Off To See The Wild West Show Part 2 Chapter 4 (5/5) By Frank Beill

(1/5), (2/5), (3/5), (4/5), (5/5). Part 1 Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20. Part 2 Prologue, Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4.

'May I help you?' Her manner was formal. The light was behind her and I could make out neither her features nor her expression. From the tone of her voice I knew neither of these was welcoming. 'Good afternoon, ma'am.' I decided she was a person who would tolerate nothing other than polite behaviour. No, she would demand it. 'I am looking for Miss Smyle. I was led to believe that she is a teacher here.' 'What business might you have with Miss Smyle?' Her head moved slightly to one side. My obstacle was wearing large round spectacles with hair tied back in a tight bun. At least her reply seemed to confirm Mary still worked here.

'I have a message to give her from a relative.' I wanted to reveal as little as possible before seeing my sister. I wanted to be the first to tell her who I was. 'I believe Miss Smyle is an orphan.' My adversary was not going to let me make contact without a struggle.

'It's from a very distant relative.' Nearly twenty years in time and a gap of over three thousand miles I decided made me very distant. 'Wait here!' she said before disappearing into a large hall. Her heavy shoes clip-clopped on the polished wooden floor. I edged further forward to get a better look into my sister's world. I guessed this large bare space must be the room for morning assembly. It must have been twenty feet high with windows more than halfway up white painted brick walls. The sun shining through them created pools of light on the polished floor.

It brought back memories I'd rather have forgotten of all those mornings suffering the Master's droning voice. Those were times when my mind was guaranteed to drift away into my own version of heaven, which always involved my hero. In reality, if anyone brought me salvation, it was Buffalo Bill and the people who the world believed were heathen savages. The echo of more footsteps disturbed my reverie. A slender young woman was coming down the school hall towards me.

My stomach turned a somersault. Her size, her shape, her sway. It was my mother walking towards me. Her every movement triggered so much pain. She came closer and I could see she wasn't the person I was imagining. The face was exactly the same: the eyes were the same deep blue but the skin was darker and the hair was not blonde but a dark brown with thin streaks of a lighter colour running through. The older woman reappeared at the far end of the hall. She maintained her distance to keep a watchful eye on events. 'Can I help you?' The voice was the same. Over twenty years and it was as though only a moment had passed. It hurt. 'You're Mary. Mary Smyle.' I stumbled over words catching in my throat.

'Yes, can I help you?' I was a stranger to her. There was no obvious recognition. Why should there be? She was only a baby the last time ... 'You told the headmistress, Miss Conway that you have a message from a distant relative.' 'I'm Sammy.' She must know me.

'Yes, but what is your message?' She looked at me as though I was an idiot. The agitated Miss Conway took a couple of paces forward. 'I'm Sammy ... Sammy Smyle. Your brother!' She recoiled. Horror overwhelmed the beautiful face. 'No! No! He's dead! Ran away! Drowned!' Her hands were raised and her palms were pushed forward to ward me off. 'Go away! Go away!'

She ran down the hall towards the headmistress. Miss Conway was marching in the opposite direction. My direction. 'Get out, young man!' she shouted. 'Get out before I send for a policeman!' She was steaming towards me like a battleship about to launch a salvo. I turned and rushed back down the corridor like a naughty schoolboy trying to escape a thrashing. Out into the yard, through the gates and into the street with tears streaming down my face. Why did every contact with a woman seem to end in so much pain for me? Every woman - except Sal.

Copyright © Frank Beill 2007

Continued soon on www.thisisUll.com......

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