—Were you on the same train, or how did you follow me?.—
—As I said, I wasn't there, although the food on that train was undeniably delicious.—
—The meat..— I say..
—Right, the meat!, I wasn't going to be watching you all day, I had to eat something, so I thought, why not?.—
Without realizing it, Henrietta confesses that she followed me... possibly the entire journey and to all the places I went..
I can imagine her, covering her face with a scarf and wearing dark glasses, undoubtedly suspicious...
—Stalker.— I say.
—When we got to the countryside, I thought, can't IA stay in a better place?, is her salary that low?. But then I remembered that we earn the same, so I realized that you just liked the inn. It gave off an old and calm feeling..—
—I'm not a stalker!, you know I just protect you!.— Henrietta turns to me immediately with a belated response..
—What kind of delayed reaction was that?.. Besides, you're slightly blushing, quite cute. I should report you for harassment.—
—Shut up, are you making fun of me?.— She says.
—No, you're very important to me, Henrietta, but a little self-control wouldn't hurt... just to know when you've gone too far.— Haha..
—True, true, you understand me, IA. Next year I'll launch operation "stay or I'll set the car on fire".—
She seems to only hear half of what I say, but she's still a good friend, without a doubt.
We resume our walk down the hallway. There are some dark-colored wooden benches and heaters on the walls.
—All the cars were in the parking lot, so I guess no one else is coming, right?.— I ask.
—We're the last ones, but it's hard to get up in the mornings... and on Mondays... and after vacations... and to come to work... I mean, it's worse than a battle or war itself.— Henrietta says with a disgusted expression.
—Don't exaggerate, it's not that bad.—
—Worse than war!!!.—Henrietta emphasizes...
I slide the door to the teachers' lounge aside and we enter the room.
Everything looks the same as it was left last year, the desks, the books, the coffee machine, the windows at the other end..
It's work, there's a schedule to keep, lesson plans to follow, and children to teach. But seeing that everything remains the same, so unchanged, as if everything here is frozen, it's so comforting... I could ironically call it "the passage of time" because it's nonexistent...
—Good morning.— I say aloud, my colleagues are already seated, organizing their papers.
—Good morning!.— They all respond.
—Henrietta, IA, it's been a while, how were your vacations?.— A teacher stands up and greets us, hugging us both. She's wearing a very long skirt down to her feet, she's very pretty, but no more than me… hahah, just kidding..
—Bleeeeh..— Henrietta sticks out her tongue and ignores her... like a child..
—....— We overlook her sometimes childish behavior..
—Very peaceful, that's how I would describe it. It's a place where there are only a few houses and the population doesn't exceed two hundred inhabitants, it was so beautiful it felt like a movie.— I reply kindly.
I head to my desk to leave my briefcase and see a blank sheet in the center with a blue pen that I always leave on the last day of the year, ready to start the next year when I return, as I said, time doesn't exist here.
I also have a small pink mirror and a few notebooks.
—And I had a companion in the shadows, but I won't say her name..— I add before sitting down.
—I went to the sea with my family and..—
We spend the remaining few minutes before the opening ceremony talking about our vacations. About two weeks to enjoy away from work, some here in town, others traveling.
There aren't many teachers since it's not a large school. Henrietta and I are the only ones who aren't married, the others already have their own families and children.
The opening ceremony, like every year, is led by the principal... He doesn't take more than 3 days off a year, the school is like his second house, well, for all of us too. This place has the ability to make you feel loved and part of a family.
—Henrietta, the principal should be here soon, do you want to go get him?.— A teacher asks.
—Ehhh?… why me?.. I just got here, I'm tired.— Henrietta replies..
And so we start the year... it's the first day, the first hour and she's already tired..
—At least come up with a better excuse..— I say.
—I'm doing the best I can, that's how God made me... How could I compete against such a powerful force of nature?!, how?!, how IA?!.— Henrietta says energetically from her desk..
—Alright, alright... calm down, I'll go..—
Even though Henrietta is very, very, very, very lazy at school, more than me... or maybe we're the same… I've never met anyone who can beat her in a conversation or in any other area, she's even good at cooking, as if she were perfect.
She always gets her way, but she's still a good girl... who works when she wants, how she wants, and if she wants to... a good girl indeed...
But these are little freedoms you can take here, it's not a conventional school... not at all...
—I'll go, IA, don't worry, you haven't slept much, it's better if I take care of it.— One of the teachers gets up and leaves to find the principal.
—Thank youuu..— I say with a smile.
And yes, it's that kind of almost completely bald principal, in a suit, who can barely walk a little. Trembling and swaying from one place to another as if he were going to fall apart at any moment just by starting to speak..
Not to mention if there's strong wind, we'd probably never find him again…
That's why he usually puts some stones in his suit to prevent it on days with bad weather or rain...
