Sat behind the steering wheel I watch her.
Inconspicuous amongst the chaos around me I'm afforded the luxury the secluded nature of the windscreen provides me to be able to cast my eye over her perfect slender body, squeezed this morning, a warm spring morning, into a pair of tight fitting pale blue jeans and a white shirt that's sheer enough to reveal a tight white vest underneath.
She genuinely has a happy, personable demeanour, a real social butterfly amongst all the other parents who have the time, and the inclination, to stop and talk at this time of a morning. Opinion of her is split; she is either loved or loathed.
Personally I don't honestly have much of an opinion of her, she is harmless. My mind more focussed in this moment on the time, I need to be away I've a little over an hour to handle a journey that should take an hour and fifteen at best. I'm hemmed in though. Caught up in the heavy traffic of the school run. A regular Thursday morning occurrence, the natural solution to this issue would be to handle my diary better on the only day of the week my Son stay with me overnight.
Indicating I eventually force a gap and pull my Silver Land Rover Discovery into the steady crawl of traffic on the grass verge lined single lane as I crawl along a little over five miles an hour. Concentrating on my driving and others cars around me I still keep my eye on her, Kim, Kimberley Brayburn.
Continuing to creep along the lane in the snake like procession of SUV's and Estate Cars I watch her step away from her conversation a fake laugh and smile gushes from her lips, a false exchange I had sensed throughout my casual observation, her disinterested body language even more painfully evident given that I can't hear what's being said.
As she steps away as she steps in my direction, I see her smile fade instantly on the previous exchange.
I keep watching her as she heads along the pavement towards me, looking left and right, her shoulder length dark brown hair catching the gentle breeze. As she approaches me, she makes eye contact with a furtive little side glance, a fresh smile creeps across her face, a far more sincere smile I consider, unless her painfully false personality now also sucks me in.
As she draws level to me and the traffic grinds to a halt yet again, I electronically drop my window.
"How are you?" I offer, not sure I genuinely care.
"Good thanks stranger and you?" Kim offers leaning forward to talk through the open window, her hands slipping down her thighs, she doesn't bend over quite enough to afford me a glimpse down the front of her loose white shirt I consider.
"Stranger?... I'm here every Thursday..." I offer the mock offence with my sarcasm barely restrained, "...you're just too busy gossiping to notice."
"Well..." she offers a little playfully, bashful even, as she sweeps her wind-swept hair off her face behind her left ear. "...there's always so much to discuss for such a small little community primary school."
"Yeah..." I shrug, "...I guess mine and Tara's divorce is very old hat by now."
"So last year Andy..." Kim offers with a soft chuckle, "...move on."
Behind me I hear the gentle beep from a beat up looking Red Renault hatchback, a gentle insistence inferred that I move forward into the minimal gap that's barely opening up ahead of me.
"Like from my divorce..." I offer with a grin, "... I better move on."
Kim chuckles once more, straightening before offering, "We should grab a Coffee sometime... have a proper catch up."
"Sure," I find myself offering without any genuine commitment.
"Great... see you soon" she offers equally uncommitted as she steps away, walking alongside of the Land Rover on the narrow pavement.
As she steps away, I can't help but glance back it wing mirror, noting the way the light blue denim jeans cling to her slender thighs and pert ass.
For all her bubbly, flirty sociable nature I know Kimberley Brayburn is married to the personality vacuum that is James Brayburn. I've known the couple since our Sons started at the same school a little over three years ago. Fifteen years her senior, a private Doctor by trade. The story of their coupling is hardly romantic, by my consideration, given she had been his secretary. James Brayburn though is known his affluence, for the level of wealth that isn't just spiteful 'school run' speculation. The latest in a line of Doctors he inherited the family practice years ago. His affluence creates his appeal, I'm probably being judgemental but I see no other reason he could land an attractive far younger girl like her.
He's more aloof than her. Kim thrives in the attention she deliberately seeks. A stay at home Mum these days. I genuinely have no idea what she does with her time between now and three pm, when with a change of clothes from her seemingly vast wardrobe she'll return to collect her son in amongst working the mothers circle of puerile gossip and tittle tattle.
As I drive away she slips from sight, her flirtatious nature is well known. Well received by the other Fathers I still cling to contact and conversation with. To them Kim represents an unobtainable fantasy, a prospect, a glimpse of a moment away from their mundanity. She revels on their goaded attention as much as they do hers.
Finally picking up pace, driving away from the school, despite knowing what I know I'm mindful to ensure the offer of a Coffee together is honoured.
**********
Slipping the black necktie from around my neck I roll the garment tightly, slipping it into the pocket of my fitted black suit trousers.
Thoroughly underwhelmed at what has transpired to ultimately be a waste of a Saturday night. I take a breather, the evening has been full on considering I only operate in a voluntary capacity.
There's a perfectly valid reason I usually avoid such mundane, uninspiring social events as tonight. A group of adults thrust together under the pretence of being friends, simply because their children all attend the same school together. It was the exact level of mundanity I've had to suffer tonight that had convinced me there was more to life than my marriage had been offering me. That and regularly fucking the incredible taught physique of, Natalie the twenty one year old intern who had spent a year working alongside of myself. A smirk passes my lips just at the memory the memory of the wild child I'd discovered who had ultimately cost me my faltering marriage and who I believed I could tame but in truth had barely kept a pace with.
Social events such as the end of year parents 'Dinner and Dance' were not personally missed, not least because the only valid adjective that could be applied was that they were shit. The annual highlight for some it would appear as a fundraiser to help boost the School's feeble budgets. Despite grinning and bearing tonight had been no exception.
There was only one reason I was here tonight, volunteering, giving up my time to act as a barman and now as a general dogs body clearing up a function room, all be it hired at no cost, in the bowels of St Aspens a country Hotel and Spa resort I had never visited until tonight.
Kimberley Brayburn had a lot to answer for. Taking the much needed breather as the vaulted ceiling function room empties of the last of its guests I watch her charm play out on another male, a tall dark haired twenty something who I don't know, or don't even care to know the name of despite having to all intents worked alongside of him all night.
