‘Oh, he would have loved to see you grow up – Princess Belle, he’d have called you. After your mother, it would have been nice for him to have a little girl to play with.’ The two of them laughed together.
‘Do you two never get tired of this conversation?’ Rory helped herself to gravy. She didn’t mind. It was nice to imagine what her dad would have made of Belle. ‘How are your friends downstairs?’
‘They’re fine. I’ve visited a couple of times and Olive is great company. We reminisce about the old days. Children’s programmes, sweets we ate, songs we danced to. I’ve suggested we make it a regular thing on Tuesday afternoons. George can have some time to himself and Olive and I can watch a bit of daytime television together. He thinks we watch home makeover shows, but I’ve discovered that Olive likes a bit of Jeremy Kyle. She doesn’t have a clue what a DNA test is, but she likes to giggle at the “funny people”.’
‘Her Alzheimer’s isn’t that bad, then?’
Sheila sat back in her chair. ‘It’s hard to explain. It sort of comes and goes. Today, she asked me who “that man” was, and it took me a while to work out that she meant George.’
‘Ouch.’
Sheila nodded. ‘I met their daughter today, too. She popped in while I was there. Olive was a bit confused about who she was but Karen, the daughter, gave her a big kiss and a hug and, I don’t mind admitting, her tenderness with her mother brought a tear to my eye.’
‘Oh, Gran.’ Belle leaned over and gave Sheila a kiss.
‘Thanks Belle, sweetheart. I hope you’ll look after your old gran if my marbles start to go. I’m not sure what your mother would do with me.’
Rory winked. ‘I’ll find you an old people’s place with a nice view and good-looking male carers.’
Sheila shook her head. ‘Karen wants me to encourage George to go to some of our social events. She’s offered to sit with her mum, but he feels guilty leaving her. I thought I’d get Sid to ask him.’
‘That’s a good idea, Gran.’
‘Well, I thought so. But when George got back, she only went and told him that we’d talked about it! I don’t know what it is with you all nowadays, thinking you have to be honest about everything. It’s not healthy to know the inner workings of each other’s minds. Much better to put it in such a way that they end up thinking it’s their idea. When Karen went to the toilet, George asked me if my daughter tried to tell me what to do, too.’
‘I hope you told him that your daughter is wonderful.’ Rory helped herself to another potato.
‘Of course, I did. But there’s something to be said for spending time with your own generation. That’s why I can’t understand those silly men who want to date a girl half their age. What do you think they talk about?’
‘I don’t think they plan on doing much talking, Granny.’ Belle raised an eyebrow at Rory.
Rory laughed. ‘That’s enough from you, young lady. Although, I think she’s right, Mum.’
Sheila wrinkled her nose in disgust. ‘I’m surprised they have the energy. How’s your friend Susie getting on?
‘Actually, she has a date tonight. She says he seems to be normal which, according to Susie, is a small miracle in itself.’ Susie’s actual words had been: ‘He’s not a bloody freak for once!’
‘And has he got a friend for you?’ Sheila never missed an opportunity.
Rory sighed. Remember that you love her. ‘It’s not a “buy one, get one free” situation, Mother.’
‘Well, it wouldn’t hurt for you to get yourself out there,’ Sheila pressed.
Rory put down her fork. ‘Get myself out there? Get myself out there? When did you start talking like a character from an American sitcom?’
Belle did a rapper pose. ‘Granny, you’re so street.’
Sheila tucked her hair behind her ear. ‘I got it from Barb. I can’t help it if I’m more modern than my own daughter.’
‘Well, Mum,’ Rory raised her wine glass. ‘When you get yourself “out there”, I’ll be right behind you.’
‘Well, maybe you’ve just given me the incentive I need.’
* * *
Sadly, Susie’s hopefulness about the man she’d met at the bar was short-lived. Rory had just got into bed and picked up a book when the phone rang.
The first thing Rory heard was a snuffling and a munching. ‘He’s married.’
‘What? Oh no. What an arsehole. How did you find out?’
