By now the bus was entering the school grounds, and it was time to start the new term. Nann had to go to the main office and be assigned a class, so Mike said he would see her on the bus home.
Mike walked into the classroom to find Mr Ward sat at the teacher's desk, as he went to sit down, he was joined by Dave and Chris, they were engrossed in talk of the holidays, Chris had spent the holiday on his father's tug, and Dave and his mum had gone to Sicily for a week to some volcano. As the rest of the class joined and sat at there desks, Mr Ward stood up and told them all, that for the rest of the year, he would be there form teacher. The silence in the class was deafening, you could have heard a pin drop. They all disliked the man, he never smiled or cracked a joke. His whole attitude with school was work, work and more work. Mike looked at Dave then mouthed, role on December. The first day back was spent getting ready for the new term, the class were given a lot of new reference books for history and geography, and new maths books and exercise books for English. They were also given a copy each of the terms syllabus until Easter. Mike put his on the underside of his desk lid with the four drawing pins he had been given by May the year before. The day dragged on hour after hour, and Mike was very relieved when the bell went for going home. On the bus Mike again sat next to Nann, he wanted to know as much about her as possible, her likes and dislikes, her food fantasies, and what she was hoping the future would bring for her. She sat there talking in a quiet voice, and as she did so Mike was totally mesmerised by her. As the bus past Hamrun Nann did something that really took his breath away, she unbuttoned her blazer, as she pulled it apart, Mike got a second glimpse of a beautiful bust, she wore a tie that seemed to bend in the middle, then drop to her waist, the tie was yellow, and Mike followed it from her small smooth neck to the pointed tip. As he looked at her, she noted where his eyes were looking and reclosed the blazer, her face turning bright pink. "Sorry," Mike said with a whisper, "but you are very, if I may say beautiful." And in his mind's eye, all thoughts of may suddenly disappear
As the bus came to Mike's stop, he gently squeezed her hand, then made his way to the door. The bus stopped and Mike got off, as it pulled away again, he stood and watched, Nann gave him a wave as the bus headed up the creek road.
As the days progressed, Mike and Nann became more and more aware of each other, they made it a rule never to talk to each other at school, if they passed each other changing classrooms, they would smile, but never spoke. But on the bus going to school and coming home. they would sit together and talk in whispers, and as Mike was the only one in his class on the bus, it meant that none of his classmates had any idea that he was slowly falling in love.
Chapter Five
At school Mr Ward was becoming worse, his whole attitude to the class was, they were idiots and he needed to beat the knowledge into them. It was Wednesday morning, and the maths lesson was going badly, Amanda was the target for the day, and Mr Ward was using her knuckles to relieve his pent up frustrations. Mike who sat behind her with Dave could see that her knuckles were bright red where he had hit her with the two foot ruler he always carried around with him. By break time Amanda was crying and the rest of the class were fed up with the way things were going. At this time, the clock on the wall had stopped, in fact, it hadn't been going for three days. Some members of the class had asked Mr Ward if he would fix it, but as usual, it went in one ear and out the other. After the break, Mike took the clock down from the wall and wound it up, put it to the correct time, and went to put it back on its hook. Mr Ward came into the room, seeing what was happening he shouted at Mike. "Palmer what do you think you are doing." Mike was shocked to hear his name, he let go of the clock, which slid down the wall and ended up in four pieces on the floor. Suddenly the class was in an uproar, Mr Ward was screaming at the top of his voice. "How dare you Palmer, how bloody dare you touch school property without my permission." Pointing to the door he screamed. "get yourself to the headmaster, and tell him I've sent you over for six of the best."
In the headmaster's office Mike stood in front of the desk, he tried to explain about the clock, but the headmaster said." Palmer, you had no right to touch it." he was then ordered to lean over the end of the desk, holding onto the edge. Mike did as he was told. The headmaster went to a small cupboard and took out a bamboo cane about three feet long, he swished it in the air once, then stood side on to Mike. Mike felt the first stroke sting his left rear cheek, he let out a silent moan and a rush of air from his lungs, his fingers dug deep into the wood of the desk, the second landed just below the first, but mainly on the right cheek. Mike's rear was suddenly numb, as he held on to the edge of the desk the blood drained from his fingers and the muscles in his hands and arms were locked in a vice like grip. Mike never felt the next four, he only heard the swish as the cane went through the air. "You can let go of the desk now Palmer." the headmaster said. But Mikes' fingers were embedded in the side of the wooden desktop, every muscle in his body wound up like a clockspring. As he slowly stood, the side of the desk moved as well, standing upright, Mike still had the desk in his hands, and items of paperwork that were on the desk, plus blotter, pens, pencils and a large copper ink well ended up on the floor.
