by Kitty Wilson
If he got it, he could really start to build a life in Penmenna, but if not, then he would be watching his inbox with baited breath or signing up for supply come September. Either way he would no longer be in the classroom with Pippa after this week. Which, in itself, was bittersweet. He knew he had a tendency to be a closet romantic, but he really had had high hopes for the two of them.
The night they had spent together still replayed in his mind at various times. Images would pop into his head: the curve of her spine, her neck, the freckle nestled in the mid-point of her clavicle. But there was no escaping that she had very clearly brushed him off. She had, at no point, referred to the letter he had written to her. Nothing, nada. She had ignored its existence completely, which he had to accept was her way of letting him know that she was not in the slightest bit interested in taking things further, in recreating the weekend he had found so magical.
He had been so very careful with the letter, taking hours crafting it as he laid out the depth of his feelings and his hopes for their future. His heart had been in his mouth all the time while he was writing it, and the day he had brought it into school for her had left him a bag of nerves. It was a miracle he had got through the day without anyone realising how elevated his blood pressure was.
Her lack of response meant he didn’t know to this day if she had ignored it because she wasn’t interested in anything other than a one-night stand or because she was scared off by the clear intensity of his feelings. Either way she had never explained, and the letter, which at the time he had thought was such a good idea, had instead sounded the death knell for their friendship.
Maybe if he didn’t get the job, he would ask. Putting his head over the parapet again was terrifying but he needed to know one way or another. However, he also he cared enough for her not to want to embarrass her any more than the letter obviously had. Arghh!
However, today was not the day to dwell. It was going to be their last day working together and he was going to focus on the positive. She still brought such light to the classroom, and every now and again he would think their friendship was getting back onto an even keel when all of a sudden she would get flustered and make her excuses to dive across the classroom for some imagined sand tray emergency. If nothing else, her determination to avoid him meant that she had spent a lot of time scrubbing non-existent dirt from things both before and after school. He wondered if the sudden cleaning spurt was a tool to avoid him. She seemed to be taking it to excessive and uncharacteristic levels, but he was also aware that he could just be being paranoid and she really didn’t give two figs.
Kam was excited for Sports Day though. He had loved it at school and was keen today and most looking forward to the egg-and-spoon and the three-legged race.
He had bought end of term presents for all the parent volunteers and a something for Pippa, that he had managed to source through eBay. He hoped she was going to love it, and that they could then end on a high, sweeping any misunderstandings under the carpet. He didn’t want to end the term with bad feelings between them but was nervous about giving it to her. He was worried she may read more into the gift than he intended. It was supposed to be a thank-you-very-much-for-being-such-a-pleasure-to-work-alongside gift, not a this-is-my-last-ditch-attempt-to-get-you-back-in-my-bed present, which it absolutely wasn’t.
‘Hello!’ Pippa came bouncing into the classroom dressed in an old-style tracksuit and Kam couldn’t help but grin as the memory of her yellow spandex popped into his head. ‘Oh, look at all the flowers. Aren’t they beautiful?’
‘They’re for the parent helpers. But here, I have something for you as well.’
Her face fell. Damn! This was supposed to be a pleasant moment. It wasn’t supposed to make her worry.
‘I haven’t got anything for you.’ Her voice was small, like a young child who had been caught scrumping apples.
‘And nor should you! You were in the room when I made it quite clear I didn’t want any end of term presents. Whilst the intention is kind, it gets so silly and competitive. Parents are under enough pressure simply bringing up small children, without having to conform to that nonsense. And the same rule applies to you.’
‘You did say you would be happy with home-made cards.’
‘I did.’
‘So I made you one of those.’
‘Really?’
‘Yes. It’s just a silly thing and I know we’ve been a bit rocky this term, but I’m hoping we can put that past us and just enjoy today.’ She stood there looking at him, eyes big, nerves painted all over her face. He could tell how much courage that admission had taken and he could easily meet her half way. He had been building up to saying something similar himself, so he knew how daunting it was to be so honest.
