4| Diversion

by Becky Miller

  ~~~~~

  Later that evening Lynne and the Doctor were having dinner, but Lynne didn't eat much.

  ???

  "What is it, Lynne? You are not eating."?

  "It is just that kid today."

  "You're still troubling yourself with that?" the Doctor commented.?

  "Yes. I am." Lynne said, "You know I always used to discard comments like: 'What planet have you been hiding on?' and 'You were not there then, were you?'. I know they are just phrases that are used figuratively. Don't you get that sort of comments often?"?

  "Not really, no." the Doctor said, "The kids love the way I tell them about historic events like I was actually there."?

  "Hmm, that's your luck then, being a history teacher."

  "After all this time since we?came?to live here, live a quiet life, you still have trouble settling down."

  "Well, we used to live such busy and exciting lives."

  ?"I did," the Doctor paused as they both stared at the table, remembering those passed times, "but none of that anymore. Maybe you should find a job. You can put all your energy in that." he suggested.?

  "Yes. I might just?do that. Thanks, Doc." Lynne said. She felt a lot better now and she regained her appetite too.?

  "And remember; Be yourself, no matter what anyone says." was the Doctor's piece of advice, which could be applied to anybody, anywhere.?

  "A sound universal bit of advice, hm?" Lynne laughed. It brightened her day and gave her back her good mood.

  2. The slower path

  After years of travelling through time and space, the Doctor finally achieved what he had been dreaming of for so long. He had traded his old life full of aliens, monsters and anomalies -which had to be kept from raking havoc throughout the universe-, to living a quiet simple life in a place and time he preferred most.

  He had chosen a house just out of London at the beginning of the second millennium, local time, and he had parked his ship, the TARDIS, in the attic. He had returned to the closest relative he had left, Lynne. They both shared the same home world, Gallifrey, which sadly was destroyed during the Time War. Together they entered a new, quite calm period of the Doctor's life, as he is contempt being a High School history teacher.

  But though the Doctor seemed to have forgotten about the universe, it had certainly not forgotten him.

  Next morning Lynne was up early making breakfast and preparing a lunchbox.

  "Good morning, Lynne." the Doctor said happily as he came into the kitchen, still drying his hair off with a towel.

  "Good morning, Doctor. I've made some toast and this is your lunch." Lynne said and handed over the lunchbox.?The Doctor went to put it in his bag. Lynne took the marmalade from the cupboard and they sat to have breakfast.?

  "Oh, I almost forgot. The kids are coming back from their school trip today. Can you pick them up this afternoon?" Lynne asked him.?

  "Of course, that was today. I'd forgotten, but why can't you pick them up?"

  "I have an appointment for a job interview this afternoon. I took your advice yesterday and applied for a job straight away." Lynne said proudly.

  "Fantastic!" the Doctor said gladly as he finished his breakfast. "Okay. I'll pick up Sarah and Adrian from school this afternoon. And you; Good luck! Bye." he said and left for work.

  There was an icy wind blowing outside, so today, on top of his favourite long brown overcoat he wore a knitted scarf wrapped several times around his neck. He had worn the scarf before, long ago. It was during a period in which he spent his days travelling through time and space with various companions, trying to set any alien wrongdoing back straight. It were turbulent times that eventually made him weary and tired. In those days he dreamt of being able to calm down and enjoy the simpler side of life. Now that longing had finally become a reality.

  He had taken a job as a high school history teacher to support both himself and his current companions; Lynne, Sarah, Adrian and the dog Laika.

  In class he would tell the children about historic events and since he had witnessed many of those himself, his tales were wonderful to listen to. Many times the students would be so intrigued by his stories that they were determined to hear it to the end. It usually meant they would be late for the next class, because they just couldn't tear themselves away from Mr Smith's history class. This was never much of a problem, but a new more eager teacher took over the class the children had to attend directly after history class and he was less charmed by this. Rupert Terrance Daly was the newest addition to the team of teachers.

  Lunch time came and the Doctor was on his way to the canteen to find out what Lynne had put in his lunchbox, when Mr Daly approached him in the corridor.

  "John?" Mr Daly said to the Doctor who was known to everybody at school as Dr. John Smith.

  "Rupert." the Doctor deliberately said, since Daly had started off on a first name basis straight away.

  "Please, RT. Call me, 'Artie'." Mr Daly said amicably.

  "Okay, then you can call me Doctor."

  "What does that have to do with 'John'?"

  "Nothing. It's got to do with me." the Doctor quipped, but it didn't look like Artie got the joke.

  "Ah well. I came to ask if you would please end your classes on time because the children are due in my class straight after history." Artie requested.

  "And your class is?what exactly?"

  "Art and music." Artie proudly said.

  "Oh, of course. I'll make sure they won't miss a minute of such important classes again." the Doctor said cynically.

  "Thank you, John, erm, Doctor."

  "You're welcome, 'Artie'." the Doctor said and continued his way to have lunch.

  After lunch, some sandwiches Lynne had made this morning, the Doctor went back to his classroom. The third graders were having their history test today. He prepared the classroom so that everyone would have a place to sit and he put paper and pencils on every desk. The test would be about Roman times. It wasn't a difficult test. The Doctor had told the children lots about how life was like in those times. They were colourful stories and the children always listened intently.

  The Doctor heard a shuffling sound coming from the hallway. "Ah, that would be Robbert-Jan and Nick. Nice and early, as always." he thought as he walked out to meet them.

  "Come in. Get yourselves settled." he said to the two boys. They took their seats in the front row of the class.

  "You are going to get good grades, I'm sure." he said to them with a wink, but the boys looked like they weren't too sure.

  "We did study." Nick said, but left it at that.

  "Yes, I am sure you had plenty of time for that. No pestering siblings to distract you from your books, huh? They were all on camp this week." the Doctor said.

  "Hmm. I wish we could have gone to camp as well." Robbert-Jan said sadly. The past week had seen some exceptionally warm days, considering the time of the year, and now the first semester was closing to an end, everyone was eager for the summer to start and the holidays to arrive, but that would still have to wait another six months.

  "Oh, look on the bright side. At least you've had a week without them hyperactive youngsters constantly nagging you." the Doctor said with a wide smile on his face as the rest of the students came in and took their seats, ready to take the history test.