Frontier - 58. FR Chapter 58

About half an hour later my mobile rang, and seeing the caller ID, I took a deep breath before answering the call from Simon. “You are such a spoil sport,” Simon said to me, as soon as the call connected, and I chuckled.

“And you, my friend, are a brat,” I responded, and Simon began to chuckle.

“Sleep well. Talk to you soon,” Simon said and he ended the call.

The next morning, I made sure that I left home early, so as to speak to the principal about this problem with the video clip on U Tube. Although the receptionist hesitated letting me speak to the principal, I was eventually directed to his office. “Yes, Mr Hamilton, how can I help you?”

“I am not sure if you are aware of a U Tube video clip that was uploaded yesterday afternoon,” I said to the principal, deciding to remain standing.

“Yes, my daughter showed it to me last night. I was unaware that you were that young man, until just now. So, what does that have to do with this college?” the principal asked.

“That video clip was recorded here and uploaded without my knowledge, and it was done by a student at this college,” I stated in an annoyed tone.

“Ah, I see, and how do you know that it was a student at this college?” the principal asked me.

“A report from the police, I believe is sufficient for me to believe it to be true, Sir,” I replied, and I saw the principal frown.

“What is the name of this person, so we can deal with this matter promptly?” the principal asked me.

“That would be Mr Daniel Kenneth, according to the police,” I replied. There was a long period of silence before the principal spoke.

“Oh, well he isn’t a student. He is actually a groundsman, and my step son,” he replied.

“Well in that case, I suggest that you call him and have him remove the video clip from U Tube right away, and expect a court summons in the mail,” I said to the principal, and I stormed out of the office.

I went out to the lawn courtyard to calm down a little, before preparing for my first class for the day, and I was surprised to find Mathew approaching me.

“I am sorry that I got you to tell me about how you got marooned. It’s all my fault that has resulted in the unwanted video clip,” Mathew said to me sadly.

“Hey, it’s not your fault. It is that bastard Daniel Kenneth. He is the one who recorded it and uploaded it,” I replied with a smile.

“Well, in that case let’s do something about it. Leave it to me. I will rally the troops. Stay here,” Mathew said and he dashed off.

Over the next ten minutes the number of students in the courtyard grew from just a few, to nearly the whole student population, and when the bell sounded for the first class, all the students sat down on the lawn. Suddenly Mathew stood up. “We are here to support our classmate and college mate, who yesterday was wrongfully put in the public spotlight without his knowledge or permission, and the culprit is an employee of this college, and family member of the principal, so what do we say to the college?” Mathew said in a clear voice.

“The principal and employee to be sacked,” came a loud response.

“Yes,” the majority of the student crowd responded.

“Out, out, out…” Mathew began to chant, and everyone else in the courtyard joined in, making it a very noisy courtyard. When the principal appeared, the chanting become louder, as he tried to get the crowd to quieten down.

Mathew stood up and held up his hand, and the crowd stopped chanting, “For our college mate, who has had his privacy violated, what do we want?” he said loudly.

“Principal sacked,” came the chorus of voices.

“When do we want it?” Mathew added.

“Now,” was the resounding reply, and the chant, “Out, out, out…” continued. The principal and a few staff that had gathered with him, retreated to the staff room.

By the time the bell rang for the end of the first class, I thought that we had made our point, and I stood up. “Ok, I thank you for your support. Now I suggest that we return to our classes, before we get too far behind in our studies,” I said, and everyone started to make their way to their next classes. When my classmates and I stepped into the classroom, we found the lecturer at his desk reading a book.

“Good to see that you have decided to join the class,” he said.

For the remainder of the morning, I just concentrated on the lectures, and when the bell sounded for lunch, a staff member walked in nodded to the lecturer before heading towards me. She handed me an envelope. I thanked the staff member and she left the room. I stared at the envelope for a while before putting it in my pocket, and packing up my books, to follow the rest of the students out.

Once I had bought some lunch at the cafeteria, I began to head out, when a staff member spoke up. “Can I have your attention please,” she said and everyone went silent. “My name is Mrs Janet Lambert. As deputy principal I’m here to inform you that the principal has formally resigned from his position at this college. The groundsman who is responsible for Mr Hamilton’s online video clip, no longer works at the college, and the video clip has been taken offline, and removed from his phone.

“I will be taking over managing the college, until a permanent replacement is found. That is all for now. Enjoy your lunch,” the lady said, and she walked out of the cafeteria. Everyone returned to what they were doing, and I walked outside and sat under a tree in the courtyard. Mathew soon joined me. “So, what is in the envelope?” he asked me.

“Oh, I had forgotten about that. It’s probably just an apology. I will open it when I get home,” I replied with a small smile, and I began to eat my lunch.

“So, where do you live while at college? Not on your yacht obviously,” Mathew asked me, and I chuckled a little.

“The family has an apartment in East Perth, and that is where I currently live, as our home in the country has been leased to a local family,” I replied happily.

