Opposite Sides (14 page)

“
I had my
brothers. There were three of us but Renard was always in charge.
He’s my older brother.”

“
Yes, I am
aware of that.”

“
And we had
my uncle and aunt. They looked after us. Aunt Laura is Papi’s
sister.”

“
Janine’s
only got me. It has always been just her and me in this big house
these past three years or so. I am busy with the school so Janine
is on her own much of the time. She has not got many friends, well,
ones who come here. And, being an only child she has the house to
herself. I think she feels threatened by you being here. Suddenly,
this big house is not only hers any more. But I think it’s just
what she needs.”

Hans was feeling better
about his situation. Life did not look so bleak for him again and
Miss Turner had shown that she did have a caring side to
her.

“
So, I
stay?”

“
That is the
idea. You will both benefit. Do you both good. Young people need
someone their own age as well as older ones around. Do you agree
with me, young man?”

There was silence for a
while as he weighed up what she had said.

“
I suppose
so, Miss Turner.”

“
We will all
have to make a big effort, Resmel, won’t we? We have to be friends
and put that dreadful past behind us. I will talk to Janine. I’m
sure it has been a terrible misunderstanding.” Miss Turner smiled
slightly and for the first time he noticed her mouth lifted higher
on one side than the other and behind her plain spectacles, there
were eyes that had feelings. How different she was from the school
mistress who inhabited the room down the main corridor and never
went out unless to scold or chastise some unfortunate student. This
new side of Miss Turner was a surprise. She was human after all. “I
will see what can be done. Oh, before I do forget, you will be
pleased to know a letter arrived for you in this morning’s post.
From the Brymers. Mrs Brymer also wrote to me and reported that she
and Mr Brymer have settled in to their new job. They both send you
their greetings and wish you well in your studies but I expect she
has written something like that in your letter. You can pick it up
from the hall sideboard. The Brymer’s have given me some ideas that
may help. So, it is up to you now.”

“
I’ll try.
This time I’ll really try, Miss Turner. I promise. Even if other
students are beasts, I’ll make you all proud. Grandmother will be
pleased.”

“
Good. And
what’s this I hear about you playing cricket now?”

“
Robert
Brinkwater invited me to join them.”

“
He is a good
lad and he will be a good friend to you, Resmel. Our boys are not
all bad. They will accept you if you make the effort to meet them
half way. Mix with them and join in with their activities. That’s
how you will find friends.”

Hans did find more
friends on his seventeenth birthday. Robert Brinkwater, together
with several other boys from around the neighbourhood, decided to
invite Hans out for ‘a good time with the lads’ and to prove to him
that old feelings could be laid to rest. It was to be a fun day:
cricket, picnic and some male high-jinks during the long, balmy
summer evening. Gerald Brookfield-Smith, who lived out of the town,
had got permission from his father for the boys to spend the night
in one of the old barns that usually stored farm machinery. The
only restriction put on them was that there was to be no smoking
because of the hay remnants lying around. All Hans needed were a
couple of blankets or a sleeping bag.

A chauffeur was sent
round to Miss Turner’s house to collect Hans and drive him out to
the Brookfield-Smith estate twelve miles north-west of the town.
When Hans arrived, Gerald and another slightly younger boy were
already there and came on over. A few hens scratched around in the
dirt where the boys had been walking.

Gerald was a year and a
half older than Hans and had his mind set on doing something really
exciting with his life. His hair was a loose tangle of
straw-coloured fine hair and his grey eyes darted around as though
he was trying to follow one of the flying midges in the warm air.
He made sweeping gestures in Hans direction and beckoned him
over.

“
Hans, this
is Eddie. Eddie, Hans. Got to dash. Others to see.” Gerald’s face
grinned in pleasure as he flicked an unruly tuft of his wayward
hair away from his face and immediately made a quick disappearing
act into the shed nearby, followed immediately by indignant
clucking and a missile of ruffled feathers making a dash for the
safety of outdoors.

Hans held out his hand to
Eddie.

“
Pleased to
meet you.”

Eddie was about the same
height as Hans, only rounder and more muscled. Hans liked Eddie as
soon as Gerald introduced him. He had upside-down eyes that made
him look as though he was laughing all the time and a crop of tight
dark curls . Eddie did not attend the school but worked in his
father’s butcher’s shop in town. His father owned and ran the
business and because of this, together with the fact that Eddie
could hit a ball better than anyone else in the county, Eddie was
accepted into Gerald’s ring of cricket-playing boys.

“
Hello.
Pleased to meet you, too.”

Eddie always wore his
white cricket clothes when he was with the boys whether there was a
game on or not. He grinned at Hans and pulled down the bottom of
his white cricket jumper.

“
Glad to have
you in our team. Good idea of Robert’s to bring you along. Really
great!”

They sat together on an
old piece of machinery that had lain around for so many years that
the grass had entwined itself around every rusty strut and pulley.
Gerald was still inside the shed. They could hear him thumping
around and moving things. He had given them strict instructions to
remain outside until he was ready.

“
You’re not
from around here, are you?” Eddie asked as he plucked a stalk of
grass and began chewing on it.

“
No. I’m from
Austria.”

“
Really?”
Eddie was trying to place the accent. “I’ve got a cousin who went
out there after the war. He’s got lots of sheep. Hundreds. Maybe
even thousands. Loads more than you’ll ever see here.”

Hans was the puzzled one
now.

“
We don’t
have sheep in Austria,” he said.

“
No? Well, my
cousin does. Absolutely thousands of ‘em.”

After that, the two boys
sat in silence for a while listening to the dull thumps and bangs
from within. Then Eddie thought of something else to
say.

“
Seen any
kangaroos?”

“
No, why
should I?”

