moptop
11-25-2006, 02:30 PM
This is a story written without spell/grammar checker. I know my spelling is not always the best, never has been; but my grammar is generally OK. I did come to realise as I typed this that I rely quite heavily on the spell/grammar checkers nowadays, they make you very lazy. However, I have always written a lot long-hand, so it didn't feel uncomfortable: also, it makes you be more aware of what you're writing as you write it, to have to keep an eye on your typing and spelling as you go. I had far less to change on proofing than I normally would (not that I consider it a finished article, I'm not happy with the dialogue at all at the moment, but it's served the purpose of the exercise, I think).
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School days
It was a typical autumnal day: wet, a chill wind that forced the damp into your bones, grey, and dark by half past three.
Aurora stuck her chin down into the collar of her coat as she struggled through the weather, peering up through her brows to try to avoid walking into anyone, keeping an eye down to try to avoid puddles. She was on her way to pick the kids, Selina and Alexander, up from school. How she longed for the day when they would be old enough to see themselves home! It was only ten minutes walk, but she still couldn't trust them to the traffic, and most especially couldn't bear to let them walk home in the dark. You just never knew... she shuddered and her throat went dry, just to have imagined any harm befalling them.
She rounded the corner, and smiled to see the school shining in the darkness, its windows lit yellow from the inside, showing up the snowflakes, angels, Father Christmases and other paper shapes pasted across them. The shouts, screams and joyful, piercing yells of many children rushing across the playground to greet liberty and parents met her ears, and she winced slightly, but found herself speeding up, always eager to see her two darling brats again. Her trouble and her joy.
She made out Alexander hurtling towards her with a huge proud grin on his face, waving something at her. She squatted down and held out her arms, and he threw himself enthusiastically into them.
"Mum, mum, look mum, look, I made an advent calendar! Look, it's got twenty holes in and I drawed a different picture in each hole, and at the end there's baby Jesus and a Christmas tree, look!"
"Drew, not drawed, darling, oh, aren't you clever, hang on, stop waving it about a second, let Mummy look. Oh, wow, that's brilliant, Alex, I love that angel! and Father Christmas, and what a brilliant donkey - "
"It's an ass, mum, not a donkey!"
"Oh, sorry, silly me, of course! That's fantastic."
She looked up, scanning the playground and meeting area.
"Where's Selina, darling?"
Alex shrugged unconcernedly.
"I dunno. She's in Mr Patterson's class, not mine."
"No, well, I know you're in different classes, but you might have known. Mr Patterson? Who's Mr Patterson, I don't think I've heard of him before?"
"He's the new teacher, he only started today. He's very nice, he talked to us all this morning at Assembly and told some jokes, and Selina told me at break that he was really nice. He's instead of old Jambers, she was a cow."
"Alex!" Laughing despite herself. "You must not be rude about your teachers! It's very naughty. Come on, let's go in and see if we can find your sister."
She took the somewhat crumpled advent calendar in one hand, Alex's sticky mitt in the other, and made her way in.
It was a small, old fashioned school, just one central hall with a polished parquet floor, fake marble walls, and only five classrooms radiating off it. Aurora was able to tell immediately where to try for first, because just one room showed proof of occupancy through happy shouts and laughter emanating from it. She made her way across the hall, her shoes squeaking slightly, and poked her head round the door. By the main desk a tall man with dark hair, just a little long, wearing a green sweatshirt and smart-casual black slacks, was surrounded by a small and delighted sea of children. They were all happily clamouring and vying for his attention, which he was patiently dividing between them as fairly as he could. Aurora was able to spot Selina's flaxen plaits easily enough in the melée, and called out to her.
Mr Patterson - since it was obviously he - glanced up, a startled look mixing with his warm smile.
"Oh! oh, dear, a concerned parent, I presume. Who is it you're trying to extricate, Selina? Right you are - Selina, Selina, look, your mum's here - no, Pete, don't do that to Emma - Selina, you'd better be off. In fact all of you had best be off, come on!"
