03 Dear Teacher Read Online Free Page B

Occasionally, however, she did get a little irritated.
    ‘I really have no confidence in that little man,’ she said as she walked out to collect her coat.
    ‘Peace and harmony, Vera,’ called Anne after her in a singsong voice.
    ‘Mmmm, yes,’ said Vera, with a tight-lipped smile.
    Suddenly the telephone rang on Vera’s desk. I picked it up.
    ‘Ragley School,’ I said, automatically.
    ‘Hello, Jack.’
    My heart skipped a beat. It was Beth … or was it?
    ‘Hello … er … how are you?’ I stuttered, stalling for time. It was almost impossible to tell whether it was Beth or Laura. The two sisters sounded so alike on the telephone.
    ‘Jack, I’m ringing from Liberty’s. I thought I’d stay in York tonight for a bite to eat and then go to the Odeon to see
Kramer vs Kramer
. I wondered if you wanted to come along.’
    ‘Oh, hello, Laura,’ I said. Laura had moved up from London earlier in the year to take charge of Liberty’s ladies’ fashion department and had bought a flat in York.
    ‘We could meet outside the cinema at seven thirty,’ she said with her usual confidence.
    Around me was a human tableau. Vera had stopped buttoning her coat, Anne and Sally suddenly showed interest in the noticeboard and Jo stared out of the window. It was as if time had stood still.
    ‘Fine. I’ll see you there,’ I said hurriedly.
    ‘ ’Bye,’ said Laura and rang off.
    As I returned the telephone to its cradle, everyone switched back into life but no one mentioned the phone call.
    * * *
    That evening, I walked out to my emerald-green Morris Minor Traveller with its ash-wood frame and brightly polished chromium grill. As I set off towards York, I was uncomfortably aware that I smelled like a perfume factory. I had just invested in a bottle of Brut aftershave. The boxer Henry Cooper, the motorcycle ace Barry Sheen and the international footballer Kevin Keegan, on a never-ending stream of television advertisements, had urged me to ‘splash it on’. I had done just that and reflected on the power of advertising.
    I parked my car and walked under the archway of Micklegate Bar, one of York’s four ancient gateways to the city, and on to the cinema. Laura was already there, slim and attractive with her long warm brown hair loose round her shoulders. She looked stunning in her chic little Jean Allen suit that was soft to the touch. The jacket was a flowing black bolero and the skirt was panelled in emerald and she drew admiring glances from everyone around her.
    She smiled and kissed me on the cheek and her green eyes reminded me of Beth.
    ‘Sorry,’ I said, looking at my watch. ‘I hope you haven’t been waiting long.’
    ‘No, Jack, it’s not far from Liberty’s and it’s a lovely evening. I’ve enjoyed the fresh air.’ Her smooth skin glowed with health and the merest hint of rouge emphasized her high cheekbones. ‘Come on – my treat,’ she said, tugging my sleeve, and we joined the queue.
    I glanced down at my sports jacket and sighed. The leather cuffs were frayed and the patches on my elbows were worn.
    ‘Nice tie, Jack,’ said Laura encouragingly.
    ‘Er, thanks.’ Beth had bought it for me a year ago. ‘You look wonderful,’ I said quickly.
    Laura smiled and took my arm as we found two seats next to an aisle where I could stretch out my six-feet-one-inch gangling frame. Then we sat through the best film of 1979,
Kramer vs Kramer
, and watched the Oscar-winning stars, Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep, unravel their tangled web of emotions.
    At the end, Laura was wiping away a tear with her handkerchief. ‘Isn’t life complicated, Jack?’ she said, squeezing my hand.
    I enjoyed being with Laura. She was dynamic, positive and always full of fun. It was just that when I looked at her I couldn’t help but think of Beth and the times we spent together. I wondered what she was doing on this autumn night, but, sadly, those days were gone now. I walked Laura back to her car and kissed her briefly. As