A Seat of Learning by Jonah
More of the adventures of Simon and Garret and their boys. This is a loving story of good people. It features men looking after boys but do not expect to find any indecency here. Only genuine love. Not one of the characters in this story is a real person or is, in any way, based on a real person. At least one character, however, is the creation of another author. I wish to thank Jacob Lion, in the USA, for his permission to use his characters in my stories.
I hope you will enjoy this story, and I'm grateful to Nifty for enabling me to bring it to you. Nifty does not charge either me or you for doing so, but it does cost money to do it. Please consider donating to Nifty at https://donate.nifty.org/ to help keep this site going.
Chapter 3
"You'll have to put it away Lloyd - it's starting to rain."
"Ohhhhhh!"
"You're a fully trained driver on that thing. You know you're not supposed to get it wet. The rails will soon be getting slippery too. Don't run round it. Just get it under cover quickly."
"OK!"
The pout and the expression of displeasure were the nearest we ever came to an argument. Lloyd might not be happy, but he wouldn't disobey. I returned to the kitchen.
"Can you fill that saucepan with water for me please Philip?"
"OK!"
Both of these boys were brilliant.
"What time's Daddy getting home?"
"He's got a staff meeting after school, but I don't think he'll be long."
"Oh. OK!"
He placed the saucepan in front of me. He had overfilled it, but that was my fault. I hadn't told him how much water I needed. I slopped some out, replaced it with long-grained rice and put it on the stove.
"Thanks mate!" I told the boy.
Chicken curry was for dinner, followed by fruit salad and condensed milk - and the fruit salad hadn't come in a tin. Simon, on the other hand, was currently NOT for dinner, but I knew he could materialize at any moment. Sure enough the sound of the front door catch reached my ears.
"Home!" came a shout from the hall.
"Me too!" I shouted back.
"Idiot!" said my partner, coming into the kitchen and siezing me from behind.
"Nice to see you too," I said. "Curry and fruit salad."
"By "fruit salad", do you mean that the fridge contains one of your home-made concoctions."
I nodded and Simon excitedly went on.
"Has it got rum in it? I love it when it has rum in it."
"Well Lloyd and Philip don't," I told him. "It's got orange juice in it, and juice from all the other fruits."
"Well that's yummy too," he said with a wink at Philip, who burst out in giggles.
Lloyd came into the kitchen.
"Hi Daddy," he greeted Simon.
"Upstairs and get washed boys," Simon told them. "Dinner's nearly ready."
There was the patter of tiny feet as both boys obeyed.
"How's young wossname?" Simon asked as soon as they had gone. "Any happier today?"
"It's messy Simon. He's truanting with his father's connivance. The school welfare officer and the police are involved."
"Ouch!" muttered Simon under his breath. "That doesn't sound good."
It certainly didn't, but neither of us allowed it to stop us from enjoying the fruits of my labours. All four of us did justice to our meal and Philip pronounced the dessert, "The Bestest Fruit Salad Ever," except that he probably used more capital letters than I did.
It was about an hour later that the phone rang.
"Garret Ito."
"Garret, it's Jean."
"Oh, hi Jean. How can I help you?"
"Are your boys in the room with you?"
"No, they're both upstairs."
"Probably just as well. I don't know whether you'll see Barry tomorrow. We'll have to wait and see."
"What's happened?"
"What hasn't?" she said wearily. "As well as the SWO, the police and the CPS, Social Services are involved now. Linda Knight is Barry's case-worker."
"Well, he could do worse."
"About half an hour ago, Miss Knight, accompanied by two police officers, visited Barry's home and removed him from his parents' care. Apparently Miss Knight had obtained a court order to do so. Barry's in Eastwold now."
"Oh Christ!"
"I've been asked to attend a meeting with Miss Knight tomorrow. What free periods have you. I'd look it up, but I'm not at school."
"I've a single period of Geography with 5GI first thing in the morning, after that I'm free till two o'clock."
"Right, be in my office for ten-thirty. I'll arrange the meeting for then."
That sounded like another night that I'd have trouble sleeping.
Next morning I only got part of the way through registration when Jean appeared in my classroom in company with Barry.
"Can I have a quick word with you Mr. Ito?" she said.
