Short Stories - Inspired by prompts. - 1. Didn't Quite Make It - Prompt 764

Prompt 764 - Creative

Tag - First Line

Didn't Quite Make It

BY TALO SEGURA

The tears were still falling as he grasped the doorframe watching the dark figure disappear into the rain. Could he have done something different? A contournement of the truth, what the English would call, a white lie. It wasn’t that he had any problem with the situation, or that it upset him, but neither was he able to offer a solution. The more he considered what had happened the more obvious it became the outcome was inevitable, a foregone conclusion. Only Matthew was blind to the consequences.

It was six months ago, the start of a new term, and a couple of new faces on the staff. Matthew Barkley had graduated in the Arts, before qualifying to become a teacher. Why he chose this particular profession is a mystery and one which will remain forever unresolved. What drives a person to choose one path over another boils down to personality and circumstances. Still, whatever the reasons behind his choice, David respected his decision; even if it soon became evident that Matthew was not cut out for the job.

Enthusiasm and a certain idealism do not offer, by their nature alone, enough of a shield from the natives of the jungle, some of whom could be dangerous animals. Apart from the usual settling in to a new and hostile environment, everything went well at first. However, a naivety on Matthew’s part was to lead to the catastrophe that doomed their relationship like some twisted Shakespearean plot. A theatrical drama played out in the corridors of education.

James Holland was a precocious and thoroughly obnoxious fourteen year old. David had the dubious pleasure of being his year head the previous year and knew the boy well. He had put him in his place from the outset, his thinking being that he should clamp down hard before anything got out of control. What he needed to set him straight about, a rather ironic term to employ, was his attitude. Not simply his lack of respect for authority, but his continuous jibes of a barely disguised homophobic nature.

There were strict policies in place at the college, these revolved mostly around bullying, but had been extended with the aim to prevent victimisation of fellow students, for whatever reason. One reason was making disparaging remarks insinuating a boy or girl was gay. David was certain he wasn’t the only gay person in a school of just over six hundred staff and pupils, but he was particularly vigilant to ensure none of the students felt isolated. In the back of his mind he suspected that young Mr Holland had deep rooted identity problems of his own. However, he would not allow one boy’s problems to destroy a good working environment for everyone else.

It was much later when Matthew and David became good friends, rather than simply friendly colleagues. Quite how that transition came about he was not entirely certain. Although, there was the incident during life studies which Matthew had related to David and Muriel over coffee in the staff lounge. It was so hilarious it had Muriel in fits and David choking on his drink. You see, part of the art course that every student had to learn was life studies, which meant drawing real models. The art teacher, Matthew this time around, would ask for volunteers to act as the model for the rest of the class. The only difficulty being that one part of this was modelling nude.

Matthew recounted how he had gone through practically the whole class and no one would step up to the challenge, so he decided to hold a sort of lottery. The winner, or perhaps loser, got the modelling job. This turned out to be the smallest and possibly shyest boy in the class. Only he proved himself, to everyone’s surprise, up to the job. And that is not meant to be a pun! Once undressed behind a screen, Matthew asked him to come out and take up his pose in front of the rest of the class, with easels and pencils at the ready. After a little hesitation and some murmuring from everyone else, out stepped young Lawrence holding in front of himself a strategically placed fig leaf.

Roars of laughter and shouts of, “Take it off!” went up from the class.

Matthew looked at the boy and then hushed the class. “Lawrence, this is supposed to be a nude study.”

The boy unwaveringly replied, “Yes, I know.”

Matthew looked at the fig leaf, “And that?”

“I am biblically nude!” He exclaimed theatrically, and the whole class started laughing again.

But they carried on with the fig leaf prop and Matthew telling the students to use some imagination. The finished drawings were somewhat amusing, not for the varying degrees of proficiency, but rather for the varying degrees of size!

Whilst David never hid his sexuality, neither did he make a prominent display. Only Muriel was close enough to be a sort of confidant and it was her, who taking the initiative pushed the two of them together. There is a theory that opposites attract and that certainly was the case here. But over time they grew closer and shared more and more periods together outside of work. They may even have moved in together, it was the next logical step, but for that fatal day.

James Holland had decided to take his revenge and not directly with David, but rather through Matthew. The burgeoning relationship David shared with Matthew, they kept very discrete, for obvious reasons. However, not as secret as they imagined, because James had discovered, or perhaps more accurately, believed he had deduced that there was something going on between the two teachers.

One wet Autumn afternoon everything went wrong and David was not in school that day. He had an interview for assistant head at another school, and they had arranged to meet up that evening at David’s flat. James Holland confronted Matthew with a barrage of verbal abuse, the kind of homophobic vilification that leaves nothing to the imagination. Perhaps if David had been there, in school, things may have worked out differently, but probably not. Matthew had, as the kids said, lost it. The result, he hit James, and a teacher smacking a student is unjustifiable and an automatic dismissal. One moment ended his career.

The buzzer sounded on his intercom and David picked up, “Hello.”

“David, it’s me.”

He pressed the button to let Matthew in and went out to meet him. His apartment was on the ground floor of a small block. As soon as he saw him he knew something was wrong. He ushered him inside and attempted to take his wet coat, but Matthew just stood there.

“I’m leaving!” he said, a blank look in his eyes.

“What?” David couldn't understand.

“I’m sorry. I hit a kid today. He fucked with my head and...”

“Come in. Don’t stand in the doorway.”

“No. I’m leaving. I came to say goodbye.”

Matthew turned and walked the short distance back down the hall. David followed him. But it was too late.

“Matthew, wait!”

But he’d gone. Opened the door and stepped outside. The tears were still falling as he grasped the doorframe watching the dark figure disappear into the rain.

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