Gabi didn’t know I paid attention. In this way, a lot of things could appear to ‘slip by’ me . She didn’t need to ‘sneak’ around, because I wasn’t ‘on her case’.
This meant I was ahead of the field.
For example, cutting school, going to a dodgy party was a phone call to one of her mate’s mothers;
“Hi, Hetty, are you aware the girls planned to go to the Mall instead of school tomorrow?”
“Hey Luce! It’s me, Gabi’s mother. Do you know about that Party the girls are going to at that Disco?”
As Hetty and Luce were hovering Moms they missed a lot of action. Their daughters knew how to hide secrets. After all, if someone is looking at you, you can’t steal that chocolate, but if they are looking away, (in a mirror that is unseen) you feel you can.
I was that mother who appeared unaware, but I knew more of Gabi’s moves, ideas, and planned ‘adventures’ than any of the other Moms.
So there was Hetty and Luce, hovering, and me, the one looking away.
So Hetty and Luce took my information, called all the other mothers and the daughters got a talking to.
Tomorrow, the girls would be taken to school, walked in. The hall monitor would be told not to let their daughter through that door and that they’d be collecting them at three.
That on Friday all the girls would be grounded so they would miss that party at the Disco.
And the girls could blame Hetty or Luce’s daughters for spilling the beans. And Gabi would be in the house, annoyed but not at me. For after all, I didn’t know a thing.