The class nodded frantically.
‘Right, the reading area is clear.’ Pippa shouted from across the class.
‘Okay, those of you by the water and sand please make your way to Miss Parkin. Remember to watch your feet.’
Kam funnelled all the children over to the carpet, and once they were sat there, he explained how they were going to methodically explore each area, with small groups of children examining under furniture, in draws and cupboards, while others were the designated ‘spotters’ in case Sir Squeaks made a dash for it.
After the whole classroom was taken apart the children gathered back to the reading corner again, waiting to hear what to do next. With no sign of the runaway hamster, Pippa wasn’t entirely sure what the best thing was, and felt desperate for Kam. Some of the more sensitive children were beginning to get upset.
‘He’s going to die.’ Ashleigh bawled as they were sat back on the carpet.
‘Someone is going to stamp on him and he’s going to get squished.’ Alfie added helpfully, and with a little too much glee. Kam raised an eyebrow at the boy who had the grace to bow his head.
‘I don’t think so. When I was little I had a favourite set of books, all about a hamster called Hannibal who used to escape all the time and have great adventures. If Miss Parkin fancies going to get a couple of extra pairs of hands – if anyone is free that is, maybe some of the older children – they can have another jolly good look and we can sit here, eyes still peeled, and imagine what sort of adventures Sir Squeaks-a-lot could be having.’ He drew a map of the classroom on the smartboard and got the children guessing what they would do if they were an excitable hamster having an adventure.
By the time Pippa had returned with Sylvie and four of Mrs Adams’ most responsible pupils (having checked Harmony and her plans to liberate Sir Squeaks on compassionate grounds had nothing to do with it), Class One had designed jet-skis for the water tray and an assault course through the sand, but Ashleigh was still sobbing, harder now and so loud it was beginning to drown Kam out.
He had tried bringing her forward and resting his arm on her shoulders as he addressed the rest of the class, but Pippa’s experience taught her that with no other adults in the room it was hard to get her to stop her wailing and manage the rest of the children. Ashleigh did like to cry. And cry loudly. She did it most days. However, as this was Kam’s first week with the class he hadn’t got quite as irritated as Pippa had. Instead he shot her a look of pure alarm.
Pippa set the older children to looking throughout the cloakroom, and came and joined Kam on the carpet.
‘Now, Ashleigh’ – she slid in next to the little girl – ‘everything is going to be fine. We’ll find him and he’ll be very tired and happy to curl up in his little bed, don’t worry.’
‘He won’t… he’s going to die…’ Ashleigh started to hyperventilate.
‘Oh, just stop, you’re such a cry baby.’ Harry rolled his eyes and let out a huge sigh, and Pippa tried not to nod in agreement.
‘He’s… going… to… die… in…’
‘Hang on, “die in…”? Ashleigh do you know where Squeaks is?’ Kam was quicker than Pippa at picking up on the extra word.
Sophie kicked Ashleigh who stopped her crying suddenly and leant over to pinch her back.
‘Ow! She pinched me, Mr Choudhury. She pinched me.’
‘Nice try, Sophie…’ said Pippa, far less professionally than she guessed Kam would be. ‘You kicked her first. Now what exactly is going on? There’s something you girls aren’t telling us.’
Sophie immediately burst into tears, hers rising over Ashleigh’s, which to be frank was quite a feat.
‘Oh, man!’ Harry bowed his head and put his fingers on his ears.
Pippa looked up, caught Kam’s eyes and grinned. He looked like he was in complete accord with Harry, as was the rest of the class by now. It didn’t matter how brilliant you were during teacher training, or what skills you had developed in the career you had before; nothing would ever prepare you to deal with the hysterical squawking of four-year-old girls mid-meltdown.
‘Sophie?’ Pippa’s voice took on a warning tone.
‘It’s not my fault, Miss.’
