Chapter 39
I gather today’s talk went well. Lots of excellent questions, Evie tells me
Ben read Penny’s text and grimaced.
He usually enjoyed the outreach work the service insisted all personnel took part in.
They often went to schools to give talks on fire safety and tell kids what it was like to be a firefighter.
Ostensibly, schools invited them in to ‘inspire a new generation’, but Ben had noticed that they were often scheduled towards the end of term, so he suspected that the invitation was less to do with inspiration and more about giving the teachers a chance to catch up on their marking while the children were occupied.
Whatever the reason, it was something he loved doing, as it had been one such talk that had set him on his own career path in the fire service.
He still remembered the awe he’d felt when the firemen – as they were still called when he was a boy – had talked about battling fires and driving engines, sirens blazing, at high speed, and dragging people from the jaws of death.
He’d known immediately this was the sort of job he wanted to do, although the reality included a lot more paperwork than he’d been led to believe.
He’d been particularly looking forward to that day’s visit to St Mary’s Primary – Evie’s school.
The talk had gone well. The demonstration – putting out a small, controlled fire with a damp tea towel – had elicited lots of ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’, and had been sufficiently dramatic to make Ms Jones, the headteacher, rush from the staff room to check what was going on.
After everyone had quietened down, Ben and Vick had sat at the front of the class, ready to answer questions.
‘So,’ said Vick, ignoring the squirming coming from Patrick’s direction, ‘who would like to ask a question?’
Several hands were raised, waving for attention, and she and Ben took it in turns to reply to the usual queries: yes, the engine did go fast; no, they didn’t rescue cats that often, really.
‘You’ve asked some excellent questions today, everyone,’ said Vick with a smile. ‘Does anyone have anything else they want to ask?’
One hand shot up.
‘I’ve got a question for my Uncle Ben – I mean Crew Manager Walker,’ said Evie, sweetly.
‘Yes, Evie, what do you want to know?’ Ben asked, already sensing danger.
‘How was your date with Jenni? Is she your girlfriend now?’
‘Did you kiss her?’ shouted one of the boys from the back, and the class erupted into laughter.
Just then, the door opened, and Ms Jones reappeared with a stern look on her face.
Thank goodness, thought Ben, smiling gratefully as she brought order back to the classroom.
‘Topaz Class, is this how we behave when we have guests?’ Ms Jones asked sternly, looking at the upturned faces in front of her.
‘No, Miss Jones,’ the children sing-songed in reply. You could hear the proverbial pin drop, it was so quiet.
‘How do you do that?’ Vick asked in awe. ‘I can’t even get my own two to sit quietly.’
‘Years of practice,’ said Ms Jones with a smile, as Ben gathered up their equipment and said goodbye to the class.
Evie rushed over to give Ben a hug before he left. ‘Sorry, Uncle Ben. I just wanted to know if you’d had a nice time.’
‘You could have waited to ask me when I come around for lunch. But I did have a nice time, thank you, Evie.’
Evie smiled. ‘Good. I’ll see you at the weekend. I’ve got another letter for Fred.’