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

Mara replied without question.

She left Jim’s office feeling deflated. The school now seemed deserted as everyone had gone home after the meeting. Walking past the admin area she heard muffled yelling from Alan’s office. Mara’s curiosity got the better of her. There was no one around, so she quietly walked up to the door and pressed her ear up against it.

‘You promised you would have it all sorted. They’re getting suspicious,’ a female voice shouted.

‘I’m sorting it, give me time, you can’t rush things like this; otherwise it will be worse in the long run. Anyway, can you imagine if the staff found out?’ replied Alan.

‘I know, but we’ve been planning this for ages. TIME TO CUT AND RUN,’ the female voice continued, now sounding agitated.

‘We need to take things slower, especially with the death of Frank, it’s a bit chaotic at the moment,’ said Alan.

‘But Frank’s death was just unfortunate!’ huffed the voice.

Mara’s bravery had reached its limit; it was like watching a horror movie and questioning why the imminent victim had gone outside the house, when it was clear they were about to be slashed.

Better leave, she thought.

The door flung open to reveal Alan looking equally as shocked to see Mara with her ear to the door.

‘What are you doing here?’ he snarled.

‘I had a meeting with Jim Davison.’

‘Really?’ his tone suggesting he didn’t believe her.

‘Bye,’ Mara said feebly and walking away.

On the way home Mara mulled over the conversation she had heard in her head. What couldn’t be rushed? And that dead guy was called Frank. Alan said in the briefing he didn’t know who he was. What were they planning? How exciting!

When she reached her flat she opened a bottle of wine and micro waved a chicken and spinach curry from the freezer. She was feeling a mixture of excitement and apprehension.

‘There’s something definitely going on with Alan and someone else. But who was the other person? She couldn’t put a name to the voice, but she was sure of one thing, the other voice was a teacher, she had heard her before.

Four roughly measured glasses of wine later, Mara was feeling as confidant as Miss Marple in a villainous country mansion.

‘How can I find out more? I need to find out who that other person was. Perhaps I should linger after school and see who goes into his office,’ she said to herself.

Mara watched the late news for information on the body found at the school, but there was nothing. Just the same doom and gloom with a funny story at the end, involving a dog ice skating in a tutu.

The phone rang.

‘Must either be Brad Pitt asking me out on a date, or Dad telling me to ring Mum? No one else rings me especially at this time of night.

‘Hello.’

‘Hi Mara it’s Mat.’

‘Oh, how are you?’ she replied.

‘Good, good. I was wondering what you were doing Saturday night?’

‘Uh, I’m, not doing anything.’

Why did I bloody say that? Why couldn’t I lie and say I was going out. She thought.

‘Good. Do you want to go out for a meal?’

‘Yeah okay,’ now screwing up her face in annoyance.

‘Great, I’ll sort out the details with you tomorrow.’

‘Okay, bye.’

‘Why did I say yes? Why? Why? Why? I know why. I’m too pathetic and too pissed to say no and now that I’ve slept with him I feel that I have to go out with him. So I won’t feel like such a slut. You stupid cow Mara.’

Mat caught up with her on Thursday and arranged to meet at Lewisham Station at six.

She had now soberly decided that trying to find out more about the body was a stupid plan and she would leave it to the Police. Besides she had other things to worry about; Mat.

Friday passed quickly. There were only a couple of incidents; both involving Roger. A rather obnoxious madam called Vivian called Roger a dirty old man when he tried to teach the class about the female menstrual cycle. The second incident involved Benjamin Maine again. He stole Rogers’s keys and took his Volvo for a spin in the car park, vehemently performing hand brake turns. This incident was far more serious than the magnesium stunt, and would normally warrant Police involvement. However the school didn’t want to draw attention to what was technically a car theft on the premises, especially after recently finding a body on school grounds. So they dealt with it in house; He was suspended for a five day mini break.

Before leaving school, Mara checked her pigeon hole. There was a note from Jim informing her that next week’s lesson observation was cancelled and Alan was now her mentor.

Shit. Why does he want to do my lesson observations? This is not good.

‘Hey Mara. How’s tricks?’ it was Daniel.

‘I don’t turn tricks!’ Mara said defensively.

‘Yeah I know. What’s wrong?’ he asked.

‘Alan is now my new mentor.’

‘Really! What have you done for such special treatment?’

‘WHAT?’

‘Calm down, you sound like you need a drink.’

‘No I’m fine, just frazzled.’

‘I won’t take no for an answer, come and have a drink with me and I’ll drop you home afterwards.’

‘Okay but just one,’ she tentatively agreed.

Mara thought this might be a bad idea but she needed a drink and the lift home was a bonus.

They walked out to the car park and got into his car. He had a blue Citroen which inflated at the rear, when he turned the key.

This car suits him, Mara thought; needs to be pumped up in order to go!

The pub was quiet and Bill looked happy singing along to Elvis playing on the jukebox.

Having got a drink they sat in the corner.

‘So Mara, why has Jim dumped you and the Head taken up your beginning teacher’s programme?’

‘I don’t know! Perhaps he’s bored. Is Jim your mentor?’

‘Yep.’

‘Perhaps he’s got too much on his plate,’ she replied.

‘Maybe! So what are you up to this weekend?’

‘Don’t know.’