‘Of course, let’s make today the best. Let me grab your gift.’ Pippa clapped her hands like an excited child, jumping up and down on the spot. He hadn’t realised how much she loved presents, although he should’ve guessed, and despite the tension of the last half term his heart soared at the pleasure on her face.
He really hoped she liked it. It was a bit of a gamble and he wasn’t a natural present buyer. He handed her the gift, which he had tried to wrap, again wrapping not being one of his natural skills. It did look a bit rough; he just hoped the saying that it was the thought that counted stood true.
The expression on Pippa’s face said it was. In fact she let out a sound, a kind of intermingled giggle squeal, as she tried to get into it.
‘I wanted it to be secure,’ Kam shrugged apologetically, fetching a pair of red-handled primary-school scissors to help her hack through the many layers of tape he had used.
‘It’s certainly secure. Ooh, hang on, I’ve got a corner.’ And she had. She managed to peel back a corner of the layers of wrapping paper and started to rip. With the help of the scissors, her tenacity and occasionally her teeth, she finally managed to pull the remainder of the paper off to reveal a pair of vintage Dior cat’s eye sunglasses, decorated with little bits of bamboo. Pippa was silent and he was desperately hoping that it was out of pleasure not disappointment. His own breath caught in his throat as he waited for a reaction.
Slowly she looked up and met his eyes, the glasses cradled in her hands as he spotted a teeny tear just brimming on her lower eyelid. He hadn’t wanted to make her cry! This was supposed to be a nice thing!
‘I… I… I don’t know… um… what to say. Kam, they are so beautiful, I could cry. I think I am crying. I’ve never seen such a beautiful pair, and they’re mine. They are mine, aren’t they?’
‘Yes, they are all yours. Definitely. Although you have to admit they would look great on me.’
‘Hahaha, they would.’ They laughed together and just for a moment it seemed as if they had recaptured how their friendship used to be – how it should be – and Kam wondered if this was making Pippa as happy as it was making him.
‘I’m a bit embarrassed about your card now.’
‘You said it was home-made?’
‘Yes.’ She made a sobbing noise as she agreed, and looked a little shamefaced.
‘Well, then I know I’m going to love it! Go on, let me see it before the kids come in.’
‘Okay. Hang on.’ Pippa raced over to the window sill where she had stashed her handbag. ‘Here you go.’
She looked down at her feet as she handed the card over. He ripped open the envelope and pulled out the card. And there, on the front, was Sir Squeaks-a-lot, or at the very least a very similar looking hamster on the cover, photoshopped with a bindle – a handkerchief on a stick à la Dick Whittington – and a naughty grin as he straddled a space-hopper and fled from Pippa, Kam and his family, an image that had been snapped on their day out.
Kam started to laugh, proper big laughs that came from his tummy and shook his body.
He heard Pippa breath a deep sigh. How could she have been embarrassed about this? It was the best card ever. She had obviously spent an age on Photoshop trying to get it right. A
nd it was. It was perfect.
‘This is amazing. I couldn’t ask for a better card. It needs to go in a frame.’
‘Oh, you can’t do that!’
‘I can, and I will. Pippa Parkin, you’re hilarious.’
‘You’re not too bad either, Kam Choudhury.’ Pippa grinned at him, sunglasses still in her hand as he clutched his card, wiping the tears from his eyes as he did so.
‘Hello, Pippa. How’s tricks?’ Rosy opened the classroom door and headed in. ‘Kam, could I have a quick word?’
‘Of course.’ He grinned one last grin at Pippa as he left the class and followed Rosy to her office. It was such a shame it had taken him until the last day of term to get back on an even keel with her. His heart would mend – it would teach him not to be so soft – but it was her friendship that he had missed so much. It hadn’t taken a long time for her to become such a big part of his life, and when the distance had sprung up between them it had left a gaping hole where her friendship had been.
He followed Rosy into her office, keeping one hand behind his back and crossing his fingers. He so wasn’t ready for this to be his last day in this amazing school.