‘It is! It is!’ Ashleigh’s tears dried remarkably quickly given the opportunity to rat her friend out. ‘Sir Squeaks-a-lot is in her PE bag!’ She shot a triumphant look across at Sophie, no qualms about spilling her friend’s secret, nor apparently about taking half an hour to do so.
‘Right, Miss Parkin perhaps if you take over here?’ Kam stood up and motioned to Sophie to do the same.
Pippa jumped into his spot and immediately launched into some numeracy songs in an attempt to distract the class from what may or may not be found in Sophie Edmond’s PE bag. Reluctantly they joined in, although clearly every single one of them was itching to watch the drama unfold.
In truth, singing about five little ducks was boring Pippa to tears as well; she also wanted to see what was happening in the cloakroom and was trying to keep half an eye on the cloakroom whilst pretending not to and hoping she didn’t look swivel-eyed to the children.
As baby duck was just swimming back after the quack quacks, Pippa heard Kam shout damn and quickly apologise. Pippa stopped singing and swung her head to see Sir Squeaks-a-lot race into the classroom (Kam was right, they really did run fast) with Kam full pelt in behind him. But six foot of newly qualified teacher was no match for a hamster who was clearly thoroughly done with today.
The hamster raced across the floor, having the advantage of being able to scoot under furniture and around corners far more agilely than Kam could. It was really quite funny. Kam seemed to turn into Basil Fawlty, arms and legs everywhere. Every time it looked like Kam had the hamster pinned down, the naughty little beast would outwit him and dash the other way at speed. A few of the children started to giggle but were hushed immediately by a look from Pippa. Somehow, she managed to channel the terrifying Amanda Adams in one glance.
It was hard though not to giggle. He did look hilarious, gangly limbs flying as he sped around corners, his tie over his shoulder as the hamster disappeared on him again.
‘Right, I need to go and help Mr Choudhury. Can you all stay here so we keep Sir Squeaks safe?’ The class nodded, rapt by what was occurring in front of them. ‘And you can sit down with the others,’ Pippa addressed Sophie. She knew there would be a good reason why Sophie felt it was necessary to steal the school hamster, but now was not the time to hear it. They had to get the hamster back into his cage and try to recover a semblance of order before the parents started to arrive just before three, and peer through windows.
Pippa wondered over to the construction area where the children developed their skills with the Lego and Mobilo and where Kam was presently on his knees trying to coax the hamster out by making encouraging squeaking noises.
‘Eek, eek, eek.’
It took all of Pippa’s self-control not to fetch her phone and take a photo. Kam looked up and caught her eye and started to giggle.
‘National curriculum, they said, early years learning goals, safeguarding, but no one ever mentioned rogue rodents. I haven’t had any training for this.’
Pippa giggled back. ‘It’s on the job. Right, let’s not be quite as gentle. You stop your eeking for a minute, as charming as it is.’
‘I couldn’t let you be the only one who has a special bond with animals,’ he referenced their first meeting in the car park and she couldn’t help but grin. He really was too cute for words. She knew you weren’t supposed to be attracted to your boss, but she defied anyone not to fall a little bit in love with this man trying his damnedest to coax out the badly behaved school pet.
‘It does seem to be a theme in my life at the moment.’
Kam looked at her quizzically but she decided not to expand. It felt more than a little bit wrong even thinking the word ‘taxidermy’ in the current situation.
‘If I stop “eeking” as you call it, then what is
your plan, hmm?’
‘I’ll clap my hands this side and scare him out. We can move that big block there and that one there and funnel him towards you.’
‘Brilliant plan. You’ve obviously had practice at this. What if he has a heart attack? He’s already had a scary kind of day.’
‘Did you just swear Mr Choudhury?’ shouted Ellie from the carpet, ‘My daddy says swearing is not okay, doesn’t he, Sam?’
‘Yup.’
‘Although, my friend Angelina says that daddies talk nonsense.’
‘Thank you, Ellie. I don’t think Mr Choudhury did swear,’ Pippa jumped in.