I followed her outside the classroom door. Barry did not follow us and Jean did'n't tell him to so, over my shoulder, I said,
"Sit down please Barry."
I pulled the door closed behind us.
"Social Services say they want Barry to continue his education here for the time being," Jean seemed to be inviting me to object.
"And?" I queried.
"Linda Knight will be bringing him and collecting him. Nobody else is to be allowed access to him, especially his parents or the Rev. Thingummyjig."
"Rathmore," I told her.
"Gazundheit!" she replied.
"Are we going to get extra security to achieve that?" I asked.
"What do you think? We still have a meeting at half ten."
"I'd best finish registering them."
She nodded and I returned to my class.
Linda was already in the office with Jean when I arrived for our meeting and so, surprisingly, was Superintendant Greenwood of the Norfolk Constabulary. I had seen the Suprintendant before at Sprowston when we were adopting Philip, but had never been introduced. Nobody had told me that we were expecting a police presence at our meeting but, since Linda had used the police to help her secure Barry, I shouldn't have been surprised.
"Tea Simon?" Jean was being Mother.
"Please," I replied, everybody else already being supplied.
"Are you up to date on developments so far?" Linda asked.
"I know that Barry is at Eastwold, and that he's currently in my class," I replied. "I also know that access to him is to be restricted, but I haven't been told how we're supposed to achieve that."
"Have you any reason to believe that your security isn't up to it?" the superintendant asked.
"You tell me," I replied, "given that you are our security. We don't have on-site security. Jean could ask you for a police presence during the daytime, but that would attract the wrong sort of attention."
"Yes, I quite agree," said the Bobby, "but, if need be, there are ways we could supply one without doing so."
"Do we think there is the sort of threat that would warrant that?" Jean interposed, with every indication of alarm. Clearly she had only just begun to realise the seriousness of the situation.
"Yes," replied three people, in unison.
"Jean," said Linda, picking her words carefully, "I can assure you that the last thing I want to do is cause a panic, but both the parents of this child, and the renegade clergyman have already shown that they are prepared to operate outside the law. You can be sure that, if they once get hold of Barry, they will not relinquish him again easily, and it's fairly certain that his safety will not be among their concerns."
"Then you would suggest," said Jean cautiously, " that I ask the superintendant to organise a covert police presence, if that can be done?"
"If Garret's concerns about the school's internal security are justified, yes I would," replied Linda.
"We don't have internal security," I pointed out. "We're teachers."
"My next concern," said the superintendant, " is whether the manager at Eastwold is going to come to me with the same request and, if so,for how long will these sort of precautions be needed."
"Since Garret and Simon are registered foster parents, I thought about asking them to house Barry but, I'm guessing, you'd prefer him to stay at Eastwold."
The superintendant turned to me.
"What's your internal security like at home Mr. Ito?"
I raised my hands in a gesture of surrender. He turned back to Linda.
"Does that answer your question Miss Knight?"
Linda nodded.
"It seems that he's in the best place."
"He is," said the superintendant. "What I'd really like is for Eastwold to arrange for private tuition for him there so that we don't have to keep moving him to and from here."
"That's a prison sentence," I said.
"No, Mr.Ito, It's protection."
"I need to make a phone call," said Jean, rising.
While she was gone there was surprisingly little conversation. After more than five minutes Linda finally thought of something safe to say.
"When's your next lesson Garret?"
"Not till after....." but, at that moment, Jean returned.
"Right, that's settled," she announced without waiting to be seated. "Garret, you're to drop Lloyd and Philip off here tomorrow morning, then drive to Eastwold Children's Home. You're seconded to there for as long as Barry needs you. Mostyn Gray will be taking your class but, in view of the temporary nature of the arrangement, we'll still continue to call it GI."
I was so shocked that I forgot that I was speaking to my superior.
"You're just trying to stop me teaching Lloyd and Philip," I blurted out.
Jean seldom raised her voice - even to children - but, given that I'd just spoken like an angry child, she was quite justified in raising it to me.
"No Garret," she said both loudly and firmly. "I'm not, though I'd be within my rights to do so. If you wish to retain a position at this school, you will do as I say."
One's ears are normally beyond one's range of vision, but I didn't need to be able to see mine glowing red.
"Yes headmistress," I said meekly.