As I pay attention, sitting in my chair, with the windows facing the front yard, at the school entrance, I can hear the students talking, many of whom haven't seen each other in a long time.
...I can't hide it, whenever I stand still, motionless, and do nothing it's because I'm nervous. I just hope to get along with everyone, they spent years with a permanent teacher and now I'll replace her.
Next to my desk, there's a brown envelope, it's the file containing the names of the students in the class I'll be coordinating. The principal is in charge of making them and writes our names on them, in my case it only says "IA".
—Let's see.— I take the envelope, opening it and sliding the sheet out. "Class 2-A, teacher: Henrietta A. D'Amico"… I think he got it wrong again as usual...
—Henrietta, take this.— I turn to give her the envelope..
—Zzzz..zz...—
—Henrietta..are you sleeping?.—
—Eh?..no, I'm not sleeping... just resting my eyes..— She says, lifting her face that was resting on her arms..
—You don't even believe yourself..— I say.
—Really, I'm..…—
—You're falling asleep!.—
She can't finish her sentence and closes her eyes again..
—No!, I'm practicing... you know, I'm practicing how a student looks when they fall asleep in class, so I can identify them..—
—.....— I turn my gaze back to my place..
—What?.— Henrietta asks.
—Nothing, I'm surprised they hired you..—
—Hey!, I graduated with honors!...— Henrietta says, finishing the sentence with a yawn...
—.....—
—I know, I know, I'm not questioning your academic ability, but before you fall asleep again, take this, the principal got the papers mixed up like always.— I leave the envelope on her desk, being next to me, I don't need to get up.
—It feels good to be back.— Henrietta says.
—Hahah, true.—
—Let me see.— Henrietta says, taking the sheet out of her envelope.
—I have yours.— She adds, handing it to me.
—Thanks.— I say.
Our desks are together, side by side. When we started at this school, the room was arranged differently and each had some personal space, we moved everything and put the desks together.
I don't have anyone to my right, where the door is, but whenever I look to the other side, there's Henrietta, sleeping or something like that..
—It's the right one.— I add, reviewing the information briefly.
36 students, most of them are 17, some 18. It's a difficult stage, really.
—Now let me sleep in peace..— Henrietta says..
—Hahah, and you admit it..— I say, watching as she rests her face on her arms on top of her desk. I gently caress her head as if I were her mother haha, I can't help it if sometimes she is so childish..
These kids will finish a period where their only responsibility is to be good and do their homework.
You'll face a world, often very cruel, for which you're often not prepared, "study?" "work?", "move out?", so many questions will go through the minds of those students.
And most of those thoughts will stay with them, at that age it's hard to be honest with others, it's even difficult for something as basic as asking for help.
I know it's not my concern, but since I have something called empathy, it's my duty to help someone if they need it. That's the quality of this place, we make everyone feel like part of a family.
So it's very common to see how students rely heavily on teachers, the atmosphere is very different from what you see in other schools, or maybe in all the other schools in the country.
—…..it's okay, it's almost open..— A voice is heard from the other side of the door, I think someone is trying to open it...
Don't tell me... the scene with the door...
All the teachers look in the same direction and they already know what's going to happen…
The principal likes to do everything by himself, but for his advanced age, and when I say advanced age, I mean he's more suit than person at this point. He should retire, but there he is, struggling to slide the door...
—It's almost open..— It's heard from the other side..
It's only slid a few centimeters, and he says "it's almost open"... I should have time to go back and have breakfast if we wait for him to do it on his own..
I slowly caress Henrietta's back, who sits up and looks towards the door to understand what's happening.
As if we could communicate telepathically, we know that if we don't do something, we'll be here for a good while and the ceremony should start soon...
Henrietta stands up, stretching to open the door, but she can't just do it on purpose or the principal wouldn't appreciate being helped so explicitly, he's very proud...
Her black jacket moves slightly, and I can see her weapon holstered near her arm.. a Beretta 92FS, 9×19mm. She still doesn't leave her vocation aside, she's always armed..
—Ahhhh..it's hot, I think I'll open the door..— Henrietta says out loud..
A great actress...
—Oh, principal, what are you doing here?.— She asks, pretending to be surprised when she slides the door..
Her acting ability is worthy of an award from the academy..
Even though the principal is a bag of bones, he's very proud. We always come up with an excuse to help him, or like in this case, he would spend a whole afternoon to open a door..
..The principal enters slowly... trembling..
—Good….good..— He's trying to greet…
—Good….— He keeps trying..
Just a little more and he succeeds..
—Good night.—
Close!..
—Good morning, principal.— Everyone says, standing up from their seats to greet him, although mainly to go to the opening of a new year, the students should already be waiting.
The principal keeps trembling...
—It's been a difficult year, but I'm glad to finish another cycle in this school, there were many experiences and joys, we'll see each other next year.— The principal says..
