The Boy and the Battleship

by Christopher Cummings

  “Hello Joany. No. I just had a problem with one of the Year 10 boys,” Graham replied. Even though she was years older Graham felt curiously at ease when talking to her. Then came an urgent rush of desire that quickly got him so aroused he physically squirmed and hoped nobody would notice.

  “Which Year 10?” Joany asked, seating herself beside him.

  “Edmonson,” Graham replied, looking anxiously around and hoping that Thelma was not around.

  “Why?”

  Graham told her, describing the incident in detail. Joany listened intently and then put her hand on Graham’s arm. “You will be all right. I don’t think he will do anything at school,” she said. She began to chatter about an incident with Miss Hackenmeyer, keeping her hand on his arm while she did. The upshot was Graham becoming even more aroused by her touch. He did not dare let on and nor was he game to stand up and walk away in case his condition was noticeable. So he sat there in pleasant arousal and secret embarrassment. It was a relief when the bell went to resume classes and she stood up and gave a cheery goodbye and left. He was able to relax and make his way to the classroom.

  One result of the lunch time meeting with Joany was that Graham found his thoughts straying from Thelma onto her. She is nice, he decided. And he had enjoyed being touched by her and appreciated her friendship. Maybe? he thought, hotly aware that Thelma was not responding.

  When the bell went for the end of classes Graham made his way outside to put his books in his bag. As he did he noted Thelma and Janet further along the veranda, both also packing their bags. At that moment Janet looked up and her eyes met his. A hostile look crossed her face and she said something to Thelma who glanced towards Graham. Then she quickly looked away but not before a look of annoyance had crossed her face. The two girls walked away in the opposite direction to the one Graham usually went.

  For a few seconds he contemplated following them and putting everything to the test by asking Thelma outright for a date. But then he found the prospect of trying to do so with Janet present too daunting. Feeling sad and despising himself as a coward he turned and made his way downstairs and out to the street.

  Head down as he walked along brooding Graham crossed the street and suddenly found his path blocked by three youths. He looked up and found himself staring into the hostile gaze of Edmonson.

  Edmonson shoved Graham hard in the chest and snarled: “You got me into a lot of trouble you sneaking rat! My dad gave me a good hiding when I got home and that was your fault.”

  “No it wasn’t. You were doing the wrong thing,” Graham replied, his heart hammering his ribs hard with anxiety and his mouth going dry from fear.

  “Wrong thing! What a moron! Anyway, you owe me and I’m gunna take it out of your hide,” Edmonson threatened. He raised his fists and stepped forward.

  Graham swallowed and gulped and then looked around for a way out. Edmonson was bigger and older and he had his two cronies Macnamara and Harvey with him. How can I escape? Graham thought.

  Chapter 5

  FEAR AND HOPE

  Even as these thoughts raced through Graham’s mind Edmonson swung a punch. Graham twisted away but not quickly enough. The blow took him on the left shoulder. He sprang back but behind him was a busy street and no escape until the traffic lights changed. All he could do was put up his own fists and try his best.

  Another punch also missed his head but struck his chest. Graham was able to deflect a third punch and thanked his lucky stars that his father had taught him how to box. Edmonson swore and jumped forward again. Again Graham danced clear and received only a glancing blow.

  Graham looked around but all he could see was a blur of cars and people on the other footpath. Maybe a teacher will save me? he hoped, knowing that teachers were on duty at the gate after school.

  But none intervened and the next punch caught Graham hard on the forehead. He reeled back and fell on his buttocks. That hurt as well as it was on the concrete guttering. Tears of pain and then of mortification sprang to his eyes and mocking laughter rang in his ears.

  Edmonson stepped forward and grabbed Graham’s sleeve as he tried to get up. “Grab him you blokes so I can really teach him a lesson,” he ordered.

  Graham tried to break free. In desperation he swung at Edmonson but the blow was swept aside and in return another punch took him in the face. Then Graham’s arm was seized by one of the jeering cronies. Edmonson’s sneering face filled Graham’s vision and then a punch drove into his stomach and he doubled up in pain. Before he could straighten up another took him in the side of the head, causing waves of dizziness.

