I smiled, nervously. “About getting him nothing but dolls and dresses for Christmas.” I tapped the ash from the end of my cigarette before adding. “I’ve a good mind to do exactly that.”
Kathy giggled and said “I can imagine the look on his face!” When I failed to even raise a smile, she asked if I was really being serious.
“Oh I don’t know…” I sighed. “…it’s just pie in the sky thinking and me clutching at straws wondering what to do for the best.” I said. “If he continues getting detentions for silly little pranks, it’s only a matter of time before he’s getting the cane again, and after that they’ll be thinking of suspending him or expulsion.”
“He’s not that bad is he?” Kathy asked, clearly concerned.
“No no… I don’t think so anyway.” I replied. “It’s just… the detentions don’t bother him and if the cane was a deterrent, he’d have never set off the fire extinguisher.”
“True.” Kathy replied.
We soon moved onto other subjects such as Dallas and Coronation Street and what might be this year’s Christmas number one single. “Ooh I haven’t heard that one.” I said when Kathy hoped it would be Paul McCartney’s new single.
“Pipes of Peace.” she said. “We could do some at the moment.”
“Yeah.” I sighed. “Worrying times.” I said. “We’ve got the Americans parking their nukes in our back garden whilst the government dumps nuclear waste in the Irish Sea.” I sighed again. “…and here’s me whining about a troublesome twelve year old.”
“Well… there’s not much we can do about the big issues.” Kathy replied. “Apart from get arrested at Greenham.” she nervously chuckled.