As Mike stood there, he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Michael lad," it said in a soft female voice. "Let go of the desk." Mike stood upright now breathing gulps of air into his lungs, his rear totally numb. Mike opened his eyes, and through the tears, he could see a woman stood by him, then he felt fingers on his trying to part his from the desk. Mike shook his head to get some reality back into his life, he was in great pain, and by holding onto something as he was made him feel safe and secure. "Release the desk lad." The voice said again, Mike looked across the room, through the wet haze he could see the headmaster, they looked at each other, the headmaster with shock on his face and Mike with pure hate on his. After sometime and gentle persuasion, Mike lowered the desk back into position. As he stood there the pain in his rear was unbearable, he wanted to scream, to smash the top of the desk with his fist, anything to make the pain go away.
There was a knock at the door, and a tall man in naval uniform walked into the room, on his arm he had two gold rings and between the gold rings a red ring. He spoke to the headmaster and then in a very gentle voice asked Mike to lower his trousers. Mike his hand shaking did as asked, then the man gently pulled Mike's underpants away from his lower body, he looked down at Mike's rear and shook his head. He left the room with the headmaster, outside the door Mike heard them talking. That's a bad beating sir one voice was saying, I'm sorry to say it, but you have gone too far with this one. Then Mike heard the headmaster. "I know, I know, his teacher sent him to me for six of the best, but after the first stroke he didn't sry out, he just held on to the desk, and when he stood up and looked at me, the fear of God went right through me, talk about pure hate." The two men re entered the room again and the woman was asked to leave, Mike was asked to lean over the desk, and the man in uniform produced some cream from a bag and spread it over the marks on Mike's behind, as he did it Mike flinched but didn't say a word. After pulling up his trousers, the headmaster told Mike to return to his classroom. Outside the headmaster's office, the woman was waiting for him. "Are you ok Michael?" She asked, he looked at her and tried to smile, but the tears were still there so he just nodded.
Mike walked slowly to his classroom, and on getting there was again confronted by Mr Ward. "oh." he said, " your back, right, sit down down and carry on with your lesson." Mike looked at him. "I'd rather stand if its all the same to you sir." Mike said. Mr Ward with ruler in hand slapped it in his own palm. "I said sit down." Mike stood his ground clenching his fist, Mike knew in his heart, that if Mr Ward came anywhere near him he would wrap that ruler round his neck. As Mr Ward came up to him the headmaster was stood at the door. "Mr Ward, a word please, outside." Mr ward walked back up the classroom and out into the passageway. Dave and Chris both said to Mike, "are you ok mate," but Mike was less than ok, his whole lower half felt as if it was missing, his legs felt like jelly, and he knew that if he sat down he would scream until his heart stopped beating.
After some ten minutes Mr Ward came back into the classroom, there was only a short time until dinner, and he left Mike to stand at his desk for the rest of the lesson, In fact, he never spoke to him at all, and the ruler went into the desk draw and stayed there.
Mike didn't go to dinner, the idea of sitting down in the dining hall to eat was a definite no no, instead he went to the school shop and bought a packet of crisps and a cold drink.When he was joined by his friends they asked what had happened, and he told them as much as he remembered.
As it was Wednesday the three lads decided to run the cross country coarse, nobody poo pood it, in fact, the sports teacher agreed that some fresh air might be good, it had, it seemed got around the school teacher wise, what had taken place in the headmaster's office, so all the staff felt it best that young Palmer be permitted to go his own way for the rest of the day. halfway around the coarse, the three boys stopped for a breather, both Chris and Dave asked Mike if he was ok. Mike turned and dropped his shorts, "what do you think," he asked. he heard the intake of breath, "Bloody hell," said Chris and Dave just said. " Jesus H Christ Mike, have your seen your ass." Mike turned pulling up his shorts. "No.," he said. "I haven't, but I can feel it, and it bleeding well hurts." The three lads carried on the run and got back just in time to change and catch there buses home.
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