"Heroic" Jim

As Jim walked in his front door Davie said “You’d better be careful that girl’s smitten. Just because you got turned down once you think you’re pretty much a gawk that no one loves. But I’ve seen girls just about hanging off you and shes that latest and you have to watch it or you’ll hurt her, just like you did to that Annabelle. You don’t mean harm and you treat girls like ladies not objects and you talk to them like adults. You never seem to reaslise that they love that and so they think you’re wonderful”

“Yeah you told me that before”

“Well its true”

“O K so what do you think I ought to do?”

“Get over that girl who dumped you get rid of her picture. Start again. Stop being everyone’s knight “

“Very well”

“Don’t give me that I know when you want to be noncommital”

“Quite so”

“At times Jim Hawkins you can be most annoying. I’m off for a shower”

Jim went to his room and, as he did each Sunday emailed his parents in New Zealand telling them what he had done that week. In it he mentioned the jazz playing and that he had taken a distressed young girl home after she had been upset in the night club but didn’t mention anything else about Colleen.

Jim cycled to school the next morning and taught as usual, save that Bridget Flannagan asked him after her class “Do you coach privately- my parents would like me to have tuition with my English and now they have met you they would like you to do this.”

“Yes I do but I’m not sure if it’s a good idea since I know your sister”

“No she wants it too”

“That’s what I mean. I’ll think it over and phone your parents.”

On the Thursday of that week Jim was riding his bike home as he usually did when his attention was diverted by what he thought was a group of young men acting oddly. He rode up to take a better look.

“Stop that leave those kids alone” he yelled out as he came closer and saw two of them had a struggling sobbing bleeding man of about their own age held down on the rround and others had a girl a bit younger also bleeding from cuts around her eyes pinned down as they hit them with bits of wood. Prudently Jim rang emergency on his phone giving directions before, imprudently he decided to rescue the couple for it seemed to him that the man at least was in danger of being killed..

Jim woke up in hospital to find his ribs and his left arm in plaster his head bandaged and a drip on his right arm. A nurse appeared “Well you’re concious again that’s a good start you’ve been here for a day now”

Talking to the doctors through sore and broken lips Jim found that the gang had abandoned him and the two other injured people when the police arrived but not before he had been bashed and left with broken ribs and a broken arm.

That night he was trying to read to take his mind off the pain and discomfort when some visitors surprised him.

“Hey Colleen how nice of you to call. I didn’t expect you here at all. Some of the other teachers have called by and some of my friends who you met on Sunday have been but I never thought to see you.”

“Well here I am. I’ll be honest just like I think you are and say I don’t know why I’m here. It’s not as if I have this romantic feeling for you. I cant say what I do feel but I cant seem to stop thinking about you.” She stepped closer and looked at his swollen bruised face “They did a good job didn’t they? Poor Jim I guess you can’t leave well alone. You always want to save others, like your flatmate says”

"What, have you been talking to Davie?"

"Yes Bridget told us you'd been attacked and were off school so I went to your place yesterday and spoke to him"

The door to the ward opened again. Jim stared “Hello mother hello Susan. What are you doing here?”

“We heard you got hurt and we caught the first plane. Jim where are your manners. Who is this young lady?”

“Sorry Mum. Colleen Flanagan meet my mother Marjorie Hawkins and my half sister Susan Walton. Mum, Susan this is Colleen a young lady whose sister I teach and who comes to the Christian leaders meetings. Um have you come all the way from Wellington”

“Isn’t it obvious. That’s where your father your brother and I live and Susan and her husband live in New Plymouth so she’s come further. Are you still dazed? Did you fracture your skull is that why you're asking dopey questions?”

Jims mother fussed around asking questions about the injury. Colleen found herself talking to Susan “Jim said he’s your half sister um I hope I’m not rude but you look a lot older."

“Well I am. Our father married my mother who died when I was 8 then he brought me up for another 5 years till he married Marj and Jim is 15 years younger then me. I’m married with three kids two of whom are in High school”.

“Yes I think I saw a picture of you and a man in a coat and tie and three children in Jim’s room. I’m sorry for asking but - is one of your children crippled I thought I saw she was in a wheelchair”

“Yes that’s right that’s Sarah she has some problems. Anyway what are you doing here are you Jim’s girlfriend? Tell me you are please. Its time he forgot about that girl in Sydney he is always mooning about”

“Well I’m sorry I’m not” then Colleen to her amazement began to tell this foreign woman almost old enough to be her mother and whom she had never met before the story of how she had met Jim, gone to the Basement , how Jim had taken her home and everything else and ended by saying “I don’t know why I told you this and I don’t know how I feel about your brother but he’s a good man and I almost wish I was his girlfriend”

“Look Colleen we New Zealanders are pretty reserved and laconic. And its early days you’ve known him for – what - 6 days. Give him time. He hasn’t ever had any luck with girls."

“I’d better go and leave you and your step mother with Jim” Colleen walked over to Jim’s bedside “Bye Jim take better care of yourself in the future, don’t mess with the crack gangs” bent over and kissed his lips.

Jim tried to smile “I won’t try to rescue any more people in distress”

Colleen bent further and whispered “You rescued me on Saturday. Thanks I still owe you for that. But if you like you can rescue me again” and walked out.

Later that night when his family had left Jim lay- too sore to sleep until the sedatives the hospital had given him took effect- thinking of his life since he had left high school 10 years ago, his failure with women and how that failure had driven him to work even harder at being the “perfect teacher” and then he thought of Jen the girl who he had tried so hard to woo and finally of Colleen.