The Apprentice

by and © N Fourbois

Chapter 1

Eric was just about to take a coffee break in his office when the phone rang.

"Mr Blanchflower?" said the voice at the other end.

"With whom am I speaking?" replied Eric in a deliberately pompous tone, fearing it might be yet another anonymous hopeful not intending to sell him something he didn't want, but ending up attempting to all the same.

"My name is Martha Tidville. I am the Headmaster's PA at St Sergius's School. I understand that you act as guardian to Kieran Williams when his parents are out of the country."

"That's right, Miss Tidville..."

"Mrs Tidville."

"I beg your pardon. Mrs Tidville. He's my nephew."

"The Headmaster would like to speak to you on an important matter."

"Okay, would you put him on, please?"

"It's a little more serious than that, Mr Blanchflower." Eric was rather nonplussed. "The Headmaster would like to speak to you in person and then he'd like you to take your nephew home."

"Could you tell me what this is about, Miss... sorry, Mrs Tidville? Has there been an accident?"

"The Headmaster would prefer to speak to you in person." Eric realised he had encountered the 'dragon at reception'. There was no point in insisting. "What time shall I tell him that you'll arrive?"

"I have a client to meet in a quarter of an hour. I should be free by twelve and able to arrive by quarter past." Eric still had time to put his client off, but he refused to allow himself to be bullied by some martinet at the end of a telephone.

"Thank you, Mr Blanchflower. I'll inform the Headmaster accordingly."

Eric sat back in his executive chair with its splits in the leatherette and sipped his coffee. It had gone cold.

"Ugh!" he exclaimed. 'Mmm, I wonder what the little ratbag has been up to now,' he thought as the real responsibility of being the boy's guardian dawned on him. Kieran had always been a sensible boy... as far as he knew him. So much so that up to now the guardianship had been a token one to cover the school's minimum legal requirements. The boy lived at home during his parents' periods of absence, had instant access to his uncle if he needed it, had never organised a rave, advertised it on Facebook and trashed the family home... well, so far... or acted particularly irresponsibly. 'He's probably stolen the school silver and melted it down or seduced the Headmaster's daughter... Hmm, son more likely,' and he grinned to himself. At that moment the phone on his desk rang again. His client had arrived.

Just before twelve Eric left his office, told his secretary (shared) where he was going and said he expected to be back by two. Reaching the car park, he climbed into his Skoda and made his way into the traffic. The possibilities of what Kieran's delict might have been went through his mind. He and sixteen year old Kieran had grown up together, like cousins, perhaps even more like brothers. The years between them were few. Eric had trained in accountancy and was qualified to deal with the routine, that is less affluent clients. As he was held up at every set of traffic lights his mind wandered back over the family relationships.

At first Colleen, his elder sister and Kieran's mother, had more or less brought him up until she got married, when his younger sister Eve took over. There were nine years between Eric and her. He had on more than one occasion asked his parents whether he had been an accident, which they always vigorously denied, but if your birthday falls at the end of September or the beginning of October you don't have to be Pythagoras to calculate that your conception took place during the revelries of the festive period around Christmas and New Year. His relationship with his father had been remote and was emotionally desiccated with the enduring implication Eric had been responsible for ruining his parents' plans for paying off the mortgage and early retirement. He laughed to himself - he had been responsible for that; no hint that his parents might have been irresponsible. If his father was remote, his mother better suited the role of grandmother.

The final set of lights turned green and Eric could turn into the school playground. He parked his car in a slot marked HM's VISITORS, bonnet facing the wall as instructed, and switched off the engine. At reception he asked for the Headmaster.

"Have you an appointment?" the snooty voice behind the counter asked him.

"He's expecting me. The name is Blanchflower."

"Oh, yes, Mr Blanchflower." The tone of voice told Eric that he's been tried, judged and sentenced, and he wasn't even the miscreant. "Please take a seat." The receptionist picked up the phone on her desk and announced "Mr Blanchflower for the Headmaster."

Sitting there Eric thought through what he knew of St Sergius's. It was an independent school with pretensions, aspirations which according to public opinion it didn't live up to. Apparently his sister and brother-in-law were content with it. Whether they still would be when the news about Kieran reached them, he wondered. The more able, intellectually and physically, were attracted to more successful schools in the town and its surroundings and the lower fees attracted a lot of children who would not survive the rough and tumble of a state comprehensive. He felt that Kieran could have done better in the choice of schools, but it wasn't his business.

A door opened and a woman, presumably Ms Tidville, walked in.