There was a chorus of disappointed 'Oh, sir!'s, but he firmly made his way through the throng, leading Selina by the shoulder to Aurora. As he reached her, he held his hand out and offered,
"Good evening, I'm Jim Patterson, how do you do, I assume you are Selina's mother, but I'm very sorry, it's my first day and I can't remember all the surnames?"
Aurora dropped Alex's gloved hand to take the one proffered; however, before she could introduce herself, Alex pulled the advent calendar out of her other hand and waved it in the teacher's face, piping,
"Look what I made, Mr Patterson, look, l did it all myself, in Miss Amerly's class!"
Mr Patterson looked down and took the calendar from the eager boy, giving it grave consideration and nodding, "Yes, that's very good, well done. You've got a different picture behind every door I see - I don't think I could have thought of all those things!"
Alex gave a happy grin and promptly dropped the subject completely, rushing across the room with a roar to go and play with some of the other children who were still scooting about. Both adults watched him go and turned back to each other with indulgent smiles on their faces.
"I'm Mrs Wickham, Mr Patterson. I'm sorry about Alex, he's so proud of it! And I wouldn't expect you to know everyone's names on your first day, honestly."
Mr Patterson shrugged a little, "Well, I do try to make sure I can remember each child's first name, but surnames, you know, they aren't important at this stage." He looked over her shoulder at the doorway. "Ah, oh dear, more concerned parents, I think. Do excuse me, Mrs Wickham." He moved towards the door. "Come in, come in, please, I can assure you that I will normally get all your kids out onto the streets in proper time, we were just getting to know each other better. Hi, Jim Patterson, how do you do, Jim Patterson..."
Selina was still standing quietly beside her, so Aurora took her hand and went to pull Alex out of the throng. Mr Patterson was busy meeting and greeting, so she quietly made her way out. As she walked the children home, she found herself side-tracked, only partly listening to them as they chattered. That Mr Patterson seemed a really nice man. The kids all seemed to like him. She wished she'd had more of a chance to talk to him. There was definitely something about him. As she shrugged her shoulders up against the rain that was now blowing down the back of her neck, she caught a little smile on her face, and wondered about it.
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It was 8.30 in the evening. She had finally managed to get both Alex and Selina settled, having read them a story, kissed their cheeks and stroked their hair tenderly as they fell gently to sleep. She plumped herself down on the sofa, turning the TV on and flicking idly through the channels, blowing at a strand of hair that had fallen across her eyes. She relaxed her shoulders, leant her head back and wished she had another adult to talk with. Some days you didn't want to be alone. But she couldn't think of a single person amongst all her friends or aquaintances that she actually wanted to be with right now. No, she wanted to curl up with someone and just exchange inconsequential chat about the day they'd each had. Not hot gossip or one-upmanship, no scandalous stories of affairs with other's husbands or bragging about someone's latest promotion. She just wanted a good cuddle.
She stared at the TV for a while, trying to concentrate on the news, and must have been dozing slightly when the doorbell rang, because she jumped, sending the remote clattering across the room.
"Good heavens!" she thought to herself, hastily trying to brush her hair into some semblance of order, and tugging her jumper down as she made her way to the door. "Who on earth is that at this time of night!"
She opened the door a crack, peering out, and to her surprise saw a bedraggled Mr Patterson. She didn't think for a second, but opened the door wider, motioning him inside. "Come in, come in quickly, it's foul out there!"
"I'm very sorry to disturb you, Mrs Wickham,"
"Aurora, please."
"Aurora, thanks, that's a lovely name. And please call me Jim." He stood on the doormat dripping slightly, and they both came to an uncertain stop, smiling.
"Well, Jim, um - would you like a coffee? Here, let me take your coat, you're soaked."
"No, no, thanks, Aurora," he smiled, saying her name, then hesitated again. She felt sudden concern.
