Ho! Ho! Ho!’ boomed the all-too-familiar voice as its owner came crashing through the staffroom door, his arms laden with books.
She found herself opening up to him
Tess grimaced momentarily. ‘Oh, please,’ she thought, ‘don’t let him stay long.’
‘Any tea going?’ asked The Voice – otherwise known as Ken – as he dropped his books on the pile of exam papers Tess was marking. She pointed to the teapot while she retrieved an exam paper from under the books.
‘Want a cup?’ he asked.
‘No, thanks, I really need to get on with marking these.’
As if he hadn’t heard her, he poured a cup and placed it in front of her. He then plopped himself down in the chair beside her. ‘So, how’s your first term of teaching been?’ he asked, not taking her hint.
Tess gave a fixed smile and resigned herself to marking the remaining exam papers at home later. She sensed she would be here for a while.
Ken’s popularity with both teachers and pupils