‘My daddy also says you shouldn’t fib, not even little ones.’
‘Okay, Ellie, just give us a minute more so we can catch Squeaksy and then we’ll be back with you. You’re all being very helpful,’ Kam addressed the children on the carpet, presumably aware that this may not be his finest teaching moment.
Pippa knelt down the other side of the cabinet and clapped at ground level, running her hands from one side of the cabinet to the other as she did so. Sure enough, Sir Squeaks-a-lot – clearly in fine cardiac health – nipped out the other side straight into Kam’s trap and into his hands. He cupped them around the little thing and raised them into the air, holding the hamster firmly and looking very Lion King.
The whole class cheered as Kam held him aloft and Pippa ran around the side of the cupboard, so caught up in the moment, so proud of their teamwork that she forgot where they were and threw her arms around Kam, heard a whooping noise come out of her mouth and kissed him in a celebratory fashion on his cheek. The class were all whooping and hollering alongside her, and as she planted the kiss Alfie and Harry both wolf-whistled.
Pippa immediately jumped back, but not before Kam had blushed to the tips of his hair and Rosy Winter had opened the classroom door.
* * *
Oh my goodness! What a day!
Don’t. I haven’t stopped laughing all evening. Lottie is worried that I’ve finally crossed the line into hysteria.
Crossed? Surely that happened years ago!
Cheeky.
Do you think I’ll have a job to return to on Monday?
Nah, you’ll be out on your ear now! I’m joking, you’ll be fine. Anyway, it was my fault.
True.
Ooh, unless Harmony kicks off about Sir Squeaks, then we’ll both be desperately begging for jobs elsewhere just to escape her.
I’ll start looking tomorrow ;-)
Chapter Thirteen
Kam had been mortified when Rosy had walked in on him and Pippa in what could easily have been mistaken for a lover’s embrace. The headteacher had said nothing at the time but had called him in for a chat at the start of his second week to discuss how everything had been going. This was his worst fear, that he would be cast out on his ear just as he was trying to build a career in Cornwall. His whole plan rested on getting a job here; if he messed up his professional reputation this early on – he knew how teachers talked – then he was going to have to admit defeat and start from scratch somewhere else, and that he really didn’t want to do. He wanted to be able to show his parents, and himself, that he had been right to take this leap, that it wasn’t an ill-measured gamble.
He was sitting in Rosy’s office now, trying to unclench his hands from the side of the chair and waiting for her to get to the bit where she told him off and then he would know how bad things were going to be. So far, she had spent the time discussing what he had found out in class about all of the individual children and reconfirmed the best way to deal with each one. She laughed, the affection clear on her face as she discussed some of the more challenging ones: the very loud Billy; the whiny and mischievous Ashleigh; Harry and Alfie who were still very boisterous; the over-confident Ellie.
Rosy had also laughed when she heard that Sophie had stolen Sir Squeaks-a-lot because her sister’s hamster had recently died, and Sophie had felt desperately sorry for her and tried to remedy the situation as best she could. Rosy explained Sophie had a big heart but didn’t always think her plans through. Kam couldn’t help but agree.
Was he going to get out of this meeting unscathed? He couldn’t believe his luck. He had heard that Rosy was not a woman who supported or engaged in gossip but surely she’d have something to say about the brief scene she had witnessed? It wasn’t exactly gold-standard Ofsted– worthy teaching!
‘So, you’ve been here a week now and it looks as if you’ve settled in brilliantly. The kids are clearly already fond of you and you’ve dealt well with some of the more unusual aspects of teaching.’ She smiled.
He tried to relax but was still having to use all his self-control not to drum on the side of the chair with his now unclenched fingers, a nervous habit he had started as a child. He wished she’d hurry up and get on with the bollocking, get it over.
‘I want to see how you’re settling in, invite you to let me know if there are any aspects of Penmenna you’re not so happy with, that you’d change if you could?’
Kam looked at her, his brow furrowed and the surprise was clear on his face.