"It's not a problem with Selina, is it? She's very shy, she can be very quiet at first, but she's quite bright, you know -"
He cut her off. "No, no, it's nothing like that, no, Selina is a lovely girl, and I think she's very bright. No - it's - well, here, I brought you this back." From inside his coat, he fished out Alex's advent calendar, now considerably the worse for wear. Jim peered at it anxiously. "Oh dear. I did try to keep it flat and dry inside my coat, you know, I am sorry,"
"Oh, Lord!" Aurora laughed, and took the soggy thing from him. "How incredibly sweet of you! I'm sure it'll dry overnight, and it's only crayon, it won't run. Alex wouldn't notice, anyway! But you are so kind, I'm sure no-one else would have bothered, you know - he could always have collected it from you tomorrow!"
"Well, yes, yes that's true, I suppose he could have picked it up tomorrow. Except - except I don't think I'd have let him, you see." Aurora just looked at him, head on one side with a slight puzzled frown, indicating to him to explain. "You see, um, it's not an accident that I had it. Kept it, I mean. When you left - well, I nearly called out to you to take it, but - I didn't." Seeing her looking still more puzzled and perhaps starting to be affronted, he rushed on. "You see, I realised it would be a good excuse. Bringing it round, I mean. So I could see you. Because I, um, well, I wanted to get the chance to talk to you again. You just seemed so nice, I was so sorry we were interrupted, so, I know it's very presumptive of me, but I was wondering if you'd like to come out for a drink, one evening? Or maybe even dinner?" He looked at her with a small smile, raising his eyebrows, his chin cocked forward and shoulders raised slightly, ready to be refused, hoping to be accepted.
Aurora took a step back and put her hand to her breast in surprise. He was asking her out! Her! Him! For a date! "Oh, my word, Jim, I'm - goodness, I'm overwhelmed!"
He started to turn away, "I'm sorry, forgive me, it was stupid, so rude of me, and of course quite inappropriate, you being a parent -"
"No, no, Jim, please, stop!" She put a hand out, rushing to interrupt him. "I'd love to! Oh, really, it would be lovely. And - well, I'm free any night, generally, I can always ask my neighbour to sit for me, providing I'm not too late back, and - oh, Jim, I'm so pleased you hung on to that calendar!"
He swung back round towards her and they stood grinning stupidly at each other. Two strangers, just met, and yet without warning each feeling that they had found a missing link. Suddenly, the future looked bright.
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School days
It was a typical autumnal day: wet, a chill wind that forced the damp into your bones, grey, and dark by half past three.
Aurora stuck her chin down into the collar of her coat as she struggled through the weather, peering up through her brows to try to avoid walking into anyone, keeping an eye down to try to avoid puddles. She was on her way to pick the kids, Selina and Alexander, up from school. How she longed for the day when they would be old enough to see themselves home! It was only ten minutes walk, but she still couldn't trust them to the traffic, and most especially couldn't bear to let them walk home in the dark. You just never knew... she shuddered and her throat went dry, just to have imagined any harm befalling them.
She rounded the corner, and smiled to see the school shining in the darkness, its windows lit yellow from the inside, showing up the snowflakes, angels, Father Christmases and other paper shapes pasted across them. The shouts, screams and joyful, piercing yells of many children rushing across the playground to greet liberty and parents met her ears, and she winced slightly, but found herself speeding up, always eager to see her two darling brats again. Her trouble and her joy.
She made out Alexander hurtling towards her with a huge proud grin on his face, waving something at her. She squatted down and held out her arms, and he threw himself enthusiastically into them.
"Mum, mum, look mum, look, I made an advent calendar! Look, it's got twenty holes in and I drawed a different picture in each hole, and at the end there's baby Jesus and a Christmas tree, look!"
"Drew, not drawed, darling, oh, aren't you clever, hang on, stop waving it about a second, let Mummy look. Oh, wow, that's brilliant, Alex, I love that angel! and Father Christmas, and what a brilliant donkey - "
"It's an ass, mum, not a donkey!"
"Oh, sorry, silly me, of course! That's fantastic."
She looked up, scanning the playground and meeting area.
