A New Term By Jonah
We're once more at the Norwich City Technology College with Simon. Not that there is any such place. None of the people in any of my stories are real. Many of the places are, though the people attached to them aren't, but none of the schools are real either. There are some things you don't want to inflict on real people or institutions by writing stories about them. Although I invented most of the people in this story, one of them - Garret - is the invention of another author - of Jacob Lion in the United States - as are some characters that only get a mention. I want to thank Jacob for his kind permission to use his characters in my story. If you've enjoyed my previous stories from 'A Letter from America', to 'On Sea and Sand', I hope you'll enjoy this one. if you do enjoy it, please spare a thought for the kind man who published it for you. Nifty doesn't charge you to read these stories, and he doesn't charge us authors either, but it does cost money to publish them. He bears this cost from his own pocket and from donations via https://donate.nifty.org/ . Please consider donating.
Chapter 11
On Friday morning I awoke with a headache. Garret said he was not surprised (I had told him all about my lesson with Shawn), and asked whether I wanted him to phone Grev and book me off sick. That was the last thing I wanted. Normality is the best antidote for stark horror.
Barry was more-or-less silent on the way to school. I was to blame for that, and I hated myself for it. I hated Shawn Peters even more. I was resolved that there would be no more visits to North Earlham Police Station. Certainly Shawn needed to be educated, but somebody else could do it, and I didn't care who.
Registration was unnecessarily traumatic. I registered thirty students who were treading on egg-shells. By the time 1KJC arrived for their English lesson I hated myself more than I hated Shawn.
I dismissed them at break-time only to find Grev Kennedy outside my door.
"Simon, can we have a word?"
Well he was the principal,so I couldn't refuse. I retreated back into the classroom so he followed me and sat down on a desk in the front row.
"What's going on mate?" he asked quietly.
"Shawn Peters"., I told him. "The police have had me doing evening tutorials for him, but not any more. I now know, not only what he did to Neil Trent, but also what he intended to do. You don't want to know about that, but I'm afraid I know. The boy is plain evil and I feel dirty for just having been near him".
"You should go home, you know".
"No!" I said emphatically. "No, I couldn't cope with being at home on my own".
"Well you're not coping with being here. I have the students to consider. Unless you start coping, and that right quick, I shall have no alternative but to send you home. Charles is taking your next period anyway. You've got a free period after break".
"I don't need Charles to cover for me".
"I say you do. You've got 2PN for RE. Do you seriously think I'm going to let you teach RE in that frame of mind? We'd have a whole form of devil-worshippers by dinner-time. You're on free period".
I couldn't argue with that. I picked up my briefcase and headed for the staff- room.
I must have been on my third cup of tea when Grev arrived there in company with Sergeant Robbins, from Sprowston police station.
"Aren't you a little off your patch Sergeant?" was the best greeting I could come up with.
"North Earlham asked me to pop round to see you,Simon", he replied. "I told them you'd be here, but they said could I still do it anyway as they're in a bit of a dither up there. They had an inmate tried to top himself last night".
"Oh no! Not...?"
"The very same. I don't know whether this is good news or bad, but all Hell has been let loose up there".
"I'm not surprised. They're usually pretty thorough..."
"It was the blade that he'd managed to unscrew from a pencil sharpener".
I digested this for a second or two.
"But there wasn't a sharpener in that pencil case. Only pencils".
The Sergeant nodded.
"It was very small. Colin Drew examined that case before you took it in, and so did the custody sergeant. They both missed it too. They're also both suspended from duty".
"But why? They couldn't have..."
Grev cut across my protest.
"They're suspended from duty for the same reason that you should have been Simon. You can't just keep pushing yourself in the face of something like this. Now you are going home and I'm coming with you".
"Wait a minute Sergeant", I said. "You said tried to?"
"Yes Sir. Fortunately the custody sergeant last night was Alf Collins. Used to be at Sprowston before the H and H was formed. Not much gets by Alf and he was on the ball. He got a paramedic in there in less than no time and then got Peters to the secure wing at Hellesdon. There's no question of him getting off with a caution now. He's on suicide watch until his trial and even after that the judge will have to get some sort of security organised, as well as counselling. Whatever else he's done, he'll have attracted the attention he needs. You're not driving, by the way Sir. I'll run you home".
He nodded to Grev.
"We'll see you there Sir".
We were home in time for lunch. Grev fixed us beans on toast. The sergeant declined as he was still on duty, though that didn't stop him sharing a pot of tea with us.
"Not your best night last night Sir, was it?"
"You could say that". I replied.
"And yet, surely a Christian such as yourself, Sir, knows that the angels are the winning side".
"I thought I did Sergeant. Being brought face to face with raw evil makes you question even that".
"I've seen you turn bad'uns to the good before Sir, remember?"
"Oh, Denzil wasn't really bad. He just needed to get back in touch with his father, and that was Garret's doing really".
"This one's a bright lad Sir".
"I thought I was getting somewhere, but he showed his true colours last night".
"Just after he'd started drawing a picture".
It was a statement, not a question, but where was he going with that?
"Yes Sergeant. He'd demonstrated a grasp of elementary physics that I'd have been pleased to see in a sixth-former, never mind a third year, then he told me what he'd really intended to do with young Trent. It was vile".
"Yes Sir, it would be, and all after he'd started to draw that picture".
"Yes Sergeant. That's the second time you've said that".
"Look Sir, he enjoyed his physics lesson, because you're a good teacher, then he starts the drawing. He takes a pencil or two from the pencil case and discovers that there's a pencil-sharpener in there. Obviously neither you nor Colin know about it or it wouldn't be there, and he has to stop you knowing about it. He says what he has to say to make you both leave his cell".
"He played us?"