“
They’re from
Australia. My cousin wrote me. Says he can jump almost as high as
‘em.”

“
Really?”

The conversation came to
a halt again but this time they didn’t have long to wait before
Robert arrived, together with one of the tallest boys Hans had ever
seen.

“
Hello, Hans.
Hello Eddie. Bertie Williams couldn’t make it this
time.”

Robert was a
little out of breath. He brushed back a strand of hair which had
fallen forwards over his forehead and beckoned his companion to
move closer. “This is Alistair Montgrove, known as Loppy. His
father’s a lawyer with
Leavers and Company
Solicitors,
so be careful what you say or
do.”

Loppy awkwardly leaned
forward from his slender waist and thrust out his long, gangly arm
and presented the boys with a large plate of a hand for them to
shake. He was at least two years older than Robert and Hans. His
laugh was gangly and spread out in all directions around
him.

“
Don’t take
any notice of that. My old man’s not likely to bite your head off
and besides I keep mum about what we do. Heard all about you from
Robert.” He shook Hans by the hand so vigorously, Hans wondered
whether his fingers, let alone his hand, would survive the ordeal.
Robert stood shaking his own hand after receiving Loppy’s strong
grip. “Funny,” Loppy continued, “I hadn’t noticed you around the
school. But then, I was usually out on the pitch or in the library,
if I wasn’t studying.”

“
Hans
sometimes joins us on the cricket field, don’t you Hans?” Robert’s
hand had given up feeling squeezed and now rested comfortably by
his side.

“
Great!”
Loppy replied. “It’s a good game when you get to understand it,
don’t you think?”

“Not bad,” answered Hans.
“What are you going to do after the holidays?”

“
Hope to make
it to one of the universities. Just done my finals. Can relax a bit
now until results come through.” He looked around above their
heads, making Hans think of giraffes. “Seen Gerald?”

“
Inside.”
Eddie pointed to the open door. “Says we’re to stay out here. For
the moment. I saw his cousin go in there with him. It’s all hush,
hush.”

“
If I know
Gerald,” whispered Loppy, “He’s definitely up to something. Just
you wait. Meantime, I think we can get in a short game. Come on.
Let’s round up the others now we are all here. I see Eddie’s come
prepared.”

Hans and the others had
to wait until the end of the afternoon to find out why Gerald had
been so secretive. Phil, a younger cousin of Gerald’s who had
arrived to stay for the week, had been permitted to join in the fun
but on the condition he helped with Gerald’s barn preparations and
never breathed a word about this to any living soul. This was the
boys’ night when boys became men.

“
Careful with
the lamp.” Gerald pointed to a lantern hanging from a hook well
above their heads. “I’ll snuff it out when it’s time to
sleep.”

After they had all eaten,
the boys flopped down on piles of straw and the odd lost feather
from one of the roosting hens. They had raked the straw together in
five separate piles for five separate beds. This far corner of the
barn was theirs, away from the dusty farm machinery and row of old,
dull leather bridles, collars and haines. The air was dusty with
the smell of dried manure and animal sweat. The boys lay on their
beds in the semi-darkness chatting about cricket, auto-mobiles,
then girls. It didn’t really matter which girls they were as long
as they were girls. Girls from the school, girls from the town,
special girls who came to watch the cricket games. Soon became
clear to everyone that the best girl of all was Anne Sutherland,
not only within the school, but within the town as well.

“
Gerald said
he’d be willing to fight a duel to get Anne all by himself!” Robert
laughed loudly at the idea of he and Gerald locked in mortal combat
while Anne stood seemingly disinterested, on the
sideline.

“
I think I
should have first choice,” shouted Hans over the chatter and
laughter.

“
Why?” the
others shouted back loudly in unison.

“
Because I
met her first. Before any of you. Before the assembly.”

Boos and hisses shot
around the barn. Then, a voice called out above the
noise.

“
What about
before? How do you come to that?”

“
I was
introduced with her,” Hans shouted. “At the same time! That should
be enough.”

“
All right!”
Gerald held up his hand. “I’ll surrender. Just this once. But only
because it’s your birthday, Hans.”

“
How did you
know?” Hans did not know whether to be delighted or
embarrassed.

“
Never mind
how I found out.” He dived his hand into his pile of straw and held
up two bottles of red wine high in the air. “Tonight, we celebrate!
Make a man of you, Hans!”

“
Am I
included?” asked Phil who was several years younger that the
others. He was hoping not to be left out.

“
Yes, Phil.
You’re included,” someone said as uproarious laughter lifted high
into the loft. “We’re all in this together!”

“
Loppy can
drink a whole bottle and not get drunk!” Eddie said at the top of
his excited voice. “Let’s see who can drink Loppy into the
straw!”

“
Where did
you get that grog from?” asked Robert as another bottle
appeared.

“
From the
cellar.”

“
Won’t they
be missed? I mean, won’t your butler cop it when they’re discovered
missing?”

“
No. I’ve
been stashing up for weeks. Snodders will blame it all on some of
the stable lads.”

Gerald groped into the
straw pile again and extracted another three bottles. He popped the
cork on the first and began pouring out the beautiful intoxicating
liquid into the clean, cut-glass bowls of the wine glasses. Tonight
they felt like the ancient gods.

“
Drink up,
lads! The night is still young!”

The boys continued
drinking until the early hours of the morning until one by one they
leaned so far over to one side and were not able to right
themselves again. Some time next morning, and Hans was not sure
what time it was, he awakened back into consciousness. His head
throbbed and his eyes felt burning and bulging at the very point
when he thought they would explode out of their sockets. He rolled
over onto his side and tried to prop himself up on his elbow but it
would not lock and he flopped back onto his straw mattress with the
control of a jellyfish.