They ran to a strict timetable, especially in the afternoons when the frequency of people milling around the small space was higher. Each lesson ran seamlessly into the next, the changeovers at 4pm and 5.30pm smooth and on the dot like a well oiled machine. A machine that did not cope well with disruption. He appeared in the doorway of the classroom at 3.55pm. 'Do you know where the Guess Who? cards are?' he asked, easily heard by the assembled mass in the library. The two teachers for whom the remark was intended knew what he meant and both shook their heads and uttered apologies. He nodded and, muttering, withdrew back into the classroom closing the door behind him. The two teachers subliminally glanced at the clock, and then at each other. Unable to say anything whilst surrounded by parents and students they simply raised their eyebrows in a simple, wordless communication. The class was not going to finish at 4pm.
© Nancy Laidler 2012
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