The day of the move was very hectic. The removal men did most of the lifting but there was still plenty for Jane and I to do, mostly cleaning each room once they were emptied. It felt like the end of an era as Mother locked the door for the last time and handed the keys to the estate agent. The drive to Endsleigh would take about three to four hours depending on traffic. We listened to a variety of local radio stations and Mother made the usual small talk. “So how you feeling about starting your new school Matthew?” she asked.
“I’m dreading it.” I replied.
“I think you’re just suffering from fear of the unknown.” Mother suggested. “It’ll be fine once you’re actually there.” she claimed. “I can’t wait to see you in your uniform.”
“Oh don’t Mother… I’m trying not to think about it.”
“At least you don’t have to wear Burberry like me!” Jane said.
I expressed that it doesn’t really matter what colour, pattern or print the uniform has, but the fact that I’m a boy who’s going to have to dress like a girl does. “I’ll never get used to it!” I insisted after Mother claimed I would.
“Well I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see.” Mother said, casting me an empathetic smile. “You’ve still got a week and a half to get used to the idea.”
“Hmmm.” I groaned. A measly week and a half isn’t long enough, and the more time I can spend not thinking about it, the better. “Is that our removals van?” I asked as we approached an identical vehicle to the one that all our belongings were loaded into.
“I think it is.” Mother said as we overtook it. We arrived at the new house long before the removals van did. We unpacked the car and much to Mother’s surprise, Jane and I didn’t argue over who’d have which bedroom. I liked the view from the little back bedroom window as it overlooked the large back garden and the allotments beyond. We had a good nosey around whilst we waited for the removals van to arrive. In the garage we found bit and bats of old and broken furniture, a few old tools, numerous bits of wood, god knows how many half empty paint pots, a rickety old stepladder and a variety of broken and unbroken plant pots. Mother suggested we have an explore around the local streets and whilst we’re at it, find a shop and buy some milk so she can have a cup of tea. We’d had a nosey at the area on Google Maps so had a good idea where the nearby shops were, although translating what we could recall from the aerial view to ground level proved somewhat tricky. After a few wrong turns we eventually found the small row of shops on; newsagent, bakery, hairdressers and a haberdashers. We bought the milk and returned to our new house. The removals van still hadn’t turned up but Mother had called them and they expected to arrive in about half an hour. “So what do you think?” Mother asked.
Both Jane and I agreed that the house was OK and the area seemed nice enough. “It’s just school I’m not looking forward too.” I said. “Is there another one in town I could go to if I don’t like it?”
“There is but you’re not going.” Mother bluntly replied. I had a moan and Mother told me that Endsleigh Comprehensive is the nearest and best of the three high schools the town has to offer and that she’d rather both me and my sister attended the same school. “Anyway, St Patrick’s also has educational petticoating and you probably wouldn’t qualify for Endsleigh Boy’s Grammar.”
“What do they wear at St Patrick’s?” Jane asked. “I bet it’s better than Burberry!”
Mother told her that it’s a normal uniform; navy blue skirts and pale blue shirts much like our old comprehensive school in Ashford. Jane said that that uniform sounds better than our plaid ones. “It’s not about the uniform Jane, it’s about the quality of education… anyway, St Patrick’s is a Catholic school and we’re C of E.”
