"Hi Noel," he said as he dug into a plate of bacon and eggs. "Are you ready for your eleven o'clock paper?"
"Damn," Noel moaned. "I thought it wasn't until tomorrow. Did they change the timetable?"
"Just kidding," Richard laughed. "You do look a bit under the weather." *
"Yeah," Noel grunted and poured himself a cup of coffee. He reckoned he'd drunk less than half the amount his colleague had consumed and here the man was eating bacon and eggs. My God! How could he do it?
ONCE NOEL BEGAN HIS lecture, enthusiasm soon overcame any nervousness as he gave a humorous account of his time at Kent Drive School. The audience responded to his slides with amazement at the lack of almost everything with the opening in the New Year and laughed when told about how Noel gained access to Kent Park.
Afterwards, it was lunchtime and Noel found himself surrounded by principals interested in his organization. Just before the afternoon workshops were about to begin, a grey-headed woman came up and introduced herself in a broad American accent.
"Noel," she said as she clasped his hand. "Andrea Kenley."
"Hello Doctor Kenley" Noel replied and remembered she was head of the American group of academics at the course. "I'm afraid I run my school from what I perceive as its needs are and not along the modern academic tends we've learnt about at this conference. I guess it all seems rather quaint to you."
"Not at all," the woman replied. "Back home, everything is done by the book, so to speak and ends up being stifled. My colleagues and myself are amazed at what you achieved in such a short time and with such a minimum of support staff and materials." She coughed slightly. "Forgive my pretentiousness. We must appear so brazen the way we throw money at a problem."
"Not at all." Noel replied. "Mind you, I wouldn't complain if a little more finance was thrown our way."
"We're leaving the country in the weekend," Doctor Kenley continued, "There was a rest day planned for Friday but a group of us would like to visit your school to see it in action."
Noel felt a surge of pride. Here was one of the elite in the education world wanting to see his school. "Of course," he replied.
Details were arranged with the group visiting growing to fifteen or more, including several New Zealand principals and one inspector from back in Otago. As soon as he was alone, Noel found a telephone and rang Kent Drive.
"Hi Sarah," he said. "Noel here."
"Hello Noel," she replied in a bright voice. "You're missed here. Just about everything that could happen has. To start there was..."
"Okay," Noel interrupted. "I'm sure George or Kate can deal with it. We're having visitors on Friday morning. Who's running this week's assembly."
"Kate," Sarah replied.
"Great. Can you patch me through to her?"
"Sure."
Noel heard the telephone ringing and a tiny voice came on. "Hello, this is the North Block of Kent Drive School. The teachers are busy now. Can I take a message?"
"This is Mr. Overworth, here," he replied and smiled. "Will you ask Mrs. Overworth to come to the phone."
"Sure, Mr. Overworth," the tiny voice replied and continued talking to a neighbour. "Get Mrs. Overworth quick, Wayne. This man reckons he's Mr. Overworth.... She's comin'," the voice said back to Noel and the line went dead.
Noel grinned and redialled the direct extension to North Block and Kate answered the phone. "It is you, Noel?" she said with an apprehensive tone. "What's wrong Sweetheart?"
"Nothing, my sweet," Noel said. "We're having visitors on Friday. You know those items the kids put on at assembly last week?"
"Sure!"
"Could you get the teachers to have a rehearsal and put them on again? I'm sure the children won't mind seeing it all again. We'll need to move assembly forward to eleven. "
"Why, who's coming?" Kate asked.
"Every big gun in the country and some from overseas."
"Okay," Kate replied. "Some of the backdrops were tossed away, though but we can improvise, I guess."
"Sure," Noel replied. "Sarah mentioned that everything happening. What was it all?"
"Not a lot." Kate sighed. "It's just that George can't make a decision. I really had to take over. Mind you, Sarah is pretty good at putting off moaning parents and Roger dealt with the flood..."
"The flood!"
"Don't ask," Kate responded. "When you get back we'll have everything ready. Bye."