—.....—
No one says anything, it's obvious he got the date wrong... a bit... But as I said, he's very proud, and he also has his moments where he acts like a normal person, so we prefer to go along with it..
—Let's go damn it, they must be waiting!.— He says…
I think when he raised his arm to emphasize his words, a crack was heard…
Henrietta is completely serious... but I know inside she's holding back a big laugh..
It would take us approximately a minute to reach the large multi-purpose hall, but of course, that's impossible.
Usually, one of us helps the principal to save time. I always thought it would be ideal to push him in a cart, one of those red ones with black wheels that the girl scouts usually use to transport their cookies.
If we give it to him properly, he would accept it and could move immediately. He would save us all a bit with something so simple..
We exit to the hallway and make our way to the hall.
—No, principal, that way is not it..— One of the teachers says..
….The principal tries to exit through the window that leads to the backyard..
..Usually, the opening is inside the building, because, well, wind and the principal are not a good combination... It's a shame, on such a nice day like this, clear, blue sky and few clouds decorating the landscape.
I gaze at the sky through the windows as we pass by.
The general hall has two entrances, the main one, which is a large door to the patio, and a smaller one to enter from the school, usually the one taken by students when they do a presentation like a play or recitals.
Generally, no matter how tragic the play they perform is, in this school it always turns into a comedy.
In the years I've been here there has never been an exception of being able to take a play seriously, all the school festivals tend to be like a joke. I don't know if it's on purpose or if nobody, nobody in the entire school can be serious for a moment, maybe none of them have what it takes to act..
One of the teachers takes out the key from his pocket and opens the door to the hall.
The school is very old, but everything works quite well. The unusual thing is that the building is not very big compared to the country's standard, I think they built it for the exclusive use of the town's residents, calculating the population to build it exactly and without wasting anything.
Good management by the family that owns the town, whose leader ironically is not the mayor..
Just by entering you can already hear the murmurs, everyone talking at the same time and you can't understand what they're saying. Some catch up on the time they spent apart during the holidays and others just like to talk.
I'm glad to see that everyone is already here, I think the older ones have helped the new ones entering this year to get oriented.
We climb the stairs and proceed to sit on the chairs on the stage behind the lectern.
One of the teachers approaches the microphone, touching it to see if it works.
—Good morning, everyone, the principal will be with us in a few moments.—
—In a few moments or in the afternoon?.— Asks one of the last year's students..
They know very well how this school works and joke about the announcement. But sadly, he's right... sadly..
Laughter follows, like every year, the new students don't understand what's going on, some might even think they're bad boys making fun of the principal.
The truth will be revealed shortly..
We try to contain our laughter with Henrietta, and it's something that will become increasingly difficult in a situation like this..
—Since we're waiting for the principal, are we also going to have lunch here?.— Another student says..
Henrietta can't contain herself and lets out a small laugh... I don't blame her, everyone has their limit..
Slowly the principal approaches the stage, and when I say slowly, I mean really slowly…
Looks like slow motion...
A teacher approaches him without the principal suspecting, just in case he needs help. Our colleague stands there looking the other way, we're full of incredible actors...
Another teacher returns to the microphone to calm the commotion a bit.
—Silence peace..—
….No, it doesn't make sense anymore…
He got nervous when he spoke into the microphone...and confused the word...
Luckily upon hearing the words through the speakers, the hall falls completely silent, that's what I call respect..
Now you can only hear the wobbling of our boss..
He's approaching carefully…
He's reached the stairs…
Now he debates which foot he should start climbing with...
—Left or right?, I suppose it'll be the right as always.— Says the principal..
There's no point in asking since every year it's the same, exactly the same..
Meanwhile, everyone else tries to maintain their composure, anyone would be impatient in this situation.
I have to discreetly look away or he might notice... It seems he's already raised the first foot...
—Aahh!!.— The director shouts...
As he raised his foot, there was a loud "crack"...
—Are you okay, principal?.— The teacher next to him asks...
—...Yes..yes..I'm fine..that sound must have been the school building settling after the holidays..— He tries to cover up what really happened..
—Eehhh, what was I supposed to do?.— Asks the principal...
He forgot?!..
It can't be, he forgot what he was supposed to do...
—Let's go up to the stage, principal.— My colleague assists him, reminding him of the obvious task.
—Ah, right, right..—
I was wrong, every year is not the same, every passing year it gets worse, he should retire already... And I remember the final words of last year's graduation "And I hope to stay in this school for many many more years!"… Some teachers almost fainted..
—Ouch!, ouch!.— The principal exclaims..
—.....—
A slight breeze enters through a window, normally it would be ignored, the windows are high up, but for that bag of bones, it's almost a tornado..
—A typhoon or something?!.— The principal asks..
Now he's fighting with the breeze...I'm sure he forgot the stones..
The