Friday morning, Week 4

You’re hosting the Friday meeting this week. Once again, you can feel Mrs Oversight’s disapproval as she scans your office. What does she want in a school office? You’ve got books. You’ve got educational posters. You’ve got nothing untoward. Yet she crinkles her nose and studies everything looking for faults.

“First things first. Mrs Sorgood are we expecting the constabulary to be regular visitors to our school?”

Abigail flinches at the question. “No,” she finally manages.

“Good. You should avoid bringing personal problems onto campus. Your primary purpose is to teach these girls. Having the constabulary here is intensely disruptive. Many of these girls need no excuse to pay no attention to their studies.”

Having stated her piece, she then goes on to review the rest of the week as if she had stated nothing. You notice, though, that Abigail is uncharacteristically quiet. She appears distracted. That does mean the meeting is over quickly. Mrs Oversight leaves as if she’s still repulsed by your office. Abigail sits there, hardly noticing the meeting is over.

“Are you alright?” you ask.

She looks up. Nods. “Yes, I just thought she’d be more sympathetic. I should have known better.”

“If she won’t help you, I will. Anytime you need it, just say.”

Her smile is melancholic but still makes your knees tremble. Helping her further is the distraction of lunch, and conversations with Spencer and Anissa. They soon pull her out of her fugue. There’s the latest gossip to take her away from her worries, complaints about girls, ideas about the weekend.