“I live in a plain boring little cottage in Victoria Park, with my widowed mum and little brother,” Mathew said sadly to me, and we continued to eat in silence.

“I am sorry that you father has passed away. I wish mine was. He is a very nasty man who is currently serving time in prison,” I said bitterly.

“I am sorry that you had to have such a bad father. I am glad that you are doing ok now,” Mathew said to me quietly.

“Thanks, mate. That is kind of you and means a lot. I am lucky that I have a very supportive grandfather. Unfortunately my mother was killed in a car accident earlier this year, and he is recovering from a heart attack at the moment,” I responded, as I stood up.

“Excuse me. I need to make a phone call to check on him,” I said and I walked away. I pulled out my phone and dialled Isaac’s mobile number. “Hello, Isaac. How is Gramps going?” I said as soon as the call connected.

“Hello, Anton. I was going to give you a call tonight. They are transferring him down to Perth, via the RFDS later today,” Isaac said to me.

“I see. Why are they doing that?” I asked.

“Apparently, they have found a suitable heart available. The patient is currently on life support, to allow time for Marcus to be transferred,” Isaac replied.

“Right, and do you still have lots of animals to look after on your property near Leeming?” I asked Isaac, who laughed a little.

“I have handed them all over to Jasper and family down at Jurien Bay. The boys are loving looking after all the animals,” Isaac replied.

“That is good to know. Then you have no commitments to keep you in Leeman and Jurien Bay for now?” I asked Isaac.

“No, I was planning to call you and see if I could come down to Perth,” Isaac replied.

“You are most welcome to stay at my apartment with me here in East Perth, which is not that far away from the main hospitals,” I said happily.

“That will be wonderful. I was hoping you would say that. I will drive down in your vehicle if you want me to bring it down,” Isaac said to me.

“I bought a second-hand vehicle, so as not to stand out too much, but if you want to use it while you are down here that is fine by me. I will text you the address, and see you when you arrive,” I said happily and ended the call. I decided to call Austral Shipping, to let them know that I wanted to arrange a meeting time to discuss what I wanted for the inside of my research vessel. I arranged it for Friday afternoon at 2pm, and I made a mental note to let the college know that I would be absent from lunch time onwards on Friday.

Just as I finished the business call, the bell sounded for the end of lunch, so I rushed back to the tree to grab my backpack. “There you are. Hurry up or we will be late,” Mathew said to me. I just laughed, as I picked up my backpack and followed Mathew to our next class. When the last class had finished for the day, I made my way to the administration area, and spoke to the receptionist about an appointment that I had in Fremantle on Friday afternoon.

Once I had done this I climbed into my car and made my way home, stopping briefly at some shops to do some more shopping. When I arrived at my first-floor apartment, I was surprised to see Isaac sitting on a suitcase outside my front door. “I forgot to text you my address didn’t I? Terribly sorry. It’s been a chaotic day. I presume you asked Gramps for the address,” I said to Isaac as I approached, pulling out my keys to open the door.

“It’s ok. I have only been here for twenty minutes, and I called Jasper for the address,” Isaac replied as I let him into the apartment. I followed with my two arms full of groceries. “Wow! This is an impressive apartment. And you have a view of the edge of the canal and of the river. Very nice,” Isaac said as I put the groceries away.

“It’s very convenient being central to everything, and its only twenty minutes to college each day. Where have you parked my vehicle?” I replied to my new guest.

“It is in the car park outside. You can see it clearly from your lounge room,” Isaac replied.

“We have two car-bays, per apartment, so I will have to relocate it as that parking out there is only for temporary parking. But I will take you out for dinner tonight so we can catch up on news. So, it can stay there for now,” I said happily.

“Are those boat pens available for mooring lease?” Isaac asked me as he stepped out onto the patio.

“Yes, they are. I am thinking of getting one for my research vessel. That’s if it will fit under all of the bridges between Henderson and here,” I replied.

“How many are there?” Isaac asked me.

“Five in total - two road and one rail at Fremantle, the Narrows at South Perth, and the Causeway at Victoria Park. That’s all. I have to check for height and width of each bridge, to make sure that it will fit. I have a feeling that I will only be able to get under that Fremantle bridge, as the others are too low,” I replied.

“Can you get a mooring at one of the yacht clubs?” Isaac asked me.

“That is another thing I need to look into. I have an appointment on Friday afternoon at Henderson to look at the vessel, and make any changes that I want, before they start the fitting out of the inside,” I replied.

“That sounds interesting. Can I come along too please?” Isaac asked.

“I had a feeling you might want to come along. If you pick me up at the college at 12.45 pm on Friday, it should only take about 45 minutes at the most to get there,” I replied. I let Isaac get settled into his room, and I quickly changed and retrieved the plans of the vessel, so I could show them to Isaac. I was at the dining table looking at them when Isaac reappeared.

“Is that it? Wow! It looks big,” Isaac said as he looked over my shoulder.

