Free When I Was Joe by Keren David Page B

say ‘sir’, but it’s what I’m used to and I don’t mean to be, and actually I’m really trying to be very polite and I didn’t mean to be late and half dressed but when I finished training this morning the whole changing room was full of people and it wasn’t really my fault, but he isn’t interested and it isn’t really very fair what he says. . .’ I wind down. I sound like a whinging toddler.
    â€˜Two days ago I gave you the very big privilege of getting an access card to use the facilities out of hours. I don’t have to tell you what an advantage this gives you and how many other people would like to have that card. I was somewhat surprised not to see you making use of it yesterday, and even more surprised when my wife told me that she’d seen a Parkview schoolboy downat Morrison’s mid-morning. It wasn’t hard to work out who it was from her description.’
    Blimey. This little town has spies everywhere. I put my head in my hands. ‘Mr Henderson, my mum was not very well yesterday. She . . . we . . . didn’t have any food in the house at all. I needed to look after her. I really wanted to be at school and training and everything but I just couldn’t. It’s just Mum and me. We don’t have anyone else to help us.
    â€˜I really do appreciate getting the access card and I did get up really early this morning and did a lot of training and I really like it and please don’t take it away.’ I plead.
    I can see Mr Henderson is gagging to ask what was the matter with my mum, and I am desperate to spill it and say, ’She got drunk and nearly set the house on fire,’ but we both hold back, which is good because the last thing I need is a visit from social services.
    â€˜Ellie tells me that you seem to be under some emotional stress, and she’s worried that training is putting too much pressure on you.’
    â€˜No, no, no it’s not. She never said that to me.’
    â€˜No, she likes working with you and she wants to continue. But she is only a student and she is being supervised and she was right to tell me of her concerns.’
    She likes working with me! I have a warm, glowing,happy feeling inside. But I also have an uncomfortable warm, glowing, embarrassed feeling turning my face red as I wonder what exactly she did tell Mr Henderson.
    â€˜I think you’d better go and apologise to Mr Hunt in the morning. Explain that you’re new to the school and sometimes things are a bit difficult. ‘
    â€˜He knows that. . . What will happen about the detention?’
    â€˜You’ll probably end up doing it tomorrow. Maybe he might hand out a double detention. You’re already on full report, so he can’t add that sanction.’
    â€˜What do you mean?’
    He looks a bit sheepish. ‘I think it’s probably something you’re not meant to know if you haven’t been told. My mistake.’
    â€˜But you just told me. And I don’t even know what it is.’ It sounds bad though.
    â€˜It just means that the head teacher has requested regular reports on your behaviour and progress. It’s what we do with people who are persistent troublemakers. When there’s a full report request for a new pupil we usually find that it’s someone who has had trouble in their old school, maybe an excluded pupil, something like that.’
    I’ve never even met the head teacher. Could this be Doug’s way of spying on me at school? Does my headteacher know the whole story? Mr Henderson says, ‘This doesn’t seem to be a big surprise, Joe.’
    â€˜No, I know why,’ I say. ‘I can’t exactly explain but I’m not a troublemaker and I do want to make the best of this opportunity.’
    He realises he’s not going to get any more out of me and asks, ‘Did you not have the chance to train at your last school? Did they not spot that you could run?