‘One of his wife’s friends came into the restaurant and he nearly gave himself a hernia trying to hide under the menu. After that, it didn’t take much working out.’
That’s why he’d called out of the blue on a weekday. It wouldn’t be so easy to call women at the weekends when he was at home with his wife. Sleazebag. ‘How awful for you.’
‘I felt a complete idiot. There I was, prattling on about cities I’d like to visit, and he was trying to shush me and contorting his body like a cast member from Cirque de Soleil, trying to avoid being seen.’ There was the crinkle of chocolate wrappers at the other end of the line.
‘I hope you gave him what for. How dare he do that to you?’
The sound of a Pringles tube popping open. ‘I ordered the most expensive dessert on the menu then left immediately after it was served so that he ended up with the bill. I hadn’t even eaten much of the dinner because I was trying to be one of those delicate women who only manage a couple of forkfuls. Now I wish I’d eaten the lot. And his plate as well. He didn’t eat anything after he’d spotted his wife’s friend.’
‘Well, it’s his loss. I hope the wife’s friend tells her and he gets found out.’
Susie gave a huge sigh. ‘I knew he seemed too normal to still be single at his age. They’ve usually got some flaw that’s left them on the shelf. Back to the bloody drawing board.’
‘Maybe you should give yourself a bit of a break. Just let up on the husband-finding for a while. Don’t they say, sometimes it’s when you least expect it that you meet someone? If you just live your life and enjoy it, you never know what might happen.’ Rory’s heart thumped as she spoke. Was that what was happening to her, with John?
Susie coughed on either a Pringle or a lump of chocolate. ‘I know exactly what will happen. I’ll be found in forty years’ time having been half-eaten by my large collection of cats. No, it’s onwards and upwards for me. I’ve been on the Internet researching good locations for single men. I’m going to get scientific.’
There was no point in trying to persuade Susie otherwise. Rory also knew what was coming next.
‘And you’re coming with me. No arguments.’
Chapter Sixteen
‘Hello, Rory. How nice to see you, come in.’
The headteacher’s office was a museum piece, entitled Teaching Circa 1950. Dark varnished chairs sat around a large heavy desk with a green leather inlay. The walls were lined with hardback books and the carpet had a well-trodden shiny path towards the desk.
The 1950s theme continued as Derek’s secretary appeared with two cups of tea on saucers. Derek leaned forward and took his cup. He was a kind and fair man, but Rory still felt a twinge of apprehension walking into the head’s office. It must have been a deep-rooted sensory memory from her own teenage years, when she had spent a considerable amount of time standing outside the head’s office.
‘Thanks for seeing me.’
‘Not at all. Not at all. I’m sorry that you had to make an appointment. It’s not like the old days when you could just pop in, eh?’ Rory didn’t like to remind him that the ‘old days’ were only last term. ‘Now, what can I do for you?’
Rory hesitated. It didn’t sit naturally with her to make a complaint about a member of staff. There were enough people willing to attack teachers – pupils, parents, the national press – without them turning on each other. Then she pictured Penny’s innocent face and ploughed straight in. ‘I am unhappy with a member of staff. It’s Nathan Finch.’
Derek’s face clouded. ‘I’m sorry to hear
that. What is it you are unhappy with, exactly?’
Where should she start? ‘It’s the way he’s treating people. Dropping into classrooms without even knocking. Harassing people if they haven’t used the correct colour pens. Obsessing over data entry and deadlines. It’s putting everyone on edge and it’s unnecessary.’
Derek sat back in his chair and pressed the tips of his fingers together. ‘I’m sure it all seems a bit awkward initially. But this is a transition period. I’m afraid we’ve been a bit stuck in the dark ages, it seems. Nathan’s ideas are very modern and it will take us time to get used to them.’
‘We don’t want to get used to them.’ Rory was warming up to her topic. ‘And he doesn’t even seem to care about the children. Their progress data is more important than whether they are actually happy and doing the best they can. They don’t like him, either.’
