Opposite Sides (2 page)

“
I am Miss
Turner, the matron of the college.”

Miss Turner was smaller
than he’d expected but even so she appeared to be someone
completely in charge of the situation. She sat down again on some
sort of high stool so that her upper body towered over the desk
top, taut and exceedingly straight. .

Maybe she
sticks a rod down her back
, He
wondered.
Otherwise, how could she
maintain such a posture
?

The next
thing that struck him was the severity that was part of her. She
wore her hair pulled so tightly away from her face that her thin
nose stuck prominently out and reminded him of the carrot nose the
children stuck on their snowmen. Her glasses had slid part way down
her nose so that she appeared to be looking at him from over the
rims. And as she read through her notes, he became aware of how
thin those lips were and that they now reminded him of the line
that cartoons used to represent a mouth. Then, she turned her head
slightly and he saw that the round bun of her hair was one of the
tightest he had ever seen and that her once dark hair had already
begun to turn quite grey around her temples so he came to the
conclusion that she could be similar in age to his grandmother. But
this woman was not at all like
Oma
. This woman had
authority.

Yes,
very
much in charge
, thought Hans.

She was also surveying
him: from head to toe and back again. Her thin lips twitched
slightly. Then she spoke.

“
Oh,
you
have arrived. You
may leave your suitcases out in the hallway.”

Hans bent over to pick
them up.

“
Not now.
When you leave.”

“
Yes, of
course Miss Matron,Miss Turner.”

“
Miss Turner
will suffice.”

It was an unemotional
comment.

“
Yes, Miss
Turner.”

She reached for the
letter his previous school had written and his enrolment papers
which were in a brown-covered file.

“
Erwin Hans
Resmel.” She spent some time sizing him up. “So, you’re our new
student from Germany. Our first overseas student for almost twelve
years. We did have two previous students from Europe but that was
before nineteen fourteen. I assume that you do speak and understand
English.”

He was not sure whether
she was telling him that was the case or asking if he did indeed
have some knowledge of the language. He decided a nod was in order,
for he was too scared to speak in case he muddled up his tenses or
made silly mistakes with his plurals. So, he stood in silence,
watching her flip methodically through the pages in his file. When
she had finished, she looked up.

“
What do you
prefer to be called?” She spoke the words so quickly, he was unable
to comprehend exactly what she had asked. He frowned and then made
some stuttering comment which, luckily, she did not hear clearly.
And after an awkward minute, she spoke slower. “What do you call
yourself? Erwin? My notes say you would prefer to be known as Hans.
Is that correct, young man?”

“
Correct.
Yes, Miss Turner. Hans. Hans Resmel.”

He always left out his
first name when he could. It sounded so official.

“
All right,
Mister Hans Resmel.” Her voice had softened a little and the
corners of her mouth indicated a faint smile. “However, here you
will be known as Mister Resmel. You are expected to follow the
rules for all our pupils are addressed by their surnames. And, this
young lady is Miss Sutherland.” She indicated the girl on his right
who smiled at him again and he thought she was very pretty and very
English-looking, not that he really had any idea what English girls
were supposed to look like. “Now, about our school,” the Matron
continued. “We’re a very modern private institution that offers
vocational training for young people between the ages of fourteen
and seventeen. Until a few years ago, we only catered for boys.
Most lived in. That means they boarded at the school. Today, we
also have some students who are day students so there is more
coming and going throughout the week. We are also thoroughly modern
for we’re one of the few private boarding schools that also offers
classes and training for girls. There’s a separate part of the
college for the education of young women. Completely out of bounds
to you boys.” The woman the other side of the large table narrowed
her eyes and looked at Hans with the glare of disapproval. “You are
not to go to the girls’ part under
any
circumstances . . . and that
goes for the dormitories, as well. Completely off limits. You
understand that, Mr Resmel?”

Hans had understood very
little of what had been said but he thought it better to agree,
what ever it was.

“
Yes, Miss
Matron.”

“
Miss
Turner.”

“
Yes, Miss
Turner.”

He watched as she wrote
something down. It took a minute but it felt much longer than that.
The silence was awful. Finally, she looked up at the figure of the
youth before her.

“
You and Miss
Sutherland should now make your way to the assembly hall and sit
down at the back. It’s the only time both parts of the school come
together. I have already asked Miss Sutherland to show you the way
to the assembly hall. She’s familiar with the school layout. After
morning break, you will begin your lessons. The assembly begins in
a few minutes. Students enter as soon as the second bell is rung.”
Then, Miss Turner addressed Anne. “Remember to remove your coat
before you enter the hall and when the assembly is over, Miss
Sutherland, you are to join the other girls. One of the masters
will familiarise Mr Resmel with all the school rules.”

“
Yes, Miss
Turner.”

Matron slid her chair
back and reaching behind her and pulled out a file from one of the
shelves.

“
Leave your
bags outside. You can collect them at the end of the day.” As she
breathed in deeply, he became aware of how much her breasts filled
out towards him. His face coloured and he hoped neither she or the
girl had noticed his reaction. “And now, Mister Resmel, Miss
Sutherland, I have other important matters to attend to. Thank you
and I hope you will enjoy your stay with us.”

She indicated with a
flick of her hand that they should go.

Hans had understood very
little of was said so he waited for Miss Sutherland to make the
first move. He did not want to appear stupid. Not on his first day.
Miss Sutherland mimed with her fingers that they should tip-toe
quietly out of the office.

