by Anna Samuels
‘Yeah good idea…but keep telling me about your girlfriends! We’ve only got to the first one!’
‘Okay,’ I smiled, and continued as we put chocolate and sweets on top of the icing. ‘What do you want to know?’
‘Hmm…let’s think…I know, most awkward experience to date?’
I grinned, a memory coming to mind. I chuckled under my breath.
‘Ooh come on…this sounds like a good one!’
‘No,’ I laughed. ‘It really wasn’t.’
‘Go on,’ she encouraged. ‘I’m intrigued!’
‘I was dating this woman,’ I began. ‘It had been going fine, we had been on dates and things were progressing in a normal kind of way…’
‘What happened?’ Alex asked, leaning forwards and looking interested.
‘We uh, well we ended up back at hers…she had this weird way of talking about herself in the third person,’ I told Alex. ‘Is she was making a cup of tea, she’d be like ‘Kim’s just making a cup of tea…does Ally want one?’
Alex frowned at me. ‘That’s odd…’
‘It gets worse,’ I warned.
She smiled again, ‘I love it…go on…’
‘Well, we made it to the bedroom and she wouldn’t shut up! We had only ever gotten as far as a kiss but as we got more intimate, she began talking to me constantly, telling me what she was doing and how it should be making me feel…when she started talking about herself sexually in the third person, well I had had it. I excused myself to the bathroom and left the flat! I never saw her again!’ I laughed.
‘Oh my…how cringe worthy!’
‘It sure was…bleurgh,’ I said with a mock shudder. ‘So go on then…what’s yours?’
‘I don’t think I have one,’ she told me.
‘Oh come on!’
‘I’m just not that exciting I guess…the worst moment was that first kiss with my friend from school. I leaned in and planted one on her and she shoved me away horrified. That was pretty awful and awkward. Besides that, I think my sex life has been pretty standard.’
‘Anyone that has completely rocked your world?’ I asked cheekily.
She grinned at me, ‘I’ve had moments I guess…but rocked my world? I’d have to say, no.’
‘Not even Jenny?’ I wondered with a frown.
‘Well, not really…you see we started as friends so it was a real, slow burner.’
‘But there must be a reason why you stayed with her. If there isn’t passion between a couple, problems arise.’
‘Sometimes,’ she murmured, ‘but it’s never really been about that with us. We’re more a meeting of minds I think.’
‘Oh right…’
‘You wouldn’t do the same?’ she asked.
‘I guess I’m just thinking greedily…I’d want it all…passion, great sex, friendship and a meeting of mind and soul.’
Alex nodded slowly, regarding me curiously. ‘Good to know what you want…’
‘I suppose…but when you know what you want, nothing else would be enough.’
‘Yeah…’ she said.
‘Hey, this cake is looking good!’
‘Not bad! I reckon it’s going to be a complete sugar rush,’ she commented.
‘I know…maybe I shouldn’t eat too much before bed.’
‘Oh sorry…you must be getting tired,’ she said, looking at the time on the clock on the wall.
‘No! I didn’t mean that! You stay as long as you like! I don’t want to rush the arrival of Monday too hastily by going to sleep.’
‘Are you sure?’ she asked.
‘Absolutely…what’s another hour going to harm?’
‘Well exactly…’ she murmured and met my eyes warmly. ‘I’ve enjoyed this weekend, Ally.’
I smiled at her fondly. ‘Me too…we’ve been busy, hey?’
‘Yeah…a good busy though.’
‘A very good kind of busy.’
‘Will you come back this week?’ she asked.
‘I don’t know,’ I murmured. ‘If I can I will, but I can never predict how the week will pan out.’
‘Yeah…just think, this will mean only six weeks to go!’
‘Oh yeah! That’s good…one week to go and it will be December!’ she smiled.
‘Wow…’
‘I’ll have to start sorting the Christmas festivities down at the beach,’ she said looking thoughtful.