Noel hung up and noticed Richard Green waiting a few steps away.
"Can I join your tour visitors on Friday, Noel?" he asked. "You know, I've never looked around your school since it was half built."
"Of course," Noel responded. "You'll be most welcome."
He noticed his older colleague smile a little and thought back to the last few days. Richard was so different from the miserable old guy he'd previously classified him as. Now, he saw a lonely man missing his wife and clasping on to the last few years of his career that really offered him no loyalty in return. He sighed and was determined he would not let the same thing happen to himself.
THE SCHOOL ASSEMBLY held in North Block that week was a complete contrast to the initial senior block one back in February.
When Noel arrived with the visitors and showed them to a circle of chairs, the juniors were already sitting cross-legged on the carpet singing a modern song while Wendy, the best pianist on the staff, played an old favourite tune the whole school had been taught. Meanwhile, the other two blocks filed in by home class blocks with the East syndicate sitting on their right and West Block to the left. When the older children sat on the carpet they also joined in the singing until the whole school was present and two little six year-old children stood behind the microphone that towered above their heads.
Kate grinned, rushed across to move the instrument down and waited while the last song was completed.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the tiny girl said. "We welcome you to Kent Drive School and hope you enjoy our assembly." She glanced across at Kate for approval and gave the equally small boy next to her a dig.
"To begin...." he said and froze until Kate's warm eyes encouraged him. He mumbled a little and rushed his words but the message he had got through.
The assembly had begun.
Wendy's choir sang a selection of songs, East Block did their dragon dance with a massive papier-mache dragon gyrating across the floor and, not to be outdone, West Block put on a series of skits that had everyone laughing.
Afterwards, Kate stood, welcomed the guests and gave out a series of notices about weekend sports, coming activities and so forth. "Oh, yes," she concluded. "I spoke to the five judges and, you know what?" she said and waited.
"No!" chorused the children.
"We couldn't find the best syndicated coming in today, you were all so quiet and sang beautifully."
"Awh," sighed a hundred children.
"Don't worry," Kate continued. "Instead of having five points for the best syndicate, we're going to give you all five points," she said. Everyone cheered as she walked over to a massive cardboard chart divided into three sections and coloured in five extra squares in each syndicate's section.
"My, what a wonderful welcome," Doctor Kenley said with her accent even interesting the older boys. "Mr. Overworth has show me around your school and I've seen the work you're doing from the little five year-olds through to you teenagers," She glanced at the older pupils, "You can all be so proud of your new school. I see your new lawns are almost ready to walk on and another building that Mr. Overworth told me was your new school library, is half built. Most of all, though, I love those huge paintings around the school. They're so bright and colourful..."
The American academic had a way of reaching the children and continued with little stories of her own and had the audience laughing at a couple of amusing incidents in her own teaching career. One made Noel think back to Ashleyvale and the swamp. He caught Wendy's eyes at the piano and she smiled warmly. Obviously, she was thinking of the same thing. His gaze moved
on to Kate and linked.
I love you, Noel, the eyes said while the tiny pout of her lips meant, and don't you forget it.
Noel flushed and glanced back at the speaker with that fuzzy, warm feeling inside. Moments like these made all the hard work of the last months seem well worthwhile.
CHAPTER 17
It was evening and the two youngest teachers at Kent Drive School were sitting sipping wine in a Takapuna bar. Too much had been consumed and they were both at the giggly, talkative stage, something that rarely happened to Wendy but the normally quiet Yvonne was showing a different side to her nature.
"...So that's my confession," Wendy declared.
"Are you crazy?" Yvonne snapped with eyes wide. "If you go within a bull's raw of Noel, Kate would scratch your eyes out. Grow up girl. He's too old for you anyway, even if he didn't have a wife and child."
"Alexia is not Kate's child," Wendy added with a pout. "Noel had another wife." She giggled and sipped another wine. "Well, actually it was a de facto set-up. He hasn't always been so strait laced, you know."
