Welcome to Grantham School. Enjoy! :)
With a frustrated sigh Elsie gave up on reading the Abbey's offer. She couldn't focus. Why did she have to read about a trip to the Abbey for the history courses? Couldn't the history teachers deal with that and send her their results so that she only had to agree they could go? Opening her email account and feeling like banging her head on the keyboard when dozens of new messages popped up, she typed in the address of the head of the history teachers and let him know about the Abbey's offer, asking him to take care of it. When she was done, she folded the letter the museum's chief had sent her. They could always email her, but for some reason they preferred letters. It was a waste of money in Elsie's opinion. The Abbey was only three miles north of the school, so why did they bother the Royal Mail to reach her?
Elsie's secretary, Miss Baxter, was at her desk when Elsie stepped out of her office. The middle aged woman was just sorting out a delivery of new school books.
"Are those the new Math books Mr. Spratt wanted me to order since the beginning of the school year?", Elsie asked with an arched eyebrow.
"They are", Miss Baxter said. "If I may say so, I don't really know what was wrong with the old books."
"Apparently there were too many mistakes within the tasks and Mr. Spratt was tired of double checking", Elsie explained, not mentioning that some of the math teacher's students had asked her to give in, because Mr. Spratt was non-stop upset about it.
"Was there something you needed, Mrs. Burns?", Miss Baxter asked.
"Could you pass this on to Mr. McClare?", Elsie asked, handing the secretary the letter. "He will collect it sometime later today."
"All right. I'll go to find Mr. Spratt now, just so you know."
"Good", Elsie replied, stepping back into her office, letting out a long sigh when the door was closed.
Back at her desk, Elsie had no choice but to go through her inbox. She heard Miss Baxter and Mr. Spratt discussing the math books outside. He seemed pleased for once. Later, Mr. McClare's voice reached her through the door, asking Miss Baxter for the letter and telling her what a great opportunity for the students visiting the Abbey was. At some point Miss Baxter brought her some tea and biscuits. At lunch time, she had replied to all of the relevant messages. Leaning back exhausted she closed her eyes for a moment. Her phone was vibrating. A message from Becky. Coming over for lunch. Meet me in the cafeteria. Becky
Elsie grabbed her handbag and got up. Miss Baxter was shutting down her computer. They always walked to the cafeteria together. This day was no different.
"Everything set for parents' evening?", Miss Baxter asked.
"Yes, at least I hope so. No one's looking forward to it like usual", Elsie said, before spotting two six graders who were running down the corridor. "Jon, Ross, no running, please", she scolded.
"Yes, Mrs. Burns", the two answered simultaneously.
Becky was leaning against the wall next to the cafeteria's entrance. "See you later", Miss Baxter said and walked ahead to the cafeteria, joining Coach Barrow in the lane.
"Hello, Becky", Elsie greeted her sister. Becky had put her police cap underneath her arm. "Hey, Els. Everything all right?"
"I'm fine. How's work?"
They walked side by side through to get in lane, each grabbing a tablet. "Everything quiet. What about you? Looking forward to parents' evening?"
Elsie scoffed in reply.
"I'll get it. Call me if you need to hide a few bodies", Becky joked, taking a salad and placing it on her tablet.
"You're a police officer. You shouldn't encourage me, let alone offer your help", Elsie replied dryly.
"Ah, don't tell me how to live my life, Els", Becky challenged with a raised eyebrow. "Aren't you going to eat more than a salad?", she asked, pointing at the rather empty tablet Elsie held while Becky's had a salad, a huge portion of Shepherd's Pie and a chocolate pudding on it.
"Don' tell me how to live my life", Elsie countered with a triumphant smile.
"Fair enough", Becky smiled. "I'll bring you dinner to your office then. Fancy fish and chips?"
"Come around six. I still have an hour then to prepare mentally for the parents."
"Shall I bring a drop of wine too?"
Elsie let out a short laugh. "Better not. Think about my reputation."
Laughing together they sat down at the far end of the teacher's table. Becky hungrily started eating. Elsie let her gaze wander through the hall where almost the entire school was gathered now, the sounds of cutlery meeting plates, chatter and laughter filling the air. She spotted her son. He was sitting together with some boys from his class, but wasn't involved in their conversation and ate with a sad expression.