‘There’s nothing I’d change. I think you have the most amazing school. I’ve absolutely loved this first week.’
‘Thank you, although of course you couldn’t say much else with me sitting here.’ Kam laughed in agreement. It was true: no one would be fool enough to challenge their boss on the first week about things they may or may not like. As he approached the end of his thought he looked up at Rosy. Oh of course, she might look all sweet and butter not melty but she was wilier than he had given her credit for.
‘I try and run Penmenna as openly as possible. We value all members of staff equally here, regardless of job title. However, there are some things that, no matter how flexible and open you wish to be, are sort of ingrained. Hierarchies are one of them. I can be as welcoming as I want, but you know that ultimately, I’m the head and you want to keep me happy. Hence you might be wary of being completely honest, you’d be more politic, weigh your words carefully or hold them in entirely.’
‘Yes. I think I understand the point you’re making. You are quite right.’ And he did. She was making the point that no matter how friendly he was with Pippa, there was a power dynamic at play as long as he was the teacher and she was the TA in his class.
‘Good. I would add that this is a very small community, and there is not much that anyone can do here that doesn’t get discussed, dissected and amplified. Such is the nature of rural life and particularly in a community-minded village like Penmenna. For example, I know that on Monday you, with Pippa, became acquainted with the regulars in The Smuggler’s Curse, and so does the rest of the village…’
Kam took a long breath. It was very warm in here.
‘…and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s actually a real bonus that you are keen to interact with and become part of our community. It’s something I feel strongly about. I am friends with many of the staff here and seeing them outside of school is only something that strengthens us as a team. However, they do tend not to kiss me, and especially not in front of the pupils.’
There was nothing he could say, although he could feel the warmth of his blush. Even though he hadn’t instigated – or minded – the kiss, it did indicate that he had created a less than professional environment in the classroom.
‘Okay. I did want to talk to you about that time—’
‘Mr Choudhury, Kam, I don’t think you do. I wanted to mention power dynamics and imbalances in the friendliest way possible and remind you that for this term, you will be working alongside Miss Parkin. I think both of you have a natural energy and lively spirit that work very well together indeed and the children in the class are very lucky to have that. I know from experience how Pippa’s vivacity really helps create a strong foundation in developing a love of school, which is why I have always kept her in the reception class. It would be a shame for that working relationship to become more complex than perhaps it shoul
d be at this point. We’re only a week into term.’
Kam nodded silently. He knew everything she said was true and fair, and he couldn’t blame her at all for feeling the need for this very awkward conversation. She would be within her rights to be concerned about full-blown fornication in the sensory garden by mid-May at this rate. There was nothing he could say here to make it better; just acknowledge that he understood and would try not to stick his tongue down Pippa’s throat, or elsewhere, for the time he was working alongside her. July wasn’t that far away; by which point Pippa would know him a lot better and probably wouldn’t want her lips anywhere near him. All of which would be very sensible.
‘And I also felt it only fair to warn you that there will be a position opening up here next academic year with Sarah Fielding, the Class Two teacher, retiring. I am currently keeping my eyes peeled for outstanding teachers who I can ask to come for an interview. I want you to know that if the rest of the term goes as well as this week then I shall be asking you to interview as well.’
‘Wow. Thank you. I didn’t expect that.’
‘As I said, you’ve dealt with a couple of tricky situations, and taken a lot in your stride. It has been noted. From my point of view, and others who have been only too happy to pass judgement, you have settled in very quickly and your enthusiasm and cheerfulness is good for us all.’
‘Thank you, Miss Winter.’ He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. This was fantastic. He was not going to do anything that could risk his chance of a permanent position here. That would be beyond perfect, and would mean he could shave a full twelve months from his five-year plan. In his heart he knew his decision to go into teaching had been the right one; he just wished everyone he loved agreed with him. A permanent teaching job would go a long way to make that happen.
The Cornish Village School--Summer Love Page 7