Page 34 of Autumn in Sycamore Park
Acting and Other Dramas
‘Phewff,’Rick said, shaking his head as he took a sip from a Starbucks coffee Jennifer now knew he could only have bought by making a wide detour out of town to the nearest motorway services, ‘That was some weekend. I almost called in sick this morning.’
‘You got the shakes from too much of your grandmother’s cocoa?’ Jennifer said, flicking an eyebrow at him.
‘Hit the clubs,’ Rick said. ‘Nearly tore me apart.’
Amy, who was using a toothpick to poke stuck bits of pencil lead out of a box of green and red pencil sharpeners, looked up and said, ‘Where did you go?’
Rick shook his head and gave a smarmy grin as though he’d spent the weekend being dipped in honey by a troupe of burlesque dancers. ‘Donald’s on Friar Street,’ he said. ‘That new place. You’d never get in, Clair. You have to be over five feet.’
‘I’m five foot one!’ Amy said.
‘Without standing on tiptoe.’
‘Don’t you mean McDonald’s?’ Jennifer said.
‘A recluse like you would never know,’ Rick said. ‘But, you know, I’m willing to lend you an education if you ever pull that pole out of your—’
At the front of the room, Greg Downton cracked a ruler against the teachers’ noticeboard. ‘Right, good to see you lot all showed up for work this morning,’ he said. ‘Well, apart from Colleen, who called in sick.’ He rolled his eyes. ‘I’ll be covering the reception class today, god forbid.’
‘Forbid!’ Amy hissed at Rick. ‘Maybe we can use that?’
‘Tape over it, Clair,’ Rick replied, rolling his eyes. Amy pouted, and began to attack her latest clogged pencil sharpener with feverish abandon.
‘I hope all your classes are progressing well with your preparation for the harvest festival,’ Downton said. ‘It doesn’t look like it’s going to be cancelled, more’s the pity. I got a memo from the council this morning that said they’ve stayed the execution on that dangerous old tree until at least the end of October.’
‘Woo hoo!’ Amy shouted, jumping out of her seat and knocking a box of pencils onto the floor.
‘Calm down, Ms. Clairmont,’ Downton said. ‘Keep your activism at home, and preferably in a closet. The next thing I know you lot will want vegan school dinners. We’re raising children, not cattle.’
‘Wouldn’t know it from some of mine,’ Amy quipped under her breath to Jennifer, who gave her a reassuring smile.
‘And then there’s this horror circus of a teachers’ drama,’ Downton said. ‘I trust everything is progressing smoothly?’
‘We’re all still alive,’ Rick said. ‘For now.’
‘That’s good news. I’d hate to be hiring new staff so close to the festival. Does anyone have anything they would like to add?’
Maud, sitting at a corner desk just for the meeting, raised her hand. ‘We’re going over budget on the copier,’ she said. ‘Please keep your copies to black and white only.’
‘And work related,’ Downton added. ‘Right, anyone else? No? Okay, get on with it.’
As teachers began to file out, Rick glanced at Jennifer and Amy, then took a last tug on his Starbucks. ‘All right, off I go. Wish me luck with the devils. I’ll need it.’
‘Good luck!’ Amy squawked, a little too loudly, gaining an awkward glance from Rick and a glare from Mrs Davis sitting on Amy’s other side.
As Rick headed out, Jennifer leaned over his desk and took the plastic lid off his Starbucks coffee disposable cup.
‘I knew it, she said, holding up a PG Tips teabag. He’s trolling us.’
For once,her class survived until lunch without any major dramas. While not yet feeling exactly comfortable, Jennifer definitely felt that she was starting to get the hang of managing them, and even though at times she still felt like the invisible woman Mark had created, other times—such as when she had to step in to prevent a fight over a tub of green poster paint between two boys—she felt more real than she had in a long time.
She was still a work in progress, but Angela’s words echoed in her head.
As the bell rang for lunch and the kids put away their art supplies, Gavin Gordon approached he desk.
‘Miss? Can I talk to you?’