  There was a screech of rubber and through his pain-misted eyes Graham noted that a bicycle had stopped right next to him. Shoes appeared and then he heard Stephen’s voice. “Let’s make it a fair fight,” he yelled.

  Graham looked up to see that Stephen was placing his glasses in his shirt pocket. He then put up his fists. Peter also appeared, his bike being flung onto the footpath. Edmonson let go of Graham and stepped back. So did his cronies. Stephen spoke firmly: “Let him go!”

  To Graham’s relief, Edmonson stepped back even further and lowered his fists. “He was just annoying us,” he snarled. “So we were teaching him a little lesson.”

  “Crap!” Stephen retorted. “It was just payback for yesterday. Show some guts why don’t you? Fight one-on-one, man-to-man.”

  “Mind your own business!” Edmonson replied, but he stepped back further as Peter ranged alongside Stephen.

  “It is our business,” Stephen answered. “He’s our mate.”

  “Huh! Poor choice of mate, picking a weakling and a dobber!” Edmonson blustered.

  “Oh yeah? So put ‘em up and we will see who is a weakling?” Stephen replied.

  Instead Edmonson turned and walked way, following his two cronies who had already retreated 20 paces. “You’ll keep Kirk!” he called. “You won’t always have your ugly mates around to protect you.”

  With that he and his cronies hurried away. Peter turned to Graham. “You OK mate?”

  “Yeah, just a bit bruised,” Graham replied. He straightened up with an effort and looked around. As he did his eyes met Thelma’s. She and Janet were both standing on the other side of the street and the look on her face sent a chill of distress through Graham. She saw that and she is laughing at me! he thought.

  That hurt. But then he noted the look of mocking malice on Janet’s face and he felt even worse. Sadly he shook his head and looked away. Turning to Stephen he said, “Thanks mate. You saved my bacon then.”

  Stephen took out his glasses and began polishing them. “They are just gutless bullies,” he replied casually. “They aren’t game to fight when the odds are even.”

  Peter helped steady Graham and picked up his bag. “You had better watch out for them Graham,” he said.

  “I will. Thanks.”

  “If they give you any grief you let us know,” Peter added.

  “Thanks,” Graham replied. He was very grateful to his friends and glowed inside because he had such good ones but at that moment he was feeling more battered emotionally than physically. Thelma doesn’t like me and Janet is an enemy, he thought. Tears of rejection and self-pity welled up and he sniffled and struggled to hide them.

  After thanking his friends again he quickly turned and hurried off homewards. Once there he went to his Ship Room and sat brooding, the misery welling up from time to time in bouts of depression and tears.

  What can I do? he wondered. And there was the gnawing anxiety about what might happen at school the next day.

  That night Graham lay awake for hours, his hopes and fears alternating. In a deliberate attempt to push concern about the bullies out of his mind he constructed fantasies about girls. To begin with these centred on Thelma. I am sure she will like me, he told himself. If only I can get her away from that Janet.

  But when he imagined heroic battles to rescue Thelma her face and body kept changing. To his annoyance he images of Cindy kept
slipping into the scenes. That made him feel disloyal to Thelma until he woke from a dream in which he had been doing things to a naked Margaret. That left him very aroused and very confused. When he tried to imagine Thelma again he felt guilty about Margaret.

  She’s just a little kid, he told himself. But that was no real help as he knew he wasn’t being honest with himself. The real issue, he admitted, was that Margaret was still in Primary School and he did not want to be teased by his mates. She is only a couple of years younger. In a few years time that will be quite normal, he thought.

  But he still tried to tell himself that it was Thelma he was in love with and he attempted to make her the focus of his thoughts. When I get to school I will ask her for a date, he told himself. Then niggling fear added the qualification that he would ask but only when she was alone.