Derek nodded slowly. ‘Being liked isn’t always possible in our profession, is it? The students here don’t like change. They’ll get used to him. You’ve been here so long, you’ve probably forgotten what it’s like to be a new arrival.’
This was not going well. How could Rory make him understand? ‘That’s the point. We have all been here a long time. That’s what is great about St Anthony’s. We know what works with these kids. Take Penny, for example. She’s a great teacher and she gets great results. But Nathan is making her life a misery. I know she’s been to see you but she’s too nice to tell you how bad it’s been.’ This was Rory’s trump card. Everyone liked Penny. Even the cleaners bought her a Christmas card.
Derek looked sad, but he just continued to nod. ‘We need to move with the times, Rory. All of us. I know it’s difficult, but it’s like this everywhere now.’ He picked up his teacup again. ‘I didn’t realise it was that bad for Penny, though. I’ll see what I can do. Ask Nathan to go gently.’
As she left his office, Rory bumped straight into Nathan. ‘Hello, Ms Wilson. I see you’ve been in to see Mr Brown.’
Rory felt butterflies in the pit of her stomach. Guilt? Nerves? Panic? ‘Yes. He’s free now if you want him.’
‘Actually, it’s you I was looking for. Would you come into my office?’
* * *
The deputy’s office had previously been on the floor above, but Nathan had taken over the finance office, next to the head, and moved its occupants upstairs. The three finance ladies were now crammed into a shoebox whilst Nathan was able to swan around his executive suite.
‘Take a seat.’ He indicated a pair of black leather armchairs beside a coffee table. There was a modern coffee machine next to them: no Royal Doulton for Nathan Finch. ‘I’d offer you a drink, but I assume Derek already did that?’
‘Yes, I’m fine thanks.’ Rory perched on the edge of a chair. She didn’t intend staying long.
Nathan sat down on the other chair and paused dramatically. He put his fingertips together in exactly the same way Derek Brown had. ‘I’m afraid I have to speak to you about a delicate issue. It has come to our attention that there have been some rather negative conversations in the staffroom. Conversations which may be damaging to staff morale.’
Rory looked at him in amazement. Had she accidentally fallen into the plot of a George Orwell novel? Was he bugging the staffroom now?
He seemed to be waiting for her to respond. Proceed with caution. ‘Okay?’
‘I’m afraid you have been heard making critical remarks about the new processes in the school. You and a couple of your colleagues.’
Rory couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She could feel the anger rising. ‘Who has told you this?’
‘That’s not important. As deputy head, people tell me things.’ He smiled smoothly. ‘I can assure you that any new plans and procedures are fully backed by the headteacher and the school governors. Therefore, it is the duty of the staff, all staff, to follow them through.’
‘Without expressing an opinion?’
‘Of course, you are entitled to an opinion. However, you have been here a long time and you have quite a lot of influence amongst the staff.’
‘So you would like me to keep my mouth shut and toe the party line?’ Rory couldn’t believe what she was hearing. This was Saint Anthony’s – not MI6.
‘I’m saying that we value your input, but it needs to be channelled appropriately, and the staffroom is not the appropriate channel.’ He stood up. ‘Anyway, I have taken enough of your time. I’m sure you have plenty to be doing. The data deadline is tomorrow, after all.’
* * *
At the end of the school day, Rory sent a text to Penny and Susie to come to her classroom; she didn’t feel like finding them in the staffroom after her meeting with Nathan. Not without checking it for bugging devices first.
‘Who the hell does he think he is?’ Rory was pacing up and down between the desks, waving her coffee mug around dangerously. ‘He’s been at St Anthony’s five minutes and he thinks he knows everything about everyone. Who’s been talking about us?’
‘I doubt it’s anyone,’ Susie was sat on one of the student desks, filing her nails. ‘Who would talk to him? He’s just suspicious and has taken a chance. He must know that everyone hates him.’
‘Derek Brown certainly doesn’t.’ Rory sat down behind her desk, put her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her hands. ‘He didn’t bat an eyelid when I told him what people thought about Finch.’
Penny sat up sharply. Her face reddened. ‘Oh. It might have been me.’
