4. Henry
4
HENRY
W ithin a week, Henry felt he had settled in well at the village primary school. This school differed from his London school; it was smaller, and its pupils were village children, not city children. Of course, they were all children, but some of their life experiences to date had been different. The children in Porthpenny seemed more relaxed if anything and he wondered if that was because they lived near the sea in a small, friendly village. He felt more relaxed there, freer; he thought, and it was because he could head down to the beach and walk along the sand, gaze out at the seemingly endless horizon and breathe deeply of the salty air. London had sometimes overwhelmed him; here, he found a welcome tranquility.
He’d dismissed his class for break and was tidying his classroom before he had his planning and preparation time. Another teacher would take the pupils in his class for their PE session while he caught up with planning and marking. He also had a meeting scheduled with an external advisor about literacy, something he was passionate about. He felt happy — happy to be in Porthpenny, happy to be teaching at this lovely little school, and happy in general.
Of course, there were other things in London that had made him long to move away, to escape somewhere he could be anonymous and where no one knew about his past. Not that everyone in London had done, but there were people there who knew him and knew what had happened to him. People who knew her , and that had been tough. A shiver ran down his spine and he wriggled his shoulders, then rubbed at the back of his neck. He didn’t want to bring those memories here to this fresh start. Instead, he gazed out of the window at the playground, where the leaves on the trees were turning shades of orange, red and brown. Those that had already fallen skittered across the grass, lifted and teased by a gentle autumn breeze. Autumn was a season of change, of quiet transformation — and Henry believed it could bring change for him too, here in this village, in this school. Now, he could be the person he aspired to be, free from the future his father had once envisioned for him — and from the one she’d wanted for him. Trying to live up to people’s expectations never went well and often led to their disappointment and sometimes a sense of failing people that left a sour taste on his tongue.
‘Knock! Knock!’
Henry turned to see Pete Malik standing in the open doorway holding two mugs.
‘Morning,’ he said. ‘Come on in.’
Pete was the Year 4 teacher, and he’d been very kind to Henry since he started at the school, telling him he was there to answer any questions he had or to provide any support he may need.
‘Got you a coffee.’ Pete held out one of the mugs.
‘Thanks. That’s very kind of you.’
‘Pleasure.’ Pete smiled. ‘How are things?’
‘Great.’ Henry nodded. ‘I have PPA after break and a meeting with the literacy advisor. So lots to do, but it’s all good.’
‘There’s always lots to do in this job.’ Pete laughed. ‘You should hear Naveen in the evenings. He’s all like, “Pete, do you really have to do all that marking tonight? Can’t we go out for food or to see a movie?” It’s different for a mechanic though because he doesn’t have to bring his work home with him.’
‘Tell me about it.’ Henry shook his head. He loved being a teacher but the workload could be overwhelming if it wasn’t managed well. ‘I try to draw a line and keep some time aside for actually living. But I’m single and I imagine it’s harder if you have a partner and a family.’
‘Naveen and I don’t have children because he’s enough work for me.’ Pete winked. ‘And yes, I try to make sure he gets enough of my time. Quality time, that is. Got to keep the husband happy, right?’
‘I’m sure you do.’ Henry laughed.
‘Plus, I love teaching and shaping young minds so I wouldn’t want to do anything else. Naveen is pretty good really, it’s just now and then he’d like me to have less work to do outside of the school day. Anyway…’ Pete pushed a hand through his light brown mullet. ‘Do you need any help with anything?’
‘I don’t think so. I’m on top of things at the moment and hope to stay that way. September is always a nice term because everything’s so fresh. The exercise books are clean and ready to be filled, the children’s minds are clear from the summer holidays and they’re ready to learn, and the weather is cooler, so my mind is too.’
Pete grinned. ‘I feel like that about September term, too. After the summer, I’m ready to start again. Summer at the coast is special.’
‘Too true.’ Henry liked the thought of future summers in the village and how much he would enjoy going for an early morning swim and a run along the coastal path. Everything was here at his disposal and he intended to make the most of it all. ‘I was thinking that perhaps we could arrange some outings to the bookshop for the children this term.’
‘That would be a good idea.’ Pete took a sip of coffee. ‘Perhaps we can get some local businesses involved to donate book vouchers so they can all get something while they’re there.’
‘That would be brilliant. It could be a termly outing to encourage reading and develop literacy skills.’ He had tried to suggest a similar scheme at his last school, but it had been shot down because of funding issues. This had made him sad, so he’d sent out emails to companies asking them to support the scheme. He’d raised some money, but with so many pupils, it wouldn’t have gone far. Instead, he’d used the money to pay for transport to the closest library and the pupils had learnt about how they could join the library and take out books to read. Some of them had got really excited about visiting the library, which had warmed his heart. He’d been able to extend the scheme so it would continue after he left and he hoped they’d keep it going for the pupils because the school library hadn’t been fit for purpose.
‘Well, let’s see what we can do then.’ Pete raised his mug, and Henry tapped his gently against it.
‘I’ll speak to Rosa about it too,’ Henry said thoughtfully.
‘Rosa?’ Pete asked.
‘The owner of The Book Nook. She’s very nice and?—’
‘Is that a blush I see in your cheeks?’ Pete waggled his eyebrows.
‘A blush?’ Henry raised a hand and touched his cheeks and realised they were warm. ‘I don’t think so. Why would I be blushing?’ Just trying to deny it made his cheeks grow hot, and a nervous chuckle slipped out.
‘Is this bookshop owner attractive, then?’ Pete tilted his head.
‘Rosa’s very nice. She’s welcoming and book mad and … and … I guess she’s attractive. But I wouldn’t know much about that, really.’
‘Why not?’ Pete’s brows met above his nose. ‘Oooh … Are you into men? If you are, I know some great single men. I could set you up on a date with any of them and?—’
‘No! Thanks. I’m not … I like women. But I’m not in the right place to date anyone. I’m … taking some time ….’
‘No problem. Sometimes we all need a break from romance. But just so you know, if you do fancy dating again, I have friends who’re single and ready to mingle. Male and female.’ He winked.
‘Thanks.’ Henry took a sip of coffee and willed the blush to fade from his cheeks. What was he, thirteen? ‘I’ll bear that in mind.’
‘Excellent!’ Pete headed for the door. ‘Well, break will be over soon, and I have a class to teach. Enjoy your PPA time and your meeting.’
‘Cheers.’
After Pete had gone, Henry turned back to the window and gazed out at the landscape. After the past few years, he really wasn’t in the right place to date again but he couldn’t deny that he found Rosa intriguing. She was beautiful and sweet, and she loved books. What was there about her that was unlikeable? But then he’d been burnt before and found that how someone initially seemed could soon change once they felt comfortable with you. And he didn’t want to end up in that type of situation ever again.
Staying single was for the best. Wasn’t it?