‘Oh really? What do you do for Christmas down there?’
‘Well we decorate the café and restaurant but the main thing is that we put up a huge tree outside and light it. It’s a special evening where we invite customers to come and watch the big light turn on. It was pretty cool last year.’
‘What date do you do that on?’ I wondered.
‘Usually December 1st. That way we have them up for the whole month,’ she told me.
‘Nice idea…it’s a shame I won’t be open by then.’
‘Maybe you could be there though?’ she questioned. ‘It’s a Saturday, I think.’
‘I wouldn’t miss it!’
‘Great!’ she smiled.
‘I love Christmas…’ I murmured, ‘there’s something a little bit magical about it…even as a grown-up.’
‘I agree…I love it too. What are you doing this year?’
‘I don’t know actually…I haven’t made my plans yet. Laurie will probably want me to go to hers…’
‘Yeah…but that would be nice, right?’
I nodded, ‘It would, yes, and I love seeing the kid’s faces when they open their presents on Christmas day.’
‘I know…’ she smiled.
‘What do you do?’ I asked, intrigued.
‘Most of our Christmases have been just Jenny and I at home…then on boxing day and so on we go and visit the family.’
‘Yeah…doing the rounds…’
‘That’s right, but like you, I haven’t made any concrete plans yet.’
‘We still have six weeks to get through first anyway!’
She nodded, ‘That’s right.’
‘So…cake?’ I asked.
‘Yeah! Let’s give this sugar mountain a try!’
Chapter 17
London calling
We ate cake and then sat watching a TV program. When it got to 11pm, Alex, moved to leave.
‘I better go…I’m flagging now and I’ll be asleep on your sofa if I stay much longer.’
‘Yeah…I’m tired too now. Monday won’t wait much longer,’ I murmured.
‘You’ll be fine,’ she assured me. ‘Perhaps it will be better than you think.’
‘Maybe,’ I agreed.
We wandered to the door slowly and paused at the door. Alex turned to me and smiled warmly.
‘Thanks for this weekend, Ally…what I thought would be something of a quiet, lonely weekend has been the complete opposite. I can’t wait for you to be living down here full time because it’s nice having you as a friend.’
I smiled, nodding. ‘Same here…it can’t come soon enough, I assure you!’
‘Well, stay in touch and let me know if you’re back down on Wednesday.’
‘I will. I’ll see you soon?’
‘Yes, bye Ally,’ she said and for a moment I wondered if she was going to say goodbye in another way.
The moment passed quickly though as I glanced away from her intense eye contact to avoid anything further happening between us. ‘Bye Alex,’ I murmured softly.
‘See you soon,’ she said quietly and then turned and left.
Once Alex was gone, I went upstairs, showered quickly and dressed in pyjamas. I next laid out my work clothes for the morning. After that, I packed my bag at lightning speed, whilst wishing I wasn’t going anywhere. I climbed into bed and found it very difficult to fall asleep. I had work on my mind but even that was being overshadowed by thoughts of something else. Someone else…I couldn’t stop thinking about Alex.
The following morning, I woke early and left by 5.15am. I felt tired but still e
nergised by my weekend with Alex so the journey didn’t feel so bad.
When I got to work, I was surprised to see that the head teacher and deputy head teacher were both in school already, despite the early hour. They were also both dressed more smartly than usual in black power suits. When I got to my classroom, I spent the next hour preparing before going to the next classroom to speak to a teacher friend, Mary.
‘Hey Mary,’ I smiled as I went in.
‘Oh hi, Ally! How are you? How was your weekend?’ she asked.
‘It was great thank you…so lovely to be home. I can’t wait to go home for good,’ I told her, thinking of Alex.
‘I’ll bet…and to be out of here!’ she commented. ‘It’s been a nightmare lately.’
‘I know…hey, do you know what’s going on here this morning…they’re all decked out in suits!’
‘Oh yeah…they’re interviewing this morning from what I heard. Recruiting for your job and also for one more post.’