‘What?’ Rory looked up.
Penny fiddled with her ear lobe. ‘I might have mentioned to Derek that I’d been talking to you and Susie about Nathan. I’m sure I didn’t say anything bad, though. I’m so sorry.’
Rory sighed. ‘It doesn’t really matter. Although Derek is clearly going to be no help. We need to sort this out on our own.’ Rory rested her chin back in her hands and stared down at the seating plans that needed changing again. Rotate your seating plan every four weeks. Consistency. Consistency.
‘What can we do, though?’ Susie started on the other set of fingernails, swinging her legs. ‘We are only The Staff.’ She made inverted commas signs with her fingers. ‘He is in charge, and we have to follow what he says.’
‘Well, I can’t do that.’ Rory got up and started pacing again. ‘No man tells me what to do. We need to come up with a plan.’
‘Well, we’ll have to be quick.’ Penny had gone back to her normal colour but was still fiddling with her earlobe. ‘The inspectors are due very soon, and if they fail us on anything, people will be for the chop. Though I guess it would be worse if they give the school a better rating than last time – then he’ll be untouchable.’
Rory frowned. ‘Just give me some time. I’ll think of something.’
Susie tapped the desk in front of Rory. ‘Well, you can tell us all about it tomorrow night. Don’t forget that you have promised me a proper night out. There’s a nightclub I want to try.’
Rory groaned. ‘A nightclub? Aren’t we a bit old for that?’
‘Not this one, wait and see.’
On the way to her car, Rory called Sheila to cancel the dinner she’d arranged to have with her on Friday. She really needed to get herself a diary.
‘Never mind, dear. I think there’s something on in the lounge on Friday, so I’ll do that instead.’ Rory’s mother’s social life was better than her own. ‘I managed to persuade George to join us last night for a card game. He waited until Olive was asleep and then came down. His daughter has given him her old baby monitor so that he can listen in to check she’s okay.’
‘Good for you.’ Rory was at her car and pushed her pile of books into her left hand so that she could rummage in her bag with her right to find her car key.
‘He is a lot of fun when he isn’t worrying about Olive. You’d like him. He used to be a headteacher.’
‘Headteachers aren’t my favourite people right now.’ Rory managed to locate her key and clicked the lock. She threw the books onto the passe
nger seat. ‘Okay, I’m in the car, Mum. I’d better go.’ That usually worked. Sheila had a mortal fear of speaking to Rory on the mobile in case she was driving.
‘Wait! I almost forgot to tell you – Barb has a gentleman friend! You’re never going to believe this, but she met him online on one of those dating websites they advertise on the TV.’
‘Oh God. She does know there are people on there who just want sex?’
‘Really? I’m not sure. Maybe she does. Anyway, she’s met someone and she’s being surprisingly coy about him; won’t even tell us his name.’
‘Maybe you should give it a go, Mum?’
Rory could almost feel her mum shudder. ‘Dating on the Internet? Not for me. I think you need to meet a man and get to know him. I mean, they would never have matched me and your dad, would they? He liked being outdoors and fixing stuff. I used to tell him he might as well move into his garage, the amount of time he spent out there. I prefer a nice book or visiting a friend for tea.’
Rory started the car. ‘Mum, I really need to go.’
Before she went home that evening, Rory had another plan she wanted to investigate. She had a friend who worked as a social worker at the council, and she needed to talk to her about Charlie.
Chapter Seventeen
If any profession had more paperwork than teaching did, it was social work. Siobhan’s desk was awash with files and papers. It took Rory a few moments to realise that Siobhan was sitting behind it. ‘Are you drowning under that lot?’
Siobhan pushed her chair back and rubbed her eyes before getting up to give Rory a hug. ‘I am. Who knows what time I am going to get to leave tonight? Please tell me your questions are quick ones.’
They’d known each other long enough for Rory not to be offended by this. ‘They are, they are.’
‘Come out to the kitchen. I’ll make a drink whilst you tell me.’
Happily Never After_A laugh-out-loud romantic comedy Page 10