The other student waited
until Hans had closed the door. He put down his cases as close as
possible to the wall and stood with his back resting against the
dark-wood panelling. It was the girl who spoke first.

“
Mister
Resmel?”

“
Please, my
name is Hans. I am . . .
sehr
. . .
um, pleased to
meet you.”

He bowed very slightly,
bringing his heels together with an audible click. He felt awkward
and was uncertain what to say or do next.

“
I’m Anne to
my friends. We are going to be friends, I hope.” She held out a
smooth, alabaster hand for him to shake but, instead, he raised it
to his lips. The girl was taken back a little but did not comment
on his action. She placed her coat over her bags, then straightened
the skirt of her school uniform. “There! Now we’re ready!” Anne
flicked her head to one side. “Follow me, Mister Hans Resmel. I’ve
been here several times. One of my brothers came here five years
ago.”

“
Your
brothers? They are since five years here?”

She laughed.

“
One brother.
Five years ago. Not now. He’s grown up and left. I’m the baby of
the family. Understand?”

He nodded. He liked her.
If English girls were like her, he would feel at ease straight away
even though he was understanding far less than he thought he would.
Everyone so far had spoken to him too quickly and he was finding
the concentration of it quite tiring.

The school assembly was
formal: boys on the left and the girls on the right and it was
always conducted in exactly the same way. Mr Bowes-Heath, the
headmaster, was a tall, wiry man in his late forties, greying
slightly at the temples, draped in a black academic gown that made
him look as if he could easily take flight the moment he should
raise his arms. His staff of eight masters sat on the stage, a
silent semi-circle of eyes, eyes that remained fixed on every
student in the hall: girls in the front four rows to the side and
the boys in the rest. On the left were two women teachers. They sat
behind Miss Turner. She sat upright in the front like a meerkat on
watch, a large black folder resting on the lap of her long grey
skirt that almost reached down to her ankles and her hands folded
with exact precision over the top.

As the final hymn notes
melted away, Mr Bowes-Heath left the podium and stepped forward
towards the front of the stage. His voice was neither high nor deep
but easily reached into the furthest corner of the hall and his
words were delivered with the skill of an accomplished stage actor
as he announced the arrival of the two new students.

“
. . . and
after one of our senior boys left to take up further studies at
university and two further boys having been accepted for positions
with the Bank of England, the staff and I have much pleasure in
introducing two new students.” He paused as he drew himself up to
his full height, extending his wing-like elbows and bringing his
hands in towards his chest where he grasped either side of his open
gown. “Today Miss Turner enrolled Miss Anne Sutherland and Mister
Hans Resmel. Miss Sutherland will be in the female wing under Miss
Turner’s guidance. Miss Sutherland is already acquainted with our
school through the education of her older brothers.” The headmaster
paused. The hall remained quiet except for one muted cough
somewhere in the centre. A minute passed Then, the headmaster
continued. “Mister Resmel comes to us from overseas. His house will
be Coleridge in Block Two A. I hope both of them will enjoy their
time with us and work diligently at their studies, helping to keep
up the good name of this wonderful college.
Veneratio est nostrum rector.
I hope
everyone will help them realise our school motto:
Honour is our Guide
so I
ask you all to
do the honourable thing and
demonstrate your loyalty to this school by making them feel that
this is their school, too; a school in which each one of you needs
to show how proud you are to be a pupil. Thank you.”

“
Everybody
stand for the headmaster!”

Mr Bowes-Heath walked
down the centre steps leading away from the stage and began making
his way down the isle between the rows of students in the assembly
hall.

Miss Turner
picked up her black folder, swished her dress fan-like around
herself and quickly followed her headmaster out of the hall. As the
last of the staff left and the assembly had come under the control
of the prefects, the students, now seated again, turned and craned
their necks to
gawk at
the two ‘new-comers’ who were seated at the back.

Miss Anne Sutherland was
a slim, good-looking girl of sixteen years, five months and
twenty-three days. Her light auburn hair which had been cut in a
modern bob-style, cupped each side of her oval face as though it
was a precious jewel. Even in her unflattering school box-pleated
black uniform she was a stunner of a girl and the admiring looks
from the boys in the hall showed that each one of them was already
trying to work out how he might be the first to gain her attention.
She smiled at two senior boys who were sitting opposite to her and
then dropped her eyes and remained looking down in the direction of
the floor.

Attention was now moved
to the young man sitting beside her for many of the students wanted
very much to see for themselves what someone from overseas might
look like. Mister Hans Resmel looked directly back at the waving
sea of faces and craning necks which waved before him like a flock
of flamingoes he had seen when his mother took her boys to the
Berlin Zoo. The similarity almost made him smile so he quickly had
to push that image from his mind.

He must have passed the
inspection in a favourable light for the younger girls began
whispering among themselves as they noted every detail from his
thick light-brown hair which he got that from his grandmother, to
his large bright blue eyes and finally to a strong, determined chin
which he had inherited from his grandfather on his father’s side.
Several of the girls actually smiled quite sweetly at him from the
other side of the hall.

Like many boys of his age
his body was still thin and gangly. It needed time to fill out and
muscle up after the spurt of growth that had taken place. He
appeared to be several inches taller than the girl next to him him
but it was difficult to be exact as they had remained
sitting.

As the whispering grew,
the school prefects took up their places around the perimeter of
the hall.