‘Oh really?’
‘Yes. Tom handed his notice in too.’
‘He didn’t!’ I exclaimed, thinking of the older, male teacher she mentioned.
‘Yep. He’s had enough too…I think I would if I could afford to!’
‘Yeah…well, that’s a turn up for the books! Maybe she’ll leave me alone a bit now!’ I murmured.
‘I think she’s panicking,’ Mary confided. ‘People are beginning to leave in droves…’
‘Yeah…and not just from here. It’s the profession which is flawed too…the job has changed so much, even in the time I’ve been involved. I just find it too much pressure now. I can’t wait for a change of lifestyle.’
‘I’ll bet…and I reckon it’ll do you the world of good,’ she smiled.
‘Thanks…well, I better get sorted for the children arriving.’
‘Me too…see you in a bit.’
‘Yeah,’ I said leaving.
I went about my day as normal, dealing with my difficult class who made every lesson a challenge. At lunchtime, I was just settling down at the table to mark books when the head teacher put her head around the door.
‘Ally? Could we have five minutes in my office?’ she asked.
My heart sank, ‘Yes, of course,’ I replied politely and followed behind her obediently.
In her office she closed the door and we sat across from each other. My heart thumped in anticipation of what was coming next. I wasn’t sure how much worse it could get.
‘I’ve been interviewing this morning,’ she told me, ‘and I have a candidate who is perfect for your class. He’s strong, secure in his knowledge base and able to begin immediately.’
Hope sprang in my heavy heart.
‘You’ve made it very clear about your intentions to leave and your discontent at being here is plain for everyone to see. So I’m going to make a suggestion…’
‘Yes?’ I asked eagerly.
‘I will allow you out of your contract as of the end of the week, based on a few conditions.’
‘Yes, of course,’ I said, excitedly, happiness filling me inside.
‘You work alongside the new teacher for the rest of the week, inducting him to your class and giving him all the information he needs, also I want pupil progress data from you by Wednesday night and also you agree to be paid only to the end of November.’
‘I agree, yes, I’ll do it,’ I said quickly. ‘That sounds like a perfect plan.’
‘You will have to work hard this week.’
‘I know, and I will. Thank you, I appreciate this. I think it will be better for the children long term,’ I murmured.
‘It will be…okay, well, I will speak to the candidate and if he is in agreement, I will introduce him to you later so you can begin after the staff meeting with him.’
I nodded, knowing that it would be a long week but at the end of it, all this hardship would be over. ‘Thank you,’ I smiled.
I then turned and left.
I walked back to my classroom with a huge smile on my face. I felt overjoyed that I was being given an opportunity to leave early and felt like I was walking on air.
‘Ally? Why do you look so happy?’ Mary asked, ‘You do know its Monday and we’re here?’ she asked with a frown.
‘Come in here a minute,’ I said, pulling her into my classroom.
‘What is it?’
‘They’re employing some new teacher for my job and the head says she’ll let me leave early! He’ll take over next week!’ I exclaimed happily.
‘No way! Why?’
‘I don’t know…I guess because he’s available to start and she knows I don’t want to be here. I don’t care why…I just want to leave and she’s given me the opportunity.’
‘Wow! Well, I’m happy for you, Ally. Just think, this time next week, they’ll be no getting up for Monday morning.’
‘No!’ I said, mulling that over in my head. ‘I’ll be headed down the beach! To carry on setting up my gallery!’
‘Exactly. On to bigger and better things,’ she smiled.
‘I hope so.’
Mary smiled at me. ‘Can I come and visit sometime? See your art gallery?’
‘Of course! You’d be welcome any time! Come and have a holiday by the sea! Bring the kids!’
‘Thanks Ally…I’ll miss you when you leave.’
‘I’ll miss you too, but I won’t miss this place. It sucks the life out of you.’
‘I know,’ she murmured. ‘I’m going to keep looking and find a way out to another job.’