"Yessir. He was both clever and desperate. You wouldn't stand much of a chance against that combination".
"He took a chance. We might have left the cell and took the pencil case with us".
""Yessir. I think he'd weighed up the odds of that happening. Weighed them up pretty accurately too I should say, since he was right. You didn't do it - more's the pity".
"There's another in the pot".
"Thank you Sir, but I'd better be getting back. I'd only just intended to pop in. It's nearly two o' clock and it looks like you've got more company anyway".
It did, though I wasn't expecting anybody. Certainly we'd both heard a car pull up on our drive.
Grev, being nearest, opened the door to let out the sergeant and to let in another policeman. This one's cap badge was that of the Metropolitan Police and, in his wake, was my adopted father.
"Word to the wise Sir", said the sergeant to Luke. I bet he didn't call many constables 'Sir'. "He just told me there's another cup in the pot. There might be two".
Luke laughed merrily.
"I'm sure there will be. Thank you Sergeant".
Grev shut the door behind the sergeant and retired to the kitchen - presumably to put the kettle on again.
"Constable", I addressed myself to my step-brother. "Would this have anything to do with a phone call from my partner?"
"He cares about you", said Jonah. "I'd have thought it was his job to".
"Apparently, he's not the only one", I responded. "It's good to see you anyway".
"Teapot's filled up", said Grev, coming in from the kitchen. "You won't need me any more. I'll see you on Monday Simon, if you feel OK to come in. If you don't, just pick up the phone. We'll have it covered. Good to see you Jonah, Luke".
"Thanks Grev. See you mate", muttered Luke as my boss departed.
Jonah poured three cups of tea and sat opposite me.
"Funny old world isn't it?" he remarked.
"What I saw last night, or thought I saw, wasn't funny", I returned.
"Do you remember Jason Dorridge?" said Jonah suddenly. "Right arsehole".
""He wasn't so bad", I said.
"Later he wasn't. Turned out to be a good chap, and a good friend. Initially he was just a racist arsehole. Remember Sammy Porter?"
"I remember him blacking Peter's eye. Hospital did him good".
"Yes, a black eye did Jacob good too". We seem to have a knack of turning bad people into good ones".
"That's because they weren't really bad to start with", I pointed out. "We just thought they were".
"We don't turn bad people into good Simon. That's God's work. We just do as we're told. If God thinks this lad can be, and should be, saved, He'll do it. If He doesn't, you can't take on responsiblity for the whole world. That's God's job too".
"What time do I have to pick Barry up", Luke interrupted. "I notice you haven't got your car".
"Half past three", I replied. "You'll need to be away about now. I was picking Philip up from St. Oswald's too. Barry will show you where it is".
"No problem. I won't be longer than I can help".
"If you're picking Barry up in that uniform, it'll do a lot for his street cred", I commented.
"Why do you think I'm wearing it", returned Luke with a grin.
"Oh, you needn't worry about Barry", I replied. "He can look after himself".
"So can you", said Luke, " but that doesn't stop us worrying".
I forget what I replied to that but, whatever it was, I shouted it at the door that he'd hastily closed behind him.
"I ought to get dinner on before Garret gets back with Lloyd", I said - anxious to avoid any more advice from Jonah, now that I was alone with him.
"We've brought pork chops, broccolli and a vast quantity of microwaveable mash", said Jonah. "If you haven't got apple sauce in your fridge, I've got eating apples that we can microwave. If you have, the apples will do for desert. I don't need gravy granules because I know a way of making really thick gravy, even with stock cubes".
"Jonah", I said, "you have my permission to come and visit us any time you wish".
"And, in time of need", he said, "I'm only a phone call away. You just ask Garret".
"Oh, I shall be speaking to Garret later". I tried to make that sound ominous. I guess I must have failed since Jonah only chuckled.
Together we set about putting together a meal for seven people.
"Grandad!" screamed Lloyd, rushing into Jonah's arms.
"Sorry Jonah", said Garret. "I thought he'd be pleased to see you. My mistake".
I don't think the boy even heard that. His arms were around Jonah's waist and a beaming smile split his face in two.
"So how's my third favourite grandchild?" Jonah teased.
Lloyd let go of his grandfather, took a step backward and looked up into Jonah's face; then he stepped forward again and clasped Jonah as before.
"I don't care", he said, "as long as I'm on the list somewhere".
I smiled.
"Take him away Jonah", I said. "He's not going to let you do any more work in here".
Jonah lifted the boy off the floor and carried him into the living room.
Barry and Philip crowded noisily into the kitchen, followed by Luke.
"These two insisted I bring them".
"They do Luke, and they eat such a lot when they get here. Mind you, they're going to need to build their strength up, for all that homework they've got to do".
As I stepped over to the sink to strain the broccoli, Barry, sensing that I was no longer in the foul mood that I'd been in earlier, clasped his arms around my waist in an impulsive hug.
"Woah Barry", I chided. "Not while I'm holding a saucepan of boiling water".
He stepped away, but his spirits weren't dampened. Neither were Philip's.
""Philip, Barry, upstairs and get your hands washed ready for dinner", I told them; "and take Lloyd with you, if you can manage to separate him from Grandad".
"Grandad!" exclaimed the two boys, in unison, as they made a dash for the living room.
"Won't be long now Luke", said Garret as he slid the tray of chops from the oven.
"Just as well", my brother replied. "I'll just have time for dinner before I have to make tracks for London. I've got night shift tonight".
"Are you leaving Jonah here?"
"If you've got room for him".
"He can have our room", Garret replied. "We can shack up with the boys".
"Awww! That'll be cute", said Luke. " He can kiss you two goodnight when he says Goodnight to the boys".
I'm going to have to speak to Garret about knocking off policemen's caps. I don't want him locked up as well.