Chapter Forty-two
Ten minutes later Kam floated out of Rosy’s office. The headmistress had been happy to inform him that Penmenna school would like to offer him the full time, permanent position as Class Two teacher starting in September. He happily accepted and now raced to the classroom to tell Pippa, only to find her knee deep in children, parents and PE kits, as she listened to endless reminders about how Parent A was not a fan of competitive sports, and Parent B wanted to make it quite clear that they expected the races to be undertaken seriously as children needed to learn to win and to lose, none of this namby-pamby ‘taking part’ nonsense, and Parent C wanted to make sure Pippa knew how to administer Kayden’s inhaler, despite the fact that Pippa had been doing so perfectly well for the entire academic year.
The minute he entered the classroom, he too was besieged by parents who, mindful that today would be his last day in school before the long summer holidays, wanted to wish him well and thank him for all he had done for the children. He was itching to tell them all that he would be back next term to teach some of the children who would move up into Class Two with him for the next academic year (although he would be making sure Billy was kept away from the squeezy paint bottles), but he felt he should keep the news to himself for now. Partly because he knew Rosy wanted to make a formal announcement at the end of the day as Sports Day was wrapped up, but also because he wanted Pippa to be the first to know.
The children were spending their morning putting the finishing touches to their wire and paper sculptures, which they would carry through the streets of Penmenna on the Thursday of Feast Week. A celebration of sea myths and monsters was the theme for this year, and Penmenna School was busy churning out a huge Kraken, tentacles and all, and a beautiful mermaid with flowing hair and iridescent scales, as well as lots of little versions that would contribute to make a showstopping colourful display.
Kam had been blown away by watching the sculptures come together; all the classes had worked on them, as well as various people from the village popping in and making it a truly inclusive community project. Dan had come and helped, his Hollywood good looks making several of the mothers swoon. Lottie had come to lend a hand as well, although Rosy had carefully and gently declined her kind offer to donate Sidney the Seagull to ride along with them.
The children were also making individual models to carry through the street, and there were sea serpents and dragons, sirens and giant jelly fish. Some were huge. Ellie and Sam, for example, had shelved the idea of the sea lion and were making instead a huge squid-like creature with giant googly eyes and a gazillion wavy tentacles that needed four sticks to hold it up it was so big. With Pippa beavering away with the children, her creative side coming fully to the fore, Kam didn’t get the chance to tell her his news until lunchtime.
Despite their rapprochement, Kam was a little uneasy about telling Pippa his news. It had crossed his mind that the reason they were getting on so much better today was because she thought that there was a chance this was his last day ever in the school, and thus she felt relief that soon she wouldn’t have to face him at work. He knew that her nature, her very being, meant that there wasn’t a mean bone in her body, but then he hadn’t expected her not to even fully acknowledge his letter, so he was aware that his assumptions about her were no longer reliable.
As the children were walked through to the dining hall to eat their lunch, he caught Pippa’s eye and this time she met his gaze and smiled. That boded well. He edged closer to her, his heart beating fast. He felt like he was his fourteen-year-old self trying to deliver a valentine to the most popular girl in school.
‘Hey.’ He smiled tentatively at her.
‘Hey.’ She smiled back. Her sunshine smile lit up the room and Kam’s heart bounced. He knew he was still smitten. He also knew smitten wasn’t a professional term. ‘Ellie and Sam’s squid is looking great isn’t it? I was worried they wouldn’t finish it in time, but they’ve really cracked on.’
‘They have. Although we both know Ellie was in charge of that,’ Kam replied.
‘Ha! Probably, although, you know, Sam has a quiet authority that makes me think he’s secretly the one in charge. I wouldn’t be surprised if, over time, Sam was to become the more dominant one. Ellie won’t have anyone upset him. You should have seen her when she first joined the school. She took out anyone who was mean to him with the violent swiftness of a professional assassin!’
‘I can imagine. I wouldn’t want to cross her, and she’s still only five. Imagine what she’s going to be like at twenty or thirty.’
‘Running the country probably, but what I really want to know is what Rosy had to say.’ Her tone faltered as she asked, and Kam wasn’t sure why. Was it because she wanted him to get the job, or was it because she was scared that he may have been given the post?