“Eight metres longer than the trimaran, three decks, not counting the pontoons, which have the engine rooms, generator rooms, electrical switch rooms, and a number or storage areas, on the bridge deck. I want to widen the space behind the stairs, to make room for two senior crew cabins, and include a bridge bathroom, and charts storeroom. The mid deck I will leave as it is with ten guest cabins, and main recreation lounge, but I will add two large 4 by 3 metre, multi-use rooms in each back corner of that deck, with a small bathroom attached to each one.

“On the main deck, I want to replace the two forward crew cabins with more seating place for the dining mess, plus storage lockers for the galley. The passenger seating area, will be turned into two large 7 by 5 metre research work rooms and two 4 by 4 metre offices. I will keep one column of 9 seats along each side at the windows, to provide comfortable seating for those who may want to watch the ocean view, while the two serveries at the back, will become store rooms.

“As for the main aft deck, I am thinking of maybe enclosing 2/3’s of it, with the crane at the back, and large doors on the sides, that can open up, to allow equipment to be loaded and unloaded, plus a small hatch in the centre of the roof, and a large hatch in the floor, between the pontoons.

“I’m not sure of the costs involved, but I was thinking of maybe a remote controlled deep-sea submersible as part of the equipment that may be required. Maybe a sonar, and some other oceanographic equipment that I don’t know about now, but will by the time I have finished my degrees,” I said to Isaac.

“Well, that sounds like quite a challenge. Who else are you going to have help you with all of this?” Isaac said to me.

“I have asked your grandson to be part of the team. He wants to do a marine engineer course, and I will happily cover all his tuition fees,” I replied with a smile.

“Sounds like you have it all planned out,” Isaac responded.

An hour later we arrived at a food hall, and enjoyed a relaxing night out. I learnt that Gramps had travelled well from Geraldton, and settled into his hospital room at the SCG hospital in Subiaco. Isaac also let me know that Jasper and family had settled in well at their new home, and that my brothers were wanting to know when I was coming home for a visit. So, I made a mental note that I needed to call Jasper when I returned home.

As soon as we arrived home, I called Jasper on his mobile. “Hey, Anton. How is the big city life?” Jasper said as he answered, and I laughed.

“Not as exciting as I expected. Did you see the video clip?” I responded.

“Yes, we have all seen it, and Anita has made a copy of it before it went offline. Did you find the person responsible?” Jasper replied.

“Sure did - step son to the college principal. Both have resigned from their jobs at the college after a huge student protest this morning. That reminds me. I received an envelope at lunch time from the former principal. I stuffed it into my pocket and forgot about it… I am opening it now… Yep, as I expected. It’s a written apology from the former principal, and … a personal cheque for $10 thousand. I wonder if it will bounce or not. I will get Isaac to bank it for me tomorrow. Can I speak to my brothers please?” I replied. Moments later the boys spoke.

“Hi, Anton. How are you? We saw the video clip. Anita copied it onto disc as a keep sake,” Neale said to me.

“Hi, Anton. We are enjoying being back home, especially with all the animals that Uncle Isaac gave us to look after,” Jedd added.

“That is good to hear boys. Isaac told me tonight that Gramps arrived safely in Perth this afternoon, and I will go and see him tomorrow after college. Be good for Jasper and Anita, and I will speak to you again soon,” I said to my brothers.

“Ok, Anton. Good night,” the boys chorused and they ended the call.

I smiled as I put the phone down, and I went to the kitchen to make a cup of tea, while Isaac was having a shower. When he was done, he joined me in the kitchen. “Thanks for putting me up here. It’s great to be close to Marcus, and not have to worry about accommodation,” Isaac said as he accepted a cup of tea from me.

“That’s fine, Isaac. You are virtually family, so don’t worry about it. Can you deposit this personal cheque into the company bank account tomorrow, and let Gramps know that I will be over to see him after college tomorrow afternoon?” I responded, as I handed Isaac the cheque and the bank details.

“He has his surgery tomorrow. Not sure when it starts, but I will text you the information, when I get to the hospital,” Isaac replied.

The following day was a Wednesday, and I had a free period for the last class, which I was pleased about as it gave me the chance to get to the hospital early. I concentrated on my studies the whole day, and spent my lunch break hiding in the library. That was when I received a text message from Isaac. “Your gramps is out of surgery. All went well, and he is currently in recovery, G Block 4^th floor. Regards Isaac”.

When it came to the end of the second last class of the day, and with a free period next, I headed to the carpark and drove back home, where I showered and changed before heading to the hospital to see Gramps. When I arrived at his room, I was a little shocked to see all the machines that he was connected to. Then I noticed Isaac dozing in a nearby chair. I sat in a chair on the opposite side of the bed, and placed my hand on Gramps hand, and closed my eyes.

“Hello, Grandson. It is good to see you again. How is college life treating you?” Gramps said to me, catching me by surprise. I saw Isaac smiling.

“It’s good to see you too, Gramps. It has been a very interesting first week so far,” I replied with a smile.

“Yes, Isaac has told me about the video clip that went online,” Gramps added.