"Where's Selina, darling?"
Alex shrugged unconcernedly.
"I dunno. She's in Mr Patterson's class, not mine."
"No, well, I know you're in different classes, but you might have known. Mr Patterson? Who's Mr Patterson, I don't think I've heard of him before?"
"He's the new teacher, he only started today. He's very nice, he talked to us all this morning at Assembly and told some jokes, and Selina told me at break that he was really nice. He's instead of old Jambers, she was a cow."
"Alex!" Laughing despite herself. "You must not be rude about your teachers! It's very naughty. Come on, let's go in and see if we can find your sister."
She took the somewhat crumpled advent calendar in one hand, Alex's sticky mitt in the other, and made her way in.
It was a small, old fashioned school, just one central hall with a polished parquet floor, fake marble walls, and only five classrooms radiating off it. Aurora was able to tell immediately where to try for first, because just one room showed proof of occupancy through happy shouts and laughter emanating from it. She made her way across the hall, her shoes squeaking slightly, and poked her head round the door. By the main desk a tall man with dark hair, just a little long, wearing a green sweatshirt and smart-casual black slacks, was surrounded by a small and delighted sea of children. They were all happily clamouring and vying for his attention, which he was patiently dividing between them as fairly as he could. Aurora was able to spot Selina's flaxen plaits easily enough in the melée, and called out to her.
Mr Patterson - since it was obviously he - glanced up, a startled look mixing with his warm smile.
"Oh! oh, dear, a concerned parent, I presume. Who is it you're trying to extricate, Selina? Right you are - Selina, Selina, look, your mum's here - no, Pete, don't do that to Emma - Selina, you'd better be off. In fact all of you had best be off, come on!"
There was a chorus of disappointed 'Oh, sir!'s, but he firmly made his way through the throng, leading Selina by the shoulder to Aurora. As he reached her, he held his hand out and offered,
"Good evening, I'm Jim Patterson, how do you do, I assume you are Selina's mother, but I'm very sorry, it's my first day and I can't remember all the surnames?"
Aurora dropped Alex's gloved hand to take the one proffered; however, before she could introduce herself, Alex pulled the advent calendar out of her other hand and waved it in the teacher's face, piping,
"Look what I made, Mr Patterson, look, l did it all myself, in Miss Amerly's class!"
Mr Patterson looked down and took the calendar from the eager boy, giving it grave consideration and nodding, "Yes, that's very good, well done. You've got a different picture behind every door I see - I don't think I could have thought of all those things!"
Alex gave a happy grin and promptly dropped the subject completely, rushing across the room with a roar to go and play with some of the other children who were still scooting about. Both adults watched him go and turned back to each other with indulgent smiles on their faces.
"I'm Mrs Wickham, Mr Patterson. I'm sorry about Alex, he's so proud of it! And I wouldn't expect you to know everyone's names on your first day, honestly."
Mr Patterson shrugged a little, "Well, I do try to make sure I can remember each child's first name, but surnames, you know, they aren't important at this stage." He looked over her shoulder at the doorway. "Ah, oh dear, more concerned parents, I think. Do excuse me, Mrs Wickham." He moved towards the door. "Come in, come in, please, I can assure you that I will normally get all your kids out onto the streets in proper time, we were just getting to know each other better. Hi, Jim Patterson, how do you do, Jim Patterson..."
Selina was still standing quietly beside her, so Aurora took her hand and went to pull Alex out of the throng. Mr Patterson was busy meeting and greeting, so she quietly made her way out. As she walked the children home, she found herself side-tracked, only partly listening to them as they chattered. That Mr Patterson seemed a really nice man. The kids all seemed to like him. She wished she'd had more of a chance to talk to him. There was definitely something about him. As she shrugged her shoulders up against the rain that was now blowing down the back of her neck, she caught a little smile on her face, and wondered about it.
