Between the Prison and the Sewage Works by Maryline Suchley (snow like ashes txt) 📖

most incompetent teachers in the school, in very real danger of failing my probationary year. I just found out about a possible murderer, my love life is just pitiful and I think I have a stalker! Perhaps stalker is a bit dramatic; over enthusiastic admirer.’

‘Shit Mara why can’t my life be as exciting!’

Mara just raised her eyebrows.

‘Okay enough about me, what have you been up to Sam?’

‘Job’s shit, my flat’s shit, I have no boyfriend and I don’t seem to be doing anything with my life and your brother turned me down big time.’

‘Sam you’re not still holding out for Ángelmí are you? What do you mean he turned you down?’

‘That night in the British Legion, I told him how I felt; he said that he proposed to someone else.’

Mara nearly choked.

‘What? This is news to me; he never even said anything about being with someone! Sorry Sam.’ Mara said now realising that this probably wasn’t what she wanted to hear.

‘Look enough about men, let’s get rat arsed and regret it tomorrow,’ Mara said.

‘Agreed,’ Sam replied. ‘Oh happy birthday.’

They spent the evening and early hours drinking far too much, flirting far too much and laughing a lot.

Despite the thumping heads the next day they still managed to do some shopping in the City centre and drink sensibly at Sam’s local that evening.

The next day Mara caught the train to Somerset feeling drained both emotionally and physically.

Whilst in Somerset Mara phoned the A1 supply agency.

‘Hello A1 teacher, Steve speaking,’ a distinctly coarse voice answered.

‘Hi, I would like to register as a supply teacher,’

The voice on the phone informed Mara that she needed to make an appointment and bring in all her documentation.

‘What schools do you tend to send teachers to?’ Mara asked.

‘Usually schools in South East London.’

‘Do you send a lot to Thamesmead Poly?’

‘Uh we do, why do you ask?’

‘I know someone who works there?’

‘Oh yeah who?’ inquired the voice.

‘Joyce Crest,’

‘We deal with her for the supply work.’

‘Okay well I’ll come in and register next week,’ said Mara.

‘Great, what’s your name?’

‘My Name?’

‘Yep, what people call you by?’

‘Beris.’

‘Beris what?’

‘Beris Clement’

‘Okay Beris Clement we’ll see you next week!’

‘That was a strange conversation and I didn’t really learn much,’ she thought.

Back in London the flat was cold and uninviting. The light on the answering machine flashed.

Mara opened a bottle of wine and pressed the play button on the machine.

‘Hi. This is Mat, just wondering if you would like to catch up?’

‘Hi Mat again, called around earlier and no answer, wondering if you would like to go for a drink?’

Clunk.

‘Hi this is Mat could you give me a ring.’

Clunk.

Clunk.

Clunk.

Mara stood gobsmacked

‘This is not normal behaviour!’

‘Shit he could be outside,’ she said checking the door was locked and now feeling freaked.

Just as she did this the phone rang.

She hesitated and decided not to pick up.

The message machine clicked.

Hi Mara, it’s James.

Mara quickly picked up the phone.

‘Oh Hi James just ran out of the bath.’

‘Having a good break?’ he asked

‘Yes I’ve been away in Somerset.’

‘That explains why you haven’t been in when I phoned; anyway I was wondering would you like to catch up for a drink tomorrow if you’re not busy.’

‘Would love to,’ she replied.

‘Great, can I come to you?’

Mara gave him directions and said she would see him at seven.

This definitely lifted her mood; she had almost forgotten about Mat’s messages and carried on drinking her wine, whilst grinning ridiculously to herself on the sofa.

Mara spent half the day cleaning and tidying her flat and the other half with head to toe self maintenance and repairs.

The bell on the intercom rang.

Oh he’s keen, she thought.

‘Hello.’

‘Hi Mara it’s Mat.’

‘Uh, Mat what are you doing here?’

I’ve come round to see you.’

‘No Mat I’m really busy and am expecting friends. Look I’ll talk to you another time.

‘Just let me in for a minute!’

‘No Mat please go,’ Mara said firmly shutting off the intercom.

She sat on the sofa feeling a bit shaken.

‘This must be stalking?’

The intercom rang again. Apprehensively she answered.

To her relief it was James.

He brought with him a couple of bottles of wine.

‘Thought we’d have a few drinks here’ said James.

‘Great. Have you eaten?’ asked Mara

‘Yep. Had some dinner with Daniel. What about you?’

‘Yes,’ she lied.

Not a good mix; wine and an empty stomach, thought Mara, better watch how much I drink.

‘This is a bit unexpected James? I got the distinct impression you were ignoring me?’ That was a bit forward, thought Mara kicking herself.

‘Yeah sorry. I was being a bit um vague, but I’ve been talking to Daniel and he confessed to making up a few things.

‘Making up things?’ she asked

‘He told me he saw you with another guy in a jewellery shop and that it looked like you were seeing him.’

‘What Ángelmí? uh my brother?’

‘Oh that’s who it was?’

‘I did say he was coming to stay that weekend and why didn’t you just ask? Why did he say that?

‘He has issues. Anyway last week he saw how gutted I was and decided to tell me the truth.’

Mara didn’t know whether to be fuming at what Daniel had done, or overwhelmed that James had said he was gutted.

She decided to be pleased that he was gutted and leaned over to kiss him. James responded with a kiss back. Mara felt the rush of some kind of hormone kicking into action.