‘Okay, well…’ he dragged it out, a little hint of his old mischief back in his voice.
‘You toad! Come on… did she offer you the job? She did, didn’t she, or you wouldn’t be messing about!’
‘I’m sorry. I went to her office and she… um… well, I think that she wanted me to hear the news in private so I didn’t… you know… make a fool of myself.’ Kam managed to work his face into a suitably sad expression sneaking a peek out from under his eyelashes to see if she was falling for it. She looked a little suspicious, so he decided to ramp it up a bit. ‘Rosy said there were some standout candidates and that it was a tough call, but hey, let’s not get too despondent. Lynne will be back in the classroom in September, so that’s great!’
‘Did you really not get it? I thought you had it in the bag! I don’t believe it. The new teacher had better be some award-winning superher… oh you, you! I should have known you were messing about.’ She gave him a quick punch on the arm as she realised he was teasing, exactly as he used to do when it was just the two of them, her action greeted by a shocked chorus of small voices all shouting, ‘Miss Parkin!’
* * *
Kam ended the day on a high, Sports Day had been fun and he hadn’t been able to stop grinning all afternoon. He had been given the job of his dreams, the girl he adored was talking to him again and when Rosy had announced his appointment a huge cheer had gone up from all the assembled parents, children and staff. This had to be the best day ever in the history of his world.
He was walking back to his car, after giving Pippa a goodbye hug while managing to keep all his emotions nicely pent-up as he did so. He felt content and, although he knew he had to accept that Pippa didn’t feel the way he did, the fact they were back on good terms was enough for him right now. Most of the love songs and stories in the world dealt with unrequited love. There was nothing special about him. He was just experiencing one of those things that made humans human.
His phone vibrated in his pocket. He hadn’t to
ld anyone outside of the school his news, but he wouldn’t be at all surprised if his mother had some kind of minicam installed in the top pocket of his suit and was ringing to shriek at him. He stopped as he reached his car and pulled out the phone to see what she had to say.
Only it wasn’t his mother texting, it was Pippa’s. How had she got hold of his number?
Hello! Good news travels fast. Congratulations! I thought I’d get in touch to see if you wanted to join our family for the sea shanty singing in The Smuggler’s Curse on Monday night, it will be great fun and you’d be more than welcome. We’ll be there from half six on. Jan.
The phone beeped again.
That’s Jan, Pippa’s mum, by the way. Hope to see you Monday!
Chapter Forty-three
Feast Week had arrived which meant that Penmenna was filled with fluttering bunting and very high spirits. The bunting was a mish mash and there was so much of it that it was wound around some unusual places as well as flying high in the air, fluttering from lamppost to lamppost. A lot of it had been made by the children at school a few years ago, and in addition there had been some guerrilla knitters in action, creating seaside scenes and yarn bombing the village. Pippa’s money was on Ethel and her friends. Street names (not that there were many) had been framed with knitted seashells and the outside of The Smuggler’s Curse had been prettied up with woollen sea monsters and beach scenes in keeping with the carnival theme.
Yesterday had seen the raft races down on the beach where families had to construct their own rafts out of any material they pleased, launch them in Treporth Bay and then try to sail them the length of the coast to Penmenna. Everyone who stayed afloat won a medal, although you could guarantee only three or four would complete it. This year Pete and Jim had made a contraption that managed to meet all the conditions of the race and was built largely out of empty plastic bottles that Jan had collected all year long. It had been great fun as Pippa, Pete and their dad had optimistically climbed aboard it in Treporth Bay, only to have it sink halfway around, just past the huge rock that protruded out of the sea and that teenagers liked to clamber upon. They had waded around to Penmenna beach, soaked to the skin and roaring with laughter as Jan met them on the other side with towels and a thermos of tea. This was what raft race day was about. This year the summer sun was beating down from the sky, making the capsizing a pleasurable relief rather than an unpleasant soaking. Feast Weeks were not guaranteed to be sunny, so it had been lovely to be splayed out on the beach, munching crisps and gulping water, surrounded by the majority of the village and wider community, with the sun drying them out and warming them through.