"He's lost his dad, Els. It's normal that he feels bad now and then", Becky tried to comfort her sister.
"Becky, it's been two years. He should feel better by now."
"Should he when his mum is hardly any better at times", Becky said quietly. "You just focus on your job, Tommy and family since Joe died. Maybe if you opened up to life you'd feel better."
"I can't. Can we please not talk about me, but Tommy?"
Becky sighed deeply. "Fine. But I really don't think we should worry too much. He can be sad now and then, we know he's fine as long as he plays cricket. If he quits that we can freak out."
Elsie shrugged her shoulders, although she knew Becky was right. Tommy would never miss cricket and if he did only because he was lying in bed with the flu. Suddenly, Becky let out a gasp and slid down on her chair.
"What are you doing?", Elsie asked confused.
"Hide me, Els. There's Mr. Carlisle. If he sees me I'll have to listen to more of his awful attempts of flirting and I might just throw up in his face", Becky explained, holding her cap at the side of her face to hide behind it.
Mr. Carlisle was teaching Maths and Geography. He wasn't Elsie's favourite colleague. Actually she thought he was a smug arse, but the way her sister freaked out about him was amusing anyway. "I didn't know he had a crush on you", Elsie remarked.
"He hasn't. He just wants a fuck buddy and I'm not having it."
"Becky, no such words while around my students, please!", Elsie scolded and shook her head. "Normally, you don't have such a problem with bed relationships only."
"Els, really, I haven't been like this since I've had Gwen."
"True", Elsie admitted, thinking back to a time when Becky had enjoyed a bit of fun until that fun had ended in a pregnancy. She had talked about just getting rid of it, but Elsie had known her sister better than that. She had missed the appointment and had exploded into tears the moment Elsie had opened the door. Her family had supported Becky, given her strength and she had become more mature as a mother. Of course, a little bit of her rebellious, flirty side was still left, but she was in perfect control of it. "He's seen you", Elsie warned her sister when Mr. Carlisle strode over. "May I?", he asked, his voice husk from smoking too much. He didn't wait for a reply, but simply sat down next to Becky. "Is the food in the police cafeteria rubbish or why are you here?", he asked.
"I thought it would be nice to spend my lunch break with my sister, that's all", she said, pretending like Mr. Carlisle's suggestion wasn't true.
"I see. I hope I am not interrupting anything", he said half-heartily, starting to eat his lunch.
Becky looked at Elsie for help. The pleading look didn't help her thinking of a way to get rid of their colleague. "Actually, we were just about to leave", Elsie then said.
Becky stared at her sister in shock, mouthing the words but my food. Elsie bit her lip to stop herself from laughing and mouthed back can stay with him then. Becky made a face and looked from her plate to Mr. Carlisle and back, sighed and nodded. "Yes, we were just about to leave. I have a lot of paper work to do and Elsie still needs to make final preparations for tonight."
"What a pity. I had hoped to have some lovely company during dinner. I hope to see you again soon, Becky and leave the bad boys to the young Kent. I wouldn't want you to get hurt", he said.
Elsie watched her sister's hand turning into a fist, the skin around her knuckles turning white while she got up. "I see you later, Richard", Elsie said and followed Becky outside. She wasn't surprised to see her younger sister walk straight out of the building and taking in some deep breaths of fresh air. "That idiot. Leave the bad boys to the young Kent? Getting hurt? I've mastered various martial arts and could knock him out with one punch, does he realise that?"
"See it like this, Becky. If he ever was stupid enough to try and steal a kiss, you could break his nose and it wouldn't be illegal", Elsie joked.
"You know what. I hope he tries it. I would pay a lot to see his face when he gets beaten by a woman", Becky announced, folding her arms across her chest. "And now to you, Els. Don't you dare scold me when I steal half your chips later. I didn't get to finish my pudding."
"I'll gladly share", Elsie laughed. "Now be off with you, before he comes running after us in hopes of pinning you to the car."
