Foreign Affairs Read Free Page B

the Rosary
and spend a pleasant hour or so stimulating his brain. He needed it, he often told her, after putting in six hours with the young hooligans he had to teach. This amused his wife although she never
let on. The children of the village of Rathbarry and its surrounding areas could in no way be considered hooligans. If he had to teach in some of the tough schools up in Dublin he might have
something to moan about. He had a cushy number as headmaster of the village school, a promotion he’d got three years ago.
    You’d think from the way he carried on that he was teaching in the Bronx, Theresa reflected, sipping her tea. William loved to make out that he had a hard life instead of counting his
blessings and enjoying all the free time he had. But William was not one to enjoy himself, she thought glumly. He was very strict with the children and authoritarian towards her. He wore his title
of headmaster with great pride and dignity and was very much a ‘presence’ in the village. Unfortunately, like the Queen, who is royal twenty-four hours a day, so too was William a
headmaster twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. It was extremely wearing. Although Theresa was looking forward to having her children off school for the summer holidays, she couldn’t
say the prospect of having William under her feet all day made her dizzy with delight. Well she didn’t care. This summer was going to be the best ever for Ronan and Rachel. They were good
kids, they deserved a bit of fun out of life. So today she was going to get things off to a good start with a picnic. She was going to take them to Bray a couple of times to go to the amusement
arcades and to hell with William if he didn’t approve. Just because his mother had been very strict and he had no fun growing up as a child was no reason why his children should suffer the
same fate.
    William Stapleton watched through the grimy windows of Room 6, as his daughter trudged across the school yard, head down, hands stuffed into her pockets. He shook his head and
gave an annoyed ‘tsk.’ What kind of a way was that to walk? He’d have to tell Theresa to get on to Rachel about her posture. You couldn’t slouch your way through life. It
didn’t make a good impression. He was sorry he’d had to be strict with her earlier on but he couldn’t let her away with disobedience.
    He had specifically told Room 4 they were not to leave their seats and what did he find upon walking in to check up on them but his own daughter out of her seat. He
had
to punish her.
He couldn’t be seen to make a favourite out of his own child. Her classmates would be very resentful if he did. It was very difficult being a parent and headmaster to two children in the
school. His son Ronan had once accused him of
picking
on him if you don’t mind. He’d got a clip in his ear for his impudence and Theresa hadn’t spoken to William for a
week, accusing him of being too harsh.
    Theresa was far too soft on the children, he mused as he closed the window with a resounding bang. She would have them destroyed if he let her do half the things she wanted to do for them.
Children had to be ruled with a firm hand. Some of the brats he had to teach were brats because they were allowed to do what they liked and go where they wanted. Well Rachel and Ronan would thank
him in years to come. They might not appreciate the discipline now but when they were married with children of their own, they’d see that it was no easy task to rear a child.
    This summer they could both put in a bit of extra study, especially Rachel. That Miss O’Connor wasn’t the world’s greatest teacher as far as he could see, far too fond of
letting her class do drawings and act out little plays. Too much nature study and not enough arithmetic and grammar and Gaeilge. A few hours’ tuition by him would benefit his daughter
enormously and Master Ronan could sit in for it as well, he was much too casual in his approach to his