Read Online Lessons from the Heart by John Clanchy - Free Book Online Page A

differently.’
    â€˜Well,’ I say, ‘I was with Toni, and I know Miss Temple and Miss Plummer were together, so I suppose that left Mrs Harvey and Jenny Freeborn. She was the other monitor.’
    â€˜And the men?’
    â€˜Mr Jasmyne was with Mr Tremblings, I think.’
    â€˜And the other two monitors – this was Jamie Turner and …?’
    â€˜David Lau.’
    â€˜They were together?’
    â€˜I think so. But I couldn’t swear to it because they were right at the other end of the tents.’
    â€˜So, the men’s tents were all at one end?’
    â€˜Up where the boys were.’
    â€˜And the women down the girls’ end?’
    â€˜Yes.’
    â€˜And that left one person over.’
    â€˜How do you mean, Mr Jackson?’
    â€˜Well, if what you’ve said so far is right, we have one person left who apparently had a tent to himself – Mr Prescott. How did that come about?’
    â€˜I don’t know, Mr Jackson.’
    â€˜Well, would you have expected it? I mean, Mr Prescott’s very popular, isn’t he? With students, with other teachers?’
    â€˜Yes.’
    â€˜So, wouldn’t you expect he’d be the first person someone would want to tent with – another teacher, one of the monitors perhaps?’
    â€˜Well, if they had a choice, the monitors wouldn’t want to sleep with a teacher.’
    There is a silence when I say this. I look up at the picture of the Queen on the wall above Mr Jackson’s head to stop myself from going red.
    â€˜Tenting,’ Mr Jackson says finally. ‘We’re discussing tenting for the moment, Miss Vassilopoulos.’
    â€˜Yes, Mr Jackson. But I’m sure Mr Jasmyne and Mr Tremblings would have wanted to be together.’
    â€˜Why?’ Mr Kovacs says, and this is the first question he’s asked so far. I thought he must have gone to sleep or been resting his eyes till Toni’s legs appeared through the door.
    â€˜Because they’re both …’
    â€˜Both what?’ Mr Kovacs says.
    â€˜Both …’ I say, and I don’t want to make another mistake and say something stupid, and how can you say nerds about two teachers to the Principal and the Chairman of the School Board? But I’ve got so flustered, nerd is the only word I can think of, and they wouldn’t understand geek or dweeb, and what’s a proper English synonym for nerd anyway?
    And by this time, Mr Kovacs has got a funny look on his face and is leaning back in his chair and looking at Mr Jackson, not me at all, and his expression is saying, ‘Well, good God, Principal, what have we got on our hands here?’, or something.
    â€˜They’re both what, Laura?’ Mr Murchison asks, in his usual helpful voice. ‘Compatible? Both interested in the same things?’
    â€˜Yes. That’s what I mean.’
    â€˜What sorts of things?’
    â€˜Well, like plants and animals, and that. And computing -they’re always talking about this exciting new software program or something.’
    â€˜I see,’ Mr Murchison says, and Mr Kovacs has gone back to fiddling with his papers again, and saving his eyes up for Toni.
    â€˜And so,’ Mr Murchison says, ‘with common interests like that, they’d naturally gravitate together, just as the two male monitors would?’
    â€˜Yes.’
    â€˜And I suppose Mr Prescott – being the easy-going fellow he is – would probably say “Go ahead, I’m fine by myself”?’
    â€˜Yes, Mr Murchison,’ I say, and I’m just glad there’s someone there with a few brains who can work things out.
    â€˜Thank you, Mr Murchison,’ Mr Jackson says, but I can tell he doesn’t mean it. ‘That’s been very helpful. And now, Miss Vassilopoulos, just one more thing about this Cobar stop-over.’
    â€˜Yes, Mr Jackson?’ I say, but I’m wondering to myself if