"Ugh", Becky shrieked. "Did you have to create that image? UGH!" She shook herself and hurried towards the police car that was parked more or less as rules commanded on the teacher's car park. Elsie returned to her office after Becky had driven up in her usual rapid manner. She turned on the computer and checked her mails. "You've got to be joking", she sighed when her inbox informed her of thirty new messages. Quite a few were just commercial mails she could delete immediately. There was one from one of her professors at Edinburgh University that could wait. She banged her head on the desk. It would take her at least an hour to get through all of them and then she still had to try to get some order in her notes for the few talks she would have to have with some parents. Knowing there was no escape, she got out her reading glasses and started working.
For half an hour the only sound in her office was the clicking of the keyboard until someone knocked. Elsie looked up from the screen. "Come in."
It was Mr. Gregson who opened the door and stepped in. "Hello, Michael"; she greeted him. "How can I help?"
"Sorry to disturb you, Elsie. You must be busy, but I need your permission to go on that trip next week with my English course."
"Ah, right, the theatre in York, I remember. I'll sign it for you."
"Thank you", he said and handed her the piece of paper.
"Are your student's looking forward to it?", she asked while putting her elegant signature at the bottom of the page.
"The usual suspects don't, but I'm hoping that they will open up a bit for Shakespeare when they see it being performed. Makes a lot clearer like this", he said.
"Yes, it does. Let them know it will always help in a test to have seen the performance. Maybe that will motivate them."
"Alan is close to failing this year, right?"
"Yes, Emma and Andrew too. Must be puberty. They used to be fine students, well, average at least. I have to try and make it clear to their parents this evening what's at risk."
"We don't like seeing our students fail, do we?"
"Unlike Richard and Jeremy*", Elsie said with a knowing look.
"They seem to enjoy torturing my class with homework. I have reduced mine as much as possible, but I have to get through with the material."
"I know. I'll talk to them. Also had similar complaints from Mr. McClare about them including Albert*", Elsie assured him.
"Thanks and fingers crossed for tonight", Mr. Gregson said, leaving the office.
Elsie stared at her inbox for a while before opening the teacher's timetables and seeing that all three teachers that needed a bit of taming ought to be in the staff's room at the moment. Deciding that she preferred talking some sense into her teachers rather than replying to mails from people she only had met shortly at some conference or another, she got up. Miss Baxter was at her desk.
"I'm in the staff's room", Elsie told her.
"Good luck with our three oxen, then", the secretary said.
Elsie nodded and disappeared down the corridor. She wasn't surprised to see all three at their desks, drinking tea and marking papers when she entered. Without having to take a closer look she knew that there was a lot of red colouring the exams. All three looked up and eyed her over their reading glasses. Mr. McClare was sitting on the sofa reading a book, but seemed to know what was about to happen and closed it with his finger held in between the pages to easily find the page he had been at later on.
"I was wondering if I could have a word with the three of you", she said, making sure to place all the authority she had in her voice. "I've had a few complaints about the amount of homework you want your students to finish. I understand that you intend to get through all the material that is on the curriculum, but our students need time for other subjects and for themselves and their friends too."
"As you know we all teach Maths. Students hate Maths. And that makes them lazy and causes bad grades. We are just trying to help them achieve fine grades by making them work", Mr. Stowell said.
"Albert, we both know that school in general is not the student's favourite thing. It is our job to educate them, preferably in a way they find more or less enjoyable. You are all three good teachers. I'm sure you can come up with something more original than more homework", she tried to address their pride.
"What do you say about this, Shrimpie?", Mr. Spratt asked.
"I agree with Elsie. We are no jailers", Mr. McClare said.
"We'll see what we can do then", Richard said. "And Elsie, might I be as bold as to ask you to send my best regards to your sister."
"I will, Richard. I won't keep you from your work. Best of luck for this evening, gentlemen." She could feel Mr. Spratt's and Mr. Stowell's disapproving glares in her neck when she left, but she found that she didn't care.
"How did it go?", Miss Baxter asked when Elsie returned.
"Not too bad. Luckily our oxen are not the youngest anymore."
Miss Baxter laughed at that and Elsie joined her. "Tea?"
"Yes, please", Elsie replied, happily avoiding work. Her job might be tough at times, but there always were those moments that made it worth the hard work. Grantham School was her ship and it was sailing downwind.
*I couldn't find out Spratt's or Stowell's first names so I just used the actor's first name for Spratt and came up with Albert for Stowell. I thought it suited him.
Let me know what you think. Next: The compass has its effect on Charles...