‘Well Saturday night me and my mate James and Lucy are going up west, do you wanna come?’

‘Thanks for the offer but I won’t, I’m going out with an old friend from Somerset.’

‘No problem. So what happened with you and Mat?’

‘Nothing, we just caught the train home. Why?’

‘Piles mentioned you went home together.’

‘He catches the same bus. God that Piles guy is a creep.’

‘Yeah he is; I reckon he’s a paedophile.’

As much as Mara disliked the man she would not have gone that far, but Daniel had no bounds.

‘So how’s it all going anyway?’ Mara asked, changing the subject quickly.

‘Excellent, although having a room next to Roger is a bit distracting; it’s bloody chaos in there most of the time. I looked though the window of his classroom the other day and three kids were standing on the benches mimicking monkeys.’

‘Poor Roger, he really does get the brunt of the wicked behaviour,’ Mara replied sympathetically.

‘Yeah, but he’s not the only one that has problems with the kids. Boyo gets hassled a lot, and that guy Tony doesn’t seem to notice that the students pay no attention to him whatsoever. They just laugh at him, and last week I heard Vivian Clapp tell him to shut the fuck up,’ Daniel said with mocking satisfaction.

‘This place definitely has its fair share of fruit loops! Lucy’s sound though. I get on with her quite well,’ he said.

‘So I noticed. How long has she been at the school?’

‘A few years I think,’ he answered blankly.

‘Does she have any idea who the body might be?’ Mara asked.

‘Well this didn’t come from me, but she reckons it’s a guy called Wayne King. Apparently he was a former student.’

‘Why does she think it’s him?’

‘She said she overheard Jim talking to Alan about that dreadful Wayne King incident,’ Daniel smiled.

‘Right!’ replied Mara.

After a couple of drinks Daniel took Mara home. She was again starting to think she may have misjudged him.

Mara awoke early, she couldn’t really sleep. She felt a mixture of apprehension and weariness at the thought of going out with Mat that evening.

Getting ready for the date was a task in itself.

‘What the bloody hell should I wear?’ she said looking through her wardrobe.’

‘This, not too tight, don’t want to give the wrong impression.’

‘Nope, that’s far too low cut; he’ll be fighting with his eyes all night!’

Finally she decided on jeans with a spangle top and black jumper.

‘Casual chic I thinks,’ now trying to find appropriate accessories.

It was time to catch the bus; no amount of clock watching was going to halt time.

The journey felt shorter than usual. Mat was already at the station patiently waiting.

He greeted her by gently grabbing her arm and kissing her on the cheek.

‘Hi Mara,’ he said smiling.

‘Hi, how’s things?’ she replied trying to look just as thrilled.

‘We’ll catch the train to Clapham. I know a really nice bar we can go to before we have dinner,’ Mat Said.

Mara couldn’t fault Mat, he was the perfect gentleman. He was nice, but that spark was missing. There was no chemistry between them, the whole thing felt wrong, something Mat failed to notice as he casually chatted and intimately listened when she answered his questions.

The end of the evening ended smoothly: She kissed him good bye on the cheek before politely pushing him out of the taxi cab.

Sunday vanished and Mara was back sitting on the bus, anxious at the prospect of attempting to teach again.

Daniel’s car was already in the car park.

Why does he come in so early? If I had I car I would be the last one here and the first one gone; or just behind Gordon!

Mara made her way to the staff room to get a coffee and empty her pigeon hole. Daniel was on the computer in the workroom, he was concentrating so hard that he didn’t even notice she had walked up behind him. When he did realise he looked up startled.

‘Morning, what are you doing here?’

‘I always come in early Daniel you know that?’

‘Oh yeah of course,’ he said seemingly uninterested.

‘More to the point, what are you doing here?’ Mara asked.

‘Umm, I like to get work done before school,’ he replied getting up and walking over to the printer to pick up some paper.

Flicking through the papers from her pigeon hole she read a note from Alan.

‘Oh bloody hell; I’ve got a lesson observation on Friday!’

‘Wow. That’s a bit harsh; the last day of half term! What did you do to deserve that?’

More like what did I hear to deserve that? She thought. It’s the year bloody tens and they have nothing better to do than come to school!

Mara left Daniel to his computer and walked over to the notice boards, she scanned the board to see if she had been caught for cover. Quite a few people were absent due to sicknesses including Mat.

He didn’t look sick on Saturday! At least I haven’t been punished with covering his lesson. Oh look, justice! That Manuelle guy is taking Mat’s lesson; serves him right, Mara smirked.

Morning briefing entailed Joyce writing frantically on the board as Jim read out his list.

Mara looked around the room expecting to see an array of supply teachers. There were only three people who gave the impression that they were relieving lessons; appearing stressed, worried and tense about their impending fate. The Nigerian woman who covered for Jeremy was back. She had her hands clasped in front of her praying quietly.

The rest of the week was predictably crazy. The kids seemed to have intensified their bullying of Boyo and were making elephant noises whenever he walked passed. Someone had spray painted an elephant with a distinctly small penis on his classroom window and had written AKA Mr Boyd.

Sickness amongst the staff was still rampant and there seemed to be different supply teachers in every day; most appeared to be from foreign lands, some managing to stick out the day, but most going missing after a couple hours. An Australian teacher left at break time, stating that what he was being paid was not worth the crap he had to put up