I nodded, ‘Good for you.’
‘So, when does this guy start?’
‘She’s introducing him to me later today! He’s going to shadow me this week while I do his induction basically.’
‘Oh, load of fun then!’
‘Not really but worth it in the end…I have to get the progress data in too…it’s going to be a busy week.’
‘But then you’re free!’
‘Exactly,’ I smiled. ‘Then I’m free.’
At 3pm, the children left and I checked my phone. A message from Alex waited for me.
‘Hey! Thanks for a great weekend, hope your Monday wasn’t too bad x’
I smiled at the message and quickly typed back. ‘It was good actually…I won’t be able to make it back this Wednesday but I’ll be home Saturday and tell you all about it then! Hope all is well your end x’
I pressed send and watched the phone for a moment. I found I didn’t want to tell her over text message, I wanted to tell her in person. She quickly replied.
‘That’s good actually because I’m tied up this Wednesday with Jenny. Hope the rest of the week goes okay though! See you back at the beach soon xxx’
I frowned, having forgotten about Jenny for a moment. The mention of her name reminded me of her presence in Alex’s like and in some ways it bothered me.
I headed for the staff meeting thinking about Alex and it wasn’t until half way through that I was jerked back to attention by the mention of my name.
‘Ally will now be leaving as of the end of the week as we have appointed her replacement this week. Everyone, I’d like you to meet Mike Mitchell. Mike is going to be around this week, shadowing Ally who will show him everything he needs to know. Make sure you stop and say hello though as Mike is new to the area.’
Everyone began murmuring and talking about the exciting new addition to the team while I sat in my chair, counting my lucky stars that I would be out of the place in four more days.
When the meeting was over, I introduced myself to Mike and we headed to my classroom together. It was more than two hours later when we called it a day and both headed home, by which time I was exhausted. I fell into the hotel bed swiftly, and promptly fell asleep.
The week was long, laborious and tiring. By the time Friday came, I was ready to drop. I finished the day and said goodbye to the people who cared about me there. I then loaded my car with my meagre teaching belongings, smiled and headed home.
&nbs
p; As I drove, I thought of the last twelve years spent as a teacher. I felt no regret but I knew I was ready to move on. My mind replayed some of the wonderful experiences I had had over the previous year whilst also remembering some of the more harrowing and challenging times I had faced.
I drove the long way home and when I arrived in Bournemouth, found I wanted to go to the sea. I followed the road down to Hope Beach, vaguely hoping to see Alex. It was late though, and as I arrived in the car park I saw that everything was very much closed up. It was dark aside from the moonlight and there wasn’t a soul in sight.
I parked my car and climbed out. Even though it was drizzling, I headed down to the sea wall which overlooked the sand. I sat down and gazed out at this place where I felt so content, so happy. It felt wonderful to be back and to know that this was it, there would be no more travelling to London to teach unruly kids. No, I would be living in my old family home and trying my hand at becoming the artist I wanted to be. Bliss, I thought to myself. Bliss.
I sat there in the rain for some time. I needed some time to reflect and to think. The quiet time was just what I needed. With only the sea breeze and the sound of the waves for company, I was happy.
When I began to feel the cold, I hopped back over the wall and headed to my car with a spring in my step. I drove home, and after a quick shower fell into bed. I was absolutely exhausted. My mind and body had had enough. It was time for me to rest.
Chapter 18
The Gallery
The following morning, I awoke late to the sound of knocking. I stumbled out of bed blindly, and headed down the stairs rubbing my eyes. After pushing my short, dark mop of hair out of my eyes, I opened the door and blinked into the sunlight.
‘Oh thank goodness!’ Alex said, looking at me concerned.
‘Alex?’ I questioned, confused.
‘You didn’t answer your phone or turn up last night like I expected. I wanted to check that you were okay. I was worried.’
‘I was sleeping…I think I was tired,’ I mumbled.
‘I’ll say! It’s 11am!’ she exclaimed.
