Seeing It Her Way
"Here!" shouted Klaus.
Robert kicked the ball to him.
Klaus grabbed it and threw it down to the ground between the two piles of jackets that formed the makeshift goal post.
Twenty teenage boys and a few girls were kicking and throwing the rugby ball that belonged to the young lads they'd met outside the museum. This was exactly what they needed now. They'd been very good, all of them, both my own students and the ones from our partner school in Germany. Now, though, they needed to let off a bit of steam and that was exactly what they were doing.
A couple of times I found myself holding my breath as the ball almost went into the river.
I glanced at Sabine, my German counterpart. I really couldn't make the woman out. She was pleasant enough and she actually had good control of her students. They clearly respected and liked her. But she was frowning now and biting her lip. She certainly seemed to be an experienced teacher. So, what was worrying her so much?
The other team then scored a goal. I looked at my watch. Ten to four. We were due back on the coach at four.
"We'd better wrap this up," I said.
Sabine nodded. Did she look relieved?
The next day was a trip to London. The English students accompanied their exchange partners. This involved a visit to the Thames Museum. I'd taught my students good museum etiquette. They knew to listen politely on any guided tour and ask intelligent questions at the end. After the formal part of a visit I would give them some time on their own with instructions to meet near the entrance fifteen minutes before we were actually due to depart. And I had their mobile phone numbers in case there was a problem. I'd never lost anyone and hadn't even had anyone turn up late.
The German students again seemed polite and attentive but Sabine was frowning the whole time and she kept biting her lip again.
This museum had been Greg's suggestion. He was the head of history and had come along on this trip as an extra teacher.
The students certainly enjoyed the visit, especially the foreshore tour where they were able to have a go at mud-larking.
Sabine looked at her most anxious then.
She only seemed to relax a little when the students came back from the changing rooms and got out of their muddy boots and overalls.
I noticed a few minutes later that Sabine's students were all gathered round her and were talking excitedly. Sabine nodded. She saw me looking at her and smiled.
"They want to know if there'll be a chance to go shopping," she said. "They're keen to see Oxford Street."
Of course they were. But it was a bad idea. That would be the easiest way of losing one of them. Or risking one of them being robbed or worse still mugged.
We could have a look around White City, perhaps, if there was time. I doubted there would be. We were on a tight schedule. White City anyway was no different really from the shopping centres near us at home. It was just a bit bigger but it had the same chain stores. They would be better off, wouldn't they, going with their exchange partner? Wasn't it mainly the girls anyway who were interested in the shops?
"There really isn't time," I said. "And as it happens, the coach will go past Harrods. The traffic will probably be slow enough for them to get a good look at the windows."
"I think they want to spend some of their money on souvenirs from London."
"There'll be a gift shop at the Tower," I replied. I was ashamed at how harsh my voice sounded. I was sorry that the German students were so disappointed. But there was no way I would risk letting them shop on Oxford Street.
The next two days passed smoothly. The German students joined their partners at school. Sabine looked relaxed now and I found that we could chat easily.
A trip to the fun fair on the common was planned for Friday afternoon after school.
Greg decided to tag along again. I had to smile when I saw him chatting to Sabine. There was something brewing there. Why not? They were both single.
"Right," I said as we got off the bus. "Shall we take it in turns standing near the entrance so that they can find us if they need any help? And they've got our numbers on their mobiles."
"I think we should stay with them. Go round in one big group," said Sabine.
What? "They'd have to queue longer for the rides that way. And they'll be waiting for ones that they don't want to go on. Trust me. I know how this works." What was the matter with her? We'd done all of the health and safety checks hadn't we? This was far safer than shopping in Oxford Street.
Greg stepped in. "How about if you take first watch and Sabine and I'll go round with the others. Even if we do keep them together there's always the chance that someone might get separated."
Half an hour later Greg came back. "I've managed to get her to let go a bit," he said. "But she's very anxious. I'll try and find out what's eating her later."
"Oh?"
He grinned. "I've fixed up a date with her for this evening."
"Hi, can I have a word?" Greg and I were in the staff room the following Monday. Sabine was in a meeting with the Headteacher. She'd invited her for a coffee and a chat. "I know what's bugging her."
"You do?"
"You see, when they were playing rugby and mud-larking, and when they were at the fair on the common, we were near water. Her brother drowned during a school activities week. Instead of going to school he'd taken himself to the local river. No one had queried it because all of the local schools were doing activities that week. The teachers at his school had just assumed he was ill. That's why she was so anxious."
That was even worse than what happened to me on a school trip to London. I became separated from my friend. When I met up again with the teachers they had to get the police involved. We eventually found Maureen. She'd been mugged and all of her money had been taken. She didn't die like Sabine's brother had but she was never the same again afterwards. And I never again liked shopping.
A few moments later Sabine came back from the Head's office.
"So how was old Baxter?" I asked. "I hope she didn't talk you to death."
"No. She was fine. She was very kind. She suggested another year we might try the open air museum. Where they have a lot of historic houses?"
I nodded. That would be safe. There was no water there.
"And I've been thinking; we can probably fit in a visit to a shopping centre on the London day next time." Nobody would drown at White City, would they? And it wouldn't be too difficult to keep people safe from pickpockets or worse there.
Surely we could think of lots of places that weren't near water, even though our town's near the sea.
Perhaps I'll soon get the courage to tell Sabine why I don't like shopping. Hopefully then Sabine will understand my perspective as well as I now understand hers.
About the author
Thank you for considering my work. Gill James is published by The Red Telephone, Butterfly and Chapeltown. She edits CafeLit and writes for the online community news magazine: Talking About My Generation. She teaches Creative Writing and has an MA in Writing for Children and PhD in Creative and Critical Writing.
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