Chapter 38 — The Creatures of Westborough

There was another problem at Westborough School, however. I was under the tutelage of a nutcase. To compound matters her sister-in-law, who was also a nutcase, by the way, was Head of Department, and these two creatures took an immediate dislike to me, so much so, that they didn't ask you to do something, but they demanded it and added ice in their eyes too with the mention of it.

I don't know why they disliked me, and I didn't really care, as I had enough reserve not to bite, although, at times, I admit it was hard not to. Thinking back, I think maybe it was something minor which they took umbrage with at first, but I'm astute and quick to read a face, and once I'd noticed these two creatures didn't like me, I began to be wary of them, whilst never overstepping the boundary of professionalism, you understand.

The tutor was small with the most unappealing set of bulging eyes, and I always wondered how she'd got herself married and become sister-in-law to the Head of Department, who, by the way, was equally absent of even average looks, and large parts of her head and face seemed to be set quite apart. I often wondered what the brother looked like who'd married the former and was kin to the latter bulge of ugliness, but I shook my head and thought upon better things.

I believe those two women put every conceivable obstacle in my way that year to hinder my progress and in their dreams have me slung off the course. What made matters worse was that the kids would groan when the tutor appeared in the room, and they'd mutter, 'We're not having her again, are we?'

I carried on in such vein, past Christmas and into the cold month of January, and the beginning of February when Anna gave birth. The Link Tutor, Sarah, a wonderful woman, rang up and told us three trainee teachers that we were not to attend that Wednesday morning for our tutorial, as she wouldn't be in because of flu, but for us to go in as normal in the afternoon to teach our classes. The other two girls were in Science, and they, too, didn't show up until the afternoon to teach.

The unfortunate part of this was that no one told the creatures from the English Department this necessary piece of news, and this the creatures seized upon as a heinous act of absence on my part, and, more importantly, hadn't rung the school to say I wouldn't be there in the morning. They thought they had their bullet to finally get rid of me, and when I saw them outside the door at the start of my afternoon class in deepest conversation and looking towards me through the glass in the window, I knew something was afoot.

The small, squat creature with the bulging eyes was elected to do the deed, and if I'd been in their shoes, I'd have chosen her myself, as she was definitely the most frightening and hideous of the two creatures. I was prepared.

She burst through the door to the astonishment of the kids, who were the youngest in the school, no more than 11 or 12, and she began a huge screaming tirade about rights and responsibilities of being a teacher and about turning up to school and about ringing when one couldn't and about all the other desperate things the silly woman wanted to get off her chest, if you could call it one, that is.

I let the woman have her day; I said nothing and simply waited for her to blow herself out, which she did, in the end.

'I think you've frightened the children and your eyes are rolling and you're spitting, too. Look, it's on my shirt,' and I showed the aforementioned shirt to the children, who started sniggering, which sent the creature's face to a most unnatural colour and shape.

'Now, Miss, I suggest you go and calm down in the arms of your sister-in-law and we'll speak when I've finished teaching. Oh, and by the way, it was Sarah, my Link Tutor, who told me to come only in the afternoon. Now, Miss, off you go.'

I opened the door and looked at the creature with a discernible smirk as she left.

I informed Sarah, the Link Tutor, of the event, and she demanded I complain, but I wasn't bothered, as Anna was due to give birth within the week, and that was more important than any hideous creature and her sister-in-law at Westborough High was.

The funeral was set for the following Friday. When I told the creature at school that I wouldn't be coming in that day, she replied, 'Well, you won't get paid, you know. Do you know that?'

'Listen, I don't get paid anyway. I'm on a course, and it's called a PGCE, and I wouldn't have thought you'd have been so utterly ignorant as to not know that?' I walked off without waiting for a reply. I think if the woman had been a bloke, I'd have been sorely tempted at that moment to slam him in the face and jack the course in.

The funeral passed off without much fuss, and shortly afterwards Anna, Rebecca, and Alex moved into 255, but not without me decorating the whole place up first. This was the first time I'd lived a family life, and I enjoyed it, although money was still difficult as the PGCE still had a couple of months to run.