  As luck would have it Thelma was almost the first person he met when he got to school the next day—and she was alone. Graham swallowed and forced a smile. “Hi Thelma! How are you?” he said.

  To his great relief Thelma gave a smile in return. “Ok thanks,” she said. But she did not stop walking and as Graham was going in the opposite direction he could not summon up the courage to speak. So he just kept walking, berating himself for being a fool and a coward. But at least she smiled and spoke to me, he thought.

  All through the morning lessons Graham admired her and imagined what he would say and then the romantic delights he hoped would follow. Determined to ask her during the first break he even worked hard in class and resisted Stephen’s attempts at mischief.

  When the lunch break came Graham did not go with his friends. On the excuse of going to the toilet he left Stephen and set off in the direction that Thelma had vanished in. To his frustration she was nowhere to be seen. Anxious to ask her while he had his courage up he hurried around the school looking for her.

  Only to almost walk into Edmonson and his cronies!

  They were walking towards him but were a whole building away. Graham spun on his heel and hurried back around the corner, not wanting them to see him too obviously flee. But fear was spurring him and as soon as he was out of sight he broke into a run.

  Not wanting to be bashed or sent to the office for fighting Graham bolted. He dashed along the length of one building and then around the far end and across to the other side. Here he halted and peeked around the corner, fearful that Edmonson or his mates might have run along that side of the building to cut him off.

  But they were nowhere in sight so Graham took the chance and dashed across the space to the next building and across the end of it. Again he halted and peeked around the corner. Then his heart leapt. Coming towards him, and on her own, was Thelma.

  Now! he told himself. Don’t be a coward. Ask her. So he casually strolled around the corner and smiled. Thelma saw him and gave him a smile in return.

  “Hi Thelma. I was hoping to meet you,” Graham said. Then he faltered as his courage seemed to ebb away. He licked his lips and knew his mouth had gone dry. He wiped sweaty palms on his shorts.

  “Oh? Why?” she replied, giving a quizzical smile.

  “Because I think you are really nice and I’d like to take you out,” Graham managed to force out. By the time he was finished speaking his heart was hammering.

  Thelma nodded but looked serious. “That’s nice. Thank you, but not right now,” she replied.

  Graham’s mind tried to grapple with the implications and he opened his mouth to reply. But before he could speak he was grabbed from behind and shoved hard against the brick wall.

  A voice snarled in his ear, “Leave Thelma alone turd face!”

  Graham’s heart leapt and he jerked in fright. For an instant he thought it was Edmonson but then another face came into focus and he felt another spasm of fear. It was Jerry Denham, the Year 12!

  Denham shoved him again. “Stay way from Thelma. Get out of here,” he growled.

  Graham stumbled past Thelma, burning with shame that she was watching his humiliation. But Denham had two other Year 12 boys with him and Graham did not dare stand up to them. But his pride was at stake too so he turned and mustered some courage and tried to look defiant, despite his insides quivering.

  “I’ll talk to who I like,” he managed to reply. Thelma looked at him and gave a smile but he could not decide if it was amusement, scorn or sympathy on her face.

  Denham took a step toward shim, his clenched fists on his hips. “Clear off you little Year 8 wart, or else!”

  It was on the tip of Graham’s tongue to point out that Thelma was only a Year 8 too but he managed to bite the words back. Tossing his head and attempting to regain some dignity he curled his lip and began walking away. Speaking of cradle snatchers! he thought, but wisely did not say.

  There were students sitting under the next building and Graham burned with embarrassment and hoped they hadn’t seen what had happened. To check he glanced at them—and his eyes met Joany’s. She grinned back and as he got closer she called, “I thought it was the Year 10s that were giving you trouble. Now I see you’ve graduated to annoying Year 12s! Are you tired of living?”

  Graham could only grin foolishly while he tried to think of something to say. Did she see me getting knocked back by Thelma? he wondered.

  Joany pushed her friend along and indicated that Graham should sit beside her. The other girls all smirked and he blushed but did so. Joany at once put her hand on his arm. “Well, what was that all about?” she asked.

