.
‘I’m telling you, Sally, that Filofax is still up there on the roof of the science block,’ Simon insisted. ‘Last I heard, Mr Herring was still trying to find out whodunit, despite it being over twenty years ago.’
‘Well, the rotten sod deserved it.’ Sally grinned. ‘Herring was a horrible teacher. He was surgically attached to that Filofax, d’you remember?’ Sally shook her head at the memory. ‘He looked destroyed when someone nicked the thing and it ended up on the rooftop. D’you know who did it?’
Simon shook his head. ‘I heard the rumours. Someone told me it was Steven Michaelson, and someone else said it was Tasha Franks, but I never found out for sure. I just remember it being the only thing people ever talked about in the fourth year for months.’
‘I hid my tracks better than I thought then.’ Sally chuckled.
I turned to observe them both. Simon had a look of incredulousness on his face as he stopped and gripped Sally’s shoulder.
‘You’re not saying it was you, Sally Hopkins?’
Sally nodded, her lipsticked smile, giving her face a happy glow. ‘It’s true. I did it after he put me on detention for a week after I didn’t wear a school tie. I missed a date with Jamie Busby because of him! I was so tired of him having a go at us all, I snuck into his office one day, nicked the Filofax, and then flung it high in the air. I will confess even I was surprised when it ended up on the roof.’
Simon stood there open-mouthed, gazing at Sally in wonder. ‘I can’t believe it was you. You’re a dark horse, that’s for sure.’
‘That’s me all right,’ Sally replied, smirking, as she started walking with Peg by her side.
‘Finally, the mystery of Perivale Comp solved,’ Simon chuckled as we rounded the corner and reached Sally’s road. ‘I wasn’t expecting that today.’
‘And I wasn’t expecting to see you either. I had no idea you were back in London.’ Sally grinned as she stood outside her flat.
‘Yes, been back a few months now. Me and Gail have moved to the city so Jenny’s closer to the hospital,’ he explained.
Sally cocked her head in sympathy. ‘I heard your daughter had a heart problem. I hope it’s not as serious as it sounds.’
Simon raked his hands through his hair and grimaced. ‘It’s quite serious if I’m honest, Sal. Jenny has something known as dilated cardiomyopathy, it’s genetic and basically means that her heart is enlarged and can’t pump blood round her body properly. My dad died from heart problems and we think that’s how she may have got it.’
‘Goodness, Si, I’m sorry.’ Sally said. ‘Did you find out when she was born?’
I looked up at Simon and watched him shake his head. ‘No, she was fine for years. Then when she was about nine she started fainting, was always struggling to catch her breath and was always tired. We took her to the doctors,’ but it took ages for them to work out what was wrong. Eventually, X-rays told us the news and since then we’ve been in and out of hospital.’
Sally shook her head in horror. ‘Poor Jenny, and poor you and Gail. Can’t the doctors operate or something like that to fix it?’
‘If only it were that simple.’ Simon smiled sheepishly. ‘Sadly, Jenny’s tried almost all the tablets under the sun as well as a pacemaker, but she’s still having trouble, which is why we’ve moved up here so she can get to the hospital quickly. She’s back in soon for an overnight procedure, which means more tests. The hope is we can crack this problem with drugs once and for all. The last thing we want is for her to have a heart transplant, she’s only a little kid, I want her to live a normal life . . .’
As Simon trailed off, I saw Sally lightly pat his arm in sympathy. ‘I’m sorry, Simon. Let me know if there’s anything I can do.’
‘Thanks, Sal. Though, to be fair, you’ve done something incredible already by cheering me up. I haven’t laughed like that in ages,’ he laughed.
‘Any time. Me and Peg will look forward to seeing more of you and Percy in the park,’ she said, grinning.
‘We’re there every day, aren’t we, mate?’ he asked, looking down at me.
‘Every day,’ I confirmed with a swift bark.
‘And Gail usually takes Percy out in the evening. I’m sure she’d love to see you as well,’ Simon continued hurriedly.
Sally smiled as she glanced down at Peg. ‘I’d love to see her too. It’s all been far too long, but in the meantime, we had better be getting inside. Nice to see you again.’
‘And you, Sal.’ Simon smiled as he waved her goodbye. ‘See you soon.’
Simon turned and walked quickly away with me by his side. ‘Well, I never expected to bump into Sally Hopkins this morning, boy. She was the class looker when I was at school, but was never interested in me, even though I asked her out nearly every day.’
As we turned into Barksdale Way, I glanced into Simon’s eyes and was delighted to see he appeared a lot happier than he did when we left. Perhaps coming to the park was as good for him as it was for me.
*
The rest of the day passed quickly. After Gail had guided Jenny through maths, which she hated, and English, which she loved, the little girl passed out on the sofa with exhaustion and it was all I could do not to join her. But, as I watched Gail clear away Jenny’s textbooks, pens and pencils, I could see the worry etched across her face. As she went into the kitchen to make a cup of tea, I followed her and sat by the side of the table waiting for her to join me.
‘You must be a mind-reader, Perce.’ Gail grinned, as she pulled out a chair and sat down with a cup of tea. ‘I honestly don’t know where I’d be without you and a decent cuppa.’
After resting her mug on the table, Gail bent down, scooped me up in her arms and set me down on her lap. Nuzzling into her, I rubbed my head against hers and looked into her eyes. Gail seemed more tired than usual, if that were possible, but knowing she and Simon had rowed last night I wasn’t surprised. I reached my paw out and laid it on the back of her hand in comfort. Wordlessly, she stroked it and grinned.
‘Fancy a quick game of tennis balls in the garden?’ she asked.
Barking with enthusiasm, I jumped down from her lap onto the cool kitchen floor and scampered across to the big French doors. As we both went outside, Gail grabbed her coat and one of the balls from the grass, throwing it across the garden before she put her coat on.
‘Thing is, Percy,’ Gail said, as she picked up the ball I dropped on the ground in front of her, ‘I know I’m a bit like a bear with a sore head at the minute. But Jenny hasn’t had to stay overnight in