Meet Me at the Pier Head by Ruth Hamilton Page B

puffed up her cheeks and blew out the air. ‘I told him again and again not to come to Liverpool, but he seems not to understand negatives like “No, I don’t want to marry
you”. He thinks it’s because Pa’s prejudiced against Jews, yet he knows I ceased to obey my father years ago. The best way to get me to do something is to tell me that Pa
wouldn’t like it.’
    Your father certainly wouldn’t like me if he looked into my provenance, then
. ‘You’re the best teacher I’ve had here.’
And the best woman I never had,
can’t have, mustn’t have
. ‘Will you be coming to the end-of-year party?’
    ‘I’d love to.’
    ‘Adults only.’
    Tia frowned. ‘So you won’t let me in?’
    He shrugged. ‘I’m open to bribery.’
    ‘OK, I’ll raid my bank account.’
    He made a conscious effort to sound disinterested. ‘Will you bring Simon? We’re all allowed a friend or a partner.’
    ‘No. Are you coming with someone?’
    Once again, he raised his shoulders for a moment. ‘Let’s bring each other, shall we? That will stop us ruining the evening for two innocent people.’
    Her smile arrived immediately. ‘So I’m dating my boss and my landlord?’
    ‘Just a school function, Tia. And will you sing with me if I bring my guitar?’
    She inhaled sharply. The school function bit had withered her hopes slightly, but the request, arriving on the back of his earlier words, moved her towards positive thought.
    ‘Well?’ he asked. ‘Sing with me, please.’
    She had the distinct feeling that he was alluding to much more than a vocal duet. He was nervous. ‘Of course I will. Skiffle?’
    ‘Skiffle .’
    At last, he dragged his eyes away from her, opened a drawer and pulled out a large, buff-coloured, cardboard envelope. ‘I like your breakdown of the maths system. These cards you made are
great for beginners, less threatening, one task only. You will upgrade them for brighter kids as and when necessary?’
    ‘Of course. Coming to school for the first time can be painful, almost like being born again. Nine months in permanent darkness, then pain and light and Mother. We love our mothers
unconditionally, relax, settle into a routine, have fun, receive and give love for five years. Then society drags us away and shepherds us like a flock into a place with more than thirty other lost
lambs.’
    ‘And the answer is?’
    ‘Fun and tasks we stand a chance of mastering. Praise, patience, positivity.’
    ‘Three Ps?’
    ‘Another thing about pee. I won’t waste my time or theirs on requests for lavatory time. They just go. We’ll have two days with an empty classroom and all the kids will be in
the toilets, as they term those places. But they’ll get bored and come back, because my classroom will be an interesting place.’ She pondered for a moment. ‘Miss Ellis is a
remarkable woman; it’s a pity that she has to retire.’
    Theo nodded. ‘Another birth pain, then?’
    ‘Indeed. More hurt. Will she be lonely?’
    ‘No. She took in a widowed sister and her two daughters, so she has grown-up nieces who have children. She also shares her home with several cats and a parrot that has to be covered when
the vicar calls. Miss Ellis’s fiancé was killed in World War One. The cussing parrot was his.’
    ‘Shame,’ Tia said. ‘She would have made a lovely wife and mother.’
    So will you, Portia. God, this is so difficult. I want to see you all the time, wake with you, spend my life with you; I also want to send you away because . . . No dark thoughts, Theo
.
‘Are you going home now?’
    ‘Shortly,’ she replied. ‘I’ll look in on Tyger.’
    ‘Thank you.’
    He was wearing his
Closed For Business
expression again. Not for the first time, she sensed his powerful inner conflict. Teddy Quinn had a past, but he refused to discuss it. Perhaps if
she were to tell him about her own trials and triumphs he might open up? ‘Are you still in detention?’ she asked.
    ‘Definitely,’ he answered.