Finally, she thought.

Sunday morning didn’t feel as gloomy as it usually did as Mara had the prospect of Sunday lunch in the City with James to look forward to.

The phone rang.

‘Mara, can’t believe you blew me off for that Irish git?’ Mat shouted.

Things had gone too far now, Mara decided as she slammed down the phone. She thought for a few minutes.

Shit this is not right, what should I do? I know I’ll ring Mark, ask him for advice.

Mara fetched her purse and pulled everything out looking for the card Mark had given her. She rang the number.

‘Hello.’

‘Hi Mark its Mara, Ángelmí Sister.’

‘Hi, Mara how’s things?’

‘Well not so good.’

She then explained what had been going on with Mat and asked for some suggestions.

‘Well first of all you need to tape all phone calls, just use your answering machine; every time the phone rings press record before you pick up. You also need to write in a diary all interactions. Look, I’ll pay him a visit and see if we can nip this in the bud now. Okay?’ Mark said reassuringly.

‘Thanks Mark, I really appreciate it.’

‘That’s fine. How is Angelmi?’

‘I haven’t heard from him since he left but I presume all is okay, do you know anything about him getting married?’

‘Um no not really, look I have to go, I’ll keep you informed. Bye’.

Feeling better Mara got ready for lunch with James.

It was a good afternoon and they talked almost nonstop. Mara chose not to tell him about Mat; it was too much baggage. She did however confide in him more information about Alan’s bullying, preferring to leave out the part where she sneaked into his office heard him having sex with another member of staff, stole files and set off the alarms.

 

Chapter Twelve

12

‘Jesus said to his disciples, when they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel....’

‘Oh God, another day in Hollywood!’ groaned Mara as she stretched out and switched off the pastor mid-sentence. As least I’m with James she beamed to herself getting ready to go to work. Nothing could dampen her sprits this morning she thought to herself walking though the school gates. Then she saw Daniel who looked at her, looked down and scuttled away like a centipede.

Mara made her way to the staffroom and looked though her pigeon hole. The thought suddenly came to her that no one was around and she could have quick look in Joyce’s pigeon hole.

Mara rifled thought the papers but could find nothing incriminating, just pieces of different coloured paper.

‘WHAT ARE YOU DOING?’ cracked Joyce.

Shit, thought Mara.

‘I’m just looking for a piece of paper I put in your pigeon hole by mistake; I put it on the wrong coloured paper, oh there it is,’ said Mara, randomly picking up a piece of paper.

‘I’ll go and write it on the correct coloured paper.’

Joyce squinted as Mara walked away.

Another wave of adrenaline hit Mara as she raced to her classroom. I wouldn’t believe me either, she thought.

Lessons that day were predictably like a rollercoaster, but Mara had too many things on her mind to really care. She had decided this term she would try and sort out her probationary year. She asked Jeremy to do some lesson observations for her, which he agreed to do.

The student teacher was taking Mara’s year seven class and she sat at the back writing her school reports on the department laptop. She could hear him nervously trying to instruct the class how to dissect the kidneys they had in front of them. Perhaps if I leave for a while he’ll be able to teach a bit more confidently, besides they only have scissors so it should be safe enough, she thought.

Mara picked up the laptop and quietly left for the prep room. She continued to cut and paste the school reports, making sure to change the name, him to her and he to she.

It’s so much easier when all the students are the same, thought Mara.

She looked at the clock, only ten minutes until break, she told herself. There was a knock on the prep room door. Mara opened it and looked down to see one of the children from the year seven class gasping for air.

‘Miss come quickly there’s a riot in the science room,’ the child panted.

Mara ran back to her room and opened the door; all the children were out of their seats yelling, laughing and throwing pieces of kidney at each other. One boy was up on a table with a meter rule pretending to shoot people. The student teacher was running around screeching at the kids to stop but he was being drowned out by the noise.

Mara yelled at the class to sit down. The students immediately stopped what they were doing and rushed back to their seats. The student teacher was clearly shell shocked so she told him to go to the prep room.

‘This is disgraceful behaviour and you’ll be spending the break time cleaning up the mess,’ she shouted.

Mara hadn’t had a chance to speak to the student teacher but Jeremy informed her at lunchtime that he had gone home because he had developed a rash.

The alarm clicked on to the dulcet tones of the pastor.

‘Passion is the evil in adultery. If a man has no opportunity of living with another man's wife, but if it is obvious for some reason that he would like to do so, and would do so if he could, he is no less guilty than if he was caught in the act.’

Of course that’s it thought Mara as she lay in bed.

Alan! I’ll just tell him I know he’s having an affair and to piss off and transfer my probationary year back to Jim. I won’t go in to the realms of blackmail cause that’s crossing the line. Shit Cosmos must be having an effect on me!

Easier said than done, thought Mara on the bus into school. How do I actually tell him? She asked herself.

I suppose I’ll just come out and say it. Or I could leave a note in his pigeon hole, it’s the cowards way out I know, but. No I’ll tell him face to face in around about way.

As Mara walked into school, she saw Alan getting out the car.

May as well do it now or I’ll just chicken out.

‘Alan,’ called Mara as he took his briefcase out of the car.’

He looked surprised.

‘How are you she asked?’

‘Fine.’

‘Look. I thought I would ask if you could transfer my probationary back to Jim Davison.’

‘Why would I do that?’

‘Because I know why you’re trying to fail me.’

‘What?’

‘Cause I