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It was 8.30 in the evening. She had finally managed to get both Alex and Selina settled, having read them a story, kissed their cheeks and stroked their hair tenderly as they fell gently to sleep. She plumped herself down on the sofa, turning the TV on and flicking idly through the channels, blowing at a strand of hair that had fallen across her eyes. She relaxed her shoulders, leant her head back and wished she had another adult to talk with. Some days you didn't want to be alone. But she couldn't think of a single person amongst all her friends or aquaintances that she actually wanted to be with right now. No, she wanted to curl up with someone and just exchange inconsequential chat about the day they'd each had. Not hot gossip or one-upmanship, no scandalous stories of affairs with other's husbands or bragging about someone's latest promotion. She just wanted a good cuddle.
She stared at the TV for a while, trying to concentrate on the news, and must have been dozing slightly when the doorbell rang, because she jumped, sending the remote clattering across the room.
"Good heavens!" she thought to herself, hastily trying to brush her hair into some semblance of order, and tugging her jumper down as she made her way to the door. "Who on earth is that at this time of night!"
She opened the door a crack, peering out, and to her surprise saw a bedraggled Mr Patterson. She didn't think for a second, but opened the door wider, motioning him inside. "Come in, come in quickly, it's foul out there!"
"I'm very sorry to disturb you, Mrs Wickham,"
"Aurora, please."
"Aurora, thanks, that's a lovely name. And please call me Jim." He stood on the doormat dripping slightly, and they both came to an uncertain stop, smiling.
"Well, Jim, um - would you like a coffee? Here, let me take your coat, you're soaked."
"No, no, thanks, Aurora," he smiled, saying her name, then hesitated again. She felt sudden concern.
"It's not a problem with Selina, is it? She's very shy, she can be very quiet at first, but she's quite bright, you know -"
He cut her off. "No, no, it's nothing like that, no, Selina is a lovely girl, and I think she's very bright. No - it's - well, here, I brought you this back." From inside his coat, he fished out Alex's advent calendar, now considerably the worse for wear. Jim peered at it anxiously. "Oh dear. I did try to keep it flat and dry inside my coat, you know, I am sorry,"
"Oh, Lord!" Aurora laughed, and took the soggy thing from him. "How incredibly sweet of you! I'm sure it'll dry overnight, and it's only crayon, it won't run. Alex wouldn't notice, anyway! But you are so kind, I'm sure no-one else would have bothered, you know - he could always have collected it from you tomorrow!"
"Well, yes, yes that's true, I suppose he could have picked it up tomorrow. Except - except I don't think I'd have let him, you see." Aurora just looked at him, head on one side with a slight puzzled frown, indicating to him to explain. "You see, um, it's not an accident that I had it. Kept it, I mean. When you left - well, I nearly called out to you to take it, but - I didn't." Seeing her looking still more puzzled and perhaps starting to be affronted, he rushed on. "You see, I realised it would be a good excuse. Bringing it round, I mean. So I could see you. Because I, um, well, I wanted to get the chance to talk to you again. You just seemed so nice, I was so sorry we were interrupted, so, I know it's very presumptive of me, but I was wondering if you'd like to come out for a drink, one evening? Or maybe even dinner?" He looked at her with a small smile, raising his eyebrows, his chin cocked forward and shoulders raised slightly, ready to be refused, hoping to be accepted.
Aurora took a step back and put her hand to her breast in surprise. He was asking her out! Her! Him! For a date! "Oh, my word, Jim, I'm - goodness, I'm overwhelmed!"
He started to turn away, "I'm sorry, forgive me, it was stupid, so rude of me, and of course quite inappropriate, you being a parent -"
"No, no, Jim, please, stop!" She put a hand out, rushing to interrupt him. "I'd love to! Oh, really, it would be lovely. And - well, I'm free any night, generally, I can always ask my neighbour to sit for me, providing I'm not too late back, and - oh, Jim, I'm so pleased you hung on to that calendar!"
He swung back round towards her and they stood grinning stupidly at each other. Two strangers, just met, and yet without warning each feeling that they had found a missing link. Suddenly, the future looked bright.