  “Denham. He was one of the demonstrators at the wharf the other day,” Graham said, hoping to lead the conversation away from Thelma.

  “Oh was he? I wonder if he will be down there this afternoon?” Joany replied.

  “Why would he be down the wharf this afternoon?” Graham queried. He was very conscious of Joany’s nearness and her touch and that was causing his body to stir.

  Joany pressed against him with her shoulder. “Because there’s another warship coming in. British I think,” she answered.

  Graham was surprised and a little bit hurt. How does she know about a warship coming to Cairns? he wondered. His was the family with the maritime connections and he made an effort to know about such things but had heard nothing. Swallowing his dented pride he replied, “That should be interesting.”

  Joany nodded. “Mmmm! That’s what I thought. Let’s go and watch. It is due to berth at 4:00,” she said.

  That idea had instant appeal but then Graham remembered what his mother had said about telling her where he was going. For a moment he hesitated. But Joany was now holding his hand and he did not have the courage to admit to her he had to ask his mother. “OK,” he said.

  “See you at the bike racks after school then,” she said, squeezing his hand and sending little electric pulses of desire through him.

  But that gave him his out. “I will have to go home to get my bike,” he replied. At that moment the bell for classes went and Joany sighed and stood up, still holding of his hand. “Oh drat! I don’t want to go to Chemistry,” she said.

  “Who’s your teacher?” Graham asked, not wanting to stand as he was now quite aroused.

  “Miss McLeod,” Joany replied. “Come on naughty boy, get to class or you will be in trouble.” She gave an impish grin and hauled him to his feet. For a moment Graham thought she was going to kiss him and their bodies did touch but then she smiled and let go of his hand. “See you later,” she said. Then she was walking away and waving.

  Graham was quite overwhelmed. Then he remembered where he was and looked guiltily around. There was no sign of Thelma but several other girls were looking at him and doing some behind the hand whispering and giggling. They can see I’ve got a horn, he thought. Blushing furiously he turned and hurried off, willing the erect member to go down.

  All through the next lessons Graham sat in a sort of confused daze. He still thought he was in love with Thelma but understood that she had turned him down. Yet there was Joany, being very friendly and without any effort on his part
! Maybe I should ask Joany out? he mused. She would be good fun; and I wouldn’t be disloyal to Thelma as she has turned me down.

  Reasoning thus and now filled with hopes of romantic adventures Graham endured the rest of the day. As soon as the last bell went he hurried from the room and placed his books in his bag.

  Stephen came and stood beside him. “What’s the rush?” he queried. That gave Graham and spurt of conscience. Steve and Pete don’t know about the British warship, he thought. They might be interested. “I am going to the wharf to see a British warship come in,” he said.

  Stephen pushed his glasses up his nose and raised his eyebrows. “What ship? When?” he asked.

  “Don’t know its name. It is due at 4:00 I was told,” Graham answered. He did not want to disclose that it was Joany who had told him and who he was going with. I don’t want my mates teasing me, he thought.

  “Good idea. Let’s find Pete and go,” Stephen said.

  As he said this Graham looked past him and saw Thelma and Janet. Janet had been bending down to pack her school bag but now she looked up and their eyes met. A frown crossed her face and she bent down and began whispering to Thelma.

  I hope Janet didn’t hear me, Graham thought. To put Stephen off he nodded and muttered, “Yes, but I have to go home and get my bike.” To get away from Janet he turned and began walking towards the bike racks.

  Stephen followed and began chattering about how they rarely got warning of warships coming anymore, “It is so that terrorists don’t have time to plan attacks on them,” he explained.

  Downstairs they hurried to the bike racks and as they got closer Graham scanned for Joany. Stephen pointed. “There’s Pete. Let’s ask him,” he said.

  Graham looked and saw Peter unlocking his bike nearby. Then he saw Joany and got all flustered. “I have to go and get my bike. I’ll meet you at the wharf,” he hastened to say. Then he hurried over to Joany.