"Good afternoon, Mr Blanchflower. Would you walk this way, please?" In his mind Eric filled in the punch line with 'If I could walk that way, I wouldn't need the talcum powder.' He had to remind himself that he was here on a serious matter and he mentally slapped his wrist. Between the office and the Headmaster's study the air turned from cool to absolutely icy. He replaced his facial expression with a frown and resolutely refused to make small talk with the dragon. "Headmaster, Mr Blanchflower." The study had adopted a funereal atmosphere suitable for the sentencing of Kieran Williams to be hanged, drawn and quartered. The Headmaster rose from behind his desk, came round and shook Eric's hand, offering him a seat. He sat down again behind his desk. He was a short, rotund man, balding with his remaining hair cut into a short back and sides. He puckered his lips, obviously wanting to speak, but unable to choose the right words. His elbows rested on the armrests of his chair, his fingers steepled. Eric could have come to his rescue, but refused to do so. Here was a man who professionally could stand up in front of seven hundred boys and sixty odd staff and address them, and yet whatever had happened here it had reduced him to silence. He puckered his lips again, adjusted his horn-rimmed glasses, gave a little cough and finally spoke.

"I am sorry, Mr Blanchflower, but I find this matter distasteful, distressing and difficult to speak about." Now Eric looked shocked.

"What on earth has the boy done?" The Headmaster drew breath, composed himself and finally said

"This morning during break he was discovered..." The worst possible thoughts went through Eric's mind; the Headmaster swallowed. "... with his hand inside another boy's trousers!"

Eric wanted to burst out laughing. The scene had descended into pantomime. 'There but for the grace of God go I,' he reminded himself. He wanted to find Kieran and congratulate him. He summoned up all his reserves of self-control and maintained a straight face.

"So what do you intend to do?"

"I'm excluding Kieran until the end of term."

"Excluding? You mean suspending, not expelling him?"

"Exclusion, not permanent exclusion. This will naturally go down on his school record."

"And the other boy? How do you propose to deal with him?" Eric was determined to give the Headmaster a hard time.

"That is still under discussion."

"What is there to discuss?"

"Kieran said in his statement that the other boy was a willing accomplice. The other boy denies this."

"How old is the other boy?"

"Sixteen." Eric sighed a sigh of relief. At least he wasn't underage.

"On behalf of Kieran's parents I shall be interested in that outcome. When can I see Kieran?" The Headmaster pressed a button on his desk and Mrs Tidville appeared with Kieran behind her. He ran up to his uncle and hugged him. That didn't go down well with either the Head or the PA. There was a tear in his eye. "It's all right, Kieran. We're going now."

"Before you go, I must warn you that the school will not tolerate such behaviour." The Headmaster had found his voice again and, with his PA there, his authority.

"Thank you, Headmaster," said Eric. "We'll remember that and after informing Kieran's parents we'll be in touch," before he ushered the boy out with a pat on his backside as an act of defiance. That didn't go down well, either. Kieran picked up his schoolbag as they went.

Eric opened the car door for his nephew who climbed in throwing his schoolbag onto the back seat. Eric didn't drive off immediately. He felt Kieran needed some breathing space.

"So, how do you feel, Kieran?"

"How would you feel?" he replied. Eric put his hand round the young man's shoulders and pulled him in to him.

"That's not what I asked." The lad thought for a moment.

"Angry." He paused. "Yes, that's it, angry. They treated me like a criminal whereas they treated the other kid as the victim of a predator."

"And are you?"

"What?"

"A criminal or a predator."

"No way. Ask them who undid the zip on his trousers. Ask them who said 'Feel this.' It wasn't me. I'm sure it was all a trap set up by the prefects. They thought I was gay and they set up a honey pot trap to get me." Eric gently turned his nephew's head so that they were looking into each other's eyes.

"And are you gay?" Kieran stayed silent for a few moments, dropped his head and quietly said

"Probably." Then after another pause he raised his head, looked Eric in the eyes and almost shouted "Dammit! Definitely! Yes, I am."

"You realise you've just come out, don't you?" said Eric. He pondered for a moment.

"Yes, I suppose I have," and Eric took Kieran into a hug.

"Congratulations," he whispered in his ear.

At that moment there was a knock on the car window. Since it was steamed up, Kieran wound it down. It was Mrs Tidville.

"Williams, you realise that while you are excluded you are banned from school premises, don't you?"

"It's okay, Miss Tidville," intervened Eric. "We were about to go anyway."

"Mrs Tidville..." but her voice was drowned out by the engine starting. The breeze engulfed her in sooty exhaust fumes.

Eric eased out of the school gates onto the main road.

"So you're not mad with me, Uncle Eric?" He knew the 'Uncle' Eric was only used for effect.

"Mad with you? Why should I be? I don't feel so alone in the family now. There must be something in the Blanchflower genes. Blame your mother. You've inherited it through her. On second thoughts, don't say that to her. She'll be able to work it out for herself and it will be wise to see how she and your father take your exclusion first." Kieran tried to kiss his uncle on the cheek. "Not while I'm driving. It makes me feel all wobbly inside and I don't want an accident. So you've come out. That deserves a little celebration. Where do you want to go for lunch? As long as I'm back at work by two."

"That gives us an hour and a half roughly, so let's go for a pizza."

"Domino's okay?"

"As good as any."

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