"How do you know all this?" Yvonne retorted.
"I was there. Noel was my teacher and what's more, he saved my life."
"You're kidding!"
"I'm not. It's a pity I wasn't sixteen then because I reckon Noel would have..." She flushed. "Well you know."
Yvonne stared at her friend. "You aren't kidding, are you?" she said slowly.
"Nope," Wendy boasted. "I'll tell you about how he rescued me..."
"And how did you get into the swamp?" Yvonne asked five minutes later.
"I jumped," Wendy confessed and her expression turned serious. She glanced up at Yvonne. "Well waded in, actually. The ball I chased was well within reach. In all these years I have never told that to a sole."
"So you faked your distress?"
"To start with," Wendy confessed. "There was a rock, I think it was, that I stood on. The trouble was I slipped off and was in real trouble. If I hadn't been pulled out I would have drowned, that I am sure. The trouble is, because of my foolishness I almost got Noel killed..."
"But you didn't," Yvonne's voice turned to sympathy. "God, Wendy what were you at the time, twelve or thirteen? " She reached across and grabbed her friend on the upper arms. "You had a crush on your teacher. We all do that at sometime or the other. We had a gym teacher at high school who had long hair and a body that was all muscles. I reckon half the girls in that fourth form class would have jumped in bed with him."
"But didn't," Wendy replied.
"No." Yvonne laughed. "I saw him a few years later and he was half bald with a pot tummy."
"Noel's not," Wendy whispered. "He's just the same but more muscular, if anything."
"Damn," Yvonne burst out. "Are you are virgin, or something?"
"No," the other young woman admitted. "I went to an all girls school then straight to Teachers' College. There I met Gerard and he was everything a girl would want, great personality, sense of humour and had , I found a few weeks after we began having sex, a large sexual appetite. " She grimaced. "Too big."
"How do you mean?"
Wendy coloured a little. "I found out that he was screwing other women at the same time. He went home to Central Otago every weekend and got a girl pregnant there. Thank God, it wasn't me. Anyhow, there was a quickie shotgun wedding and I was cast aside."
"Then?"
"Not a lot; three one night stands in as many months that all disgusted me."
"And now?"
"Nobody. I'm not interested in one night stands," She nodded across the bar at two guys staring openly at them. "Like those creeps. They don't even look you in the eyes but ogle at everything else. It makes me shiver. Aren't there any decent guys around?"
"Yes," Yvonne replied, "but not in this sort of place."
"There's none at work...."
"That's right, Wendy," Yvonne said. "Nobody! Noel is a nice guy but our boss. We're damn lucky to have him so don't blow it. Understand?"
"Yes." Wendy sighed. "It's funny. At times I think of him as a substitute father rather than a potential partner. He is too young to be one and too old for the other, I guess."
"What do you think of Kate?"
Wendy frowned. "Why are you bringing her into the conversation?"
"Do you like her?" the other teacher persisted.
"Yes. She's just great."
"Good," Yvonne replied. "Remember that, Wendy. Whenever you get the urge about her husband, think of how it would hurt her. Is a fling worth ruining their marriage?"
"No," Wendy admitted and glanced into her glass.
"So we need to find a guy for you, then," Yvonne concluded. "Why don't you come to the gym with me. There're plenty of unattached guys there. The secret is not to act keen. Be almost standoffish. It drives them wild."
"Not too wild," Wendy replied with a grin.
"And go on the pill," Yvonne cautioned. "Afterwards, just go with the flow without having to worry about any consequences."
"The voice of experience," Wendy chuckled and drained the last few drops of wine from the bottom of her glass.
"I wish I was," Yvonne replied with a shrug but would say no more.
WHEN WENDY CAME OUT of school that cold afternoon, she wrapped her raincoat around herself and walked to the bus depot. She had wanted to get some music charts made up so had turned down Yvonne's offer of a ride home an hour earlier.
"Hi there. Want a lift?"
Wendy swung around and smiled. It was Adrian, the guy she had meet at Yvonne's gym and had been dating for a month. He was older than herself, being close to Noel's age and ran a large car dealership in Takapuna. To Wendy, he was everything she could ask in a man, tall, muscular and very polite. When she was with him, she forgot about school and other small stresses in her life and it was only natural that their relationship developed.
Meeting her outside the school was unusual, though, as he'd never done this before. "I'd love one," she replied to his question and have Adrian a kiss on the cheek.
"Well, here you are, my lady," he said and held out his opened hand at a car parked at the kerb.
Wendy's eyes opened. The car was a brand new silver Jaguar, one of those massive vehicles that cost the equivalent to three years of an annual salary.
"Like my new car?"
"Is it yours?" Wendy stuttered and Adrian nodded, walked over and held the door open for her.
Wendy stepped into a different world. The seats were brown genuine leather. When she sat down they were so soft it felt as if she'd never stop sinking and the seat seemed to curl around her. Everything smelt of polish and leather while the console was surrounded by highly polished walnut wood. There appeared to be dials and levers everywhere.
"My God!" sighed Wendy. "It's massive."
Adrian climbed into the driver's seat and started the motor. There was an initial roar as he ostentatiously held the accelerator down a little then hardly a sound as the motor ticked over. He shifted the lever to 'Drive', turned on the radio and wipers and they were off down Kent Drive.
Wendy removed her raincoat, settled back and smiled. She was sure every pedestrian was staring enviously at her and readily agreed when Adrian suggested they go for a spin out in the country.
He headed to the motorway but turned north away from the harbour bridge and joined the bumper-to-bumper, homeward bound traffic. At the end of the motorway they headed around the harbour on Highway 14 and turned off to follow a small road that wound around the water.
It was now almost dark as Adrian swung into the last turning spot before the road became a metal track. In only a few moments they had driven from dense city traffic with frantic drivers trying to get home to a remote country road clinging between the harbour and bush. The man glanced sideways at Wendy with her black stockings, short skirt now well above her knees and white blouse under a blue cardigan. She smiled and found her body was reacting to his closeness.
He reached across, she slid over to him and they
kissed. The lump across the middle where a lift up storage area folded back to make a third mini-seat, though, hindered the pair as they attempted to move closer together.
"Let's go into the back," Adrian whispered.
Wendy nodded and kicked off her shoes as Adrian disappeared out his door. She removed her stockings, took the brief dash out the door into the rain and then back inside to the back seat. Immediately Adrian was grabbed and kissed her. The cardigan and blouse disappeared and he reached for the straps of her bra.
"Whoa!" she laughed. "There's no hurry."
She didn't however object when her bra disappeared. Her firm breasts felt all tingly and the normal recessed nibbles felt oversized and tight. They had full sex that left her gasping, somewhat sore but fulfilled.
AFTER THAT FIRST NIGHT they had sex regularly. Wendy was in a dream world and was sure she was in love. Adrian, though, never spoke a lot during their love making except to direct her on different positions.
And so it continued until the August school holidays. Though precautions had been taken, something wasn't right. Her period did not arrive and after ten days the nervous woman visited the doctor to have her suspicions confirmed that she was pregnant.
She drove home with her mind in a daze. It was a set back but not a disaster. They'd get married and, after maternity leave, she would continue teaching. However, that night when she told Adrian the news she discovered his dark side for the first time.
"That's just grand, isn't it?" he fumed. "Surely you could have realized!"
Wendy sat forward on the seat of the Jaguar and bit her lip. This was an unexpected set back. "Cut that out," she retorted. "It's as much your responsibility as mine. You could have worn condoms."
"Condoms. Hell, Wendy, I never used them. Anyhow, you told me you were on the pill."
"Well it's too late now," protested Wendy.
"Stupid bitch," he said quietly and glared at her. "What are you going to do about it."
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