Wanting to be as involved as possible, Josh arranged to finish work early again on the day of Samantha’s interview and inspection towards the end of the week. On the day in question, he parked outside the school and went to take his place among the other parents, wondering how they might react to him after the revelation of his family’s Christmas plans last time he had picked Samantha up. There were the usual polite smiles, the curious looks at the less familiar face, but this time he was sure that there was also some whispering and a few giggles. What he did not sense from any of the other parents, however, was any judgement or condemnation.

When Samantha emerged from the school this time she was accompanied by another girl, a slim brunette, slightly taller than she was, with long, straight hair, long legs a very neat appearance that gave the impression of being well-mannered.

“Hi Daddy!” Samantha hugged him tightly but without the eyebrow-raising level of affection she had displayed the first time. “This is Amelia.” She introduced her friend who gave a polite, slightly shy little wave. “She lives near the butcher’s shop, do you think we can drop her home on our way there?”

“Well sure,” Josh replied a little tentatively, “if her parents don’t mind? But remember you have your interview first? It’s going to be at least an hour before we’re in that area?”

“Oh that’s okay!” Amelia assured him with a smile. “I don’t mind waiting with you while Sam has her interview. I have to get two different busses to get home and there’s usually a long wait in between and takes me more than an hour to get home anyway, and that’s on a good day!” She smiled again. “So I’d much rather come with you and have some company. If that’s okay, of course?” Josh couldn’t help liking this sweet and polite young girl and wondered if she was on Samantha’s guest-list for Christmas.

“Of course.” He smiled. “Happy to help! The car’s this way.” The girls chatted and giggled as they followed him and soon they were on their way to the rather forbidding council building where Samantha’s interview was to take place.

“Amelia’s parents said she cane come to our party!” Samantha told him brightly as they drove through the town, confirming his suspicion.

“Oh that’s great!” Josh grinned at the girls in the rear-view mirror. “They don’t mind doing without you on Christmas Day?”

“Oh no!” she smiled. “They said it actually worked out pretty well as my older sister’s just had a baby and they wanted to go visit her but she lives a long way away and I get car-sick on long journeys. Oh, don’t worry!” She reassured him quickly, seeing the concern on his face. “Short ones like this are fine! It’s just if I have to spend hours on the motorway.”

“I see.” Josh nodded. “Well we’ll be happy to have you!”

“We were thinking maybe she could come early?” Samantha explained. “Help get things ready, since she’s going to be on her own anyway?”

“Yes, that would be smart.” Josh agreed. “Easier to pick you up on our way there in the morning too, rather than one of us having to pop out to get you or trying to arrange a lift for you from someone else.”

“My parents could drop me at your house when they head out”? Amelia suggested helpfully. “That way you wouldn’t have to go out of your way to get me?”

“Well I’d want to have a little chat with them first,” Josh explained, remembering the parental etiquette for such situations, “but I’m sure that will be fine and it definitely makes sense! Right!” He grinned as they pulled into the car park. “Here were are, with nearly fifteen minutes to spare too!” The girls waited with the car while he went to find a machine to pay for the parking, finding that it was the annoying type that made you pay up front, meaning you had to guess how long you were going to need to be there. Given that the interview was scheduled for about quarter of an hour’s time but knowing how these appointments tended to run later, particularly the later in the day they were scheduled, and having told that it should take between twenty and thirty minutes, Josh opted to buy a ninety minute ticket. The extra cost was worth not having to stress about their ticket running out, he reasoned, and if there was a lot left on it when they were done, he could always leave it for someone else. “Okay, now the car’s nice and legal,” he stuck the ticket on the inside of his windscreen, “let’s go get you signed off too!” Samantha giggled and once again both girls followed him as he led the way into the building, through the rather heavy sliding glass doors that led to Reception.

“Hi.” Josh smiled at the rather dour-looking lady who sat at the amusingly-labelled “Welcome Desk” behind a quarter inch of safety glass, looking as unwelcoming as it was possible to without resorting to outright hostility. “We’ve got an appointment with the DHLW at three fifty?” The woman did not return his smile but did at least acknowledge him by turning to her computer and bringing up the list of appointments for the day.

“Name?” she asked officiously.

“Um…” Josh managed to stop himself from asking whether she wanted his name or Samantha’s, working out for himself that she would want the name the booking was made under and feeling grateful that he had worked this out in time to save himself her no-doubt scathing explanation. “Martin,” he replied, “Samantha.” The woman leaned forward and read the names on the screen, looking almost disappointed to find that there really was an appointment under that name at the time he has said.

“Are you the parent or legal guardian?” she asked. Josh confirmed that he was her father. “Fill this out.” She took a form from a drawer in her desk and fixed it to a clipboard that had a pen attached with a piece of string. The DHLW is on the third floor. You’ll find the waiting room at the end of the corridor.”

“Thanks.” Josh attempted another smile. “And do I bring this back to you when I’m done or…?”

“You hand it to the official who conducts the interview.” The woman told him, witheringly, as if this was far and away the stupidest question she had ever been asked in her entire career. “Is there anything else?”

“No, no…” Josh found himself backing away nervously. “We’ll just head up to… actually,” he asked daringly, “is there a lift?”

“It’s out of service.” the woman informed him tersely.

“Okay, stairs it is, then!” Josh gave one last smile which was no more reciprocated than the others. “Ladies, let’s head upstairs!”

“I thought you’d never ask!” Samantha grinned cheekily, making her friend giggle and her dad blush. “Think you can handle two of us at once?”

“Now come on,” he shook his head to express disapproval without being quite able to hide his amusement. “Behave or I’ll write on this form that you’re a chain-smoking junk-food addict who we plan on eating because you never get your homework handed in on time!”

“Touche!” Samantha giggled and the three of them headed up the wooden staircase to the third floor. While all three considered themselves fairly fit and healthy, they were all a little out of puff when they reached the right floor and were relieved to see a door not too far away marked “DHLW Waiting Area”.

“What does that stand for anyway?” Amelia asked with curiosity as Samantha pushed open the wooden door which led to a fairly typical waiting room with two rows of chairs that looked comfortable enough but would never be described by anyone as cosy, magnolia-coloured walls, a few potted plants that had seen better days and the usual selection of magazines and comics that were at least six months out of date. At the far end of the room was another door that had a large glass panel in the middle through which they could see another corridor with a number of doors leading off it, presumably to offices.

“Department of Human Livestock Welfare.” Samantha explained to her friend, feeling a little shiver of excitement at the idea that this brutally functional term applied to her. “So I guess we just make ourselves comfortable here and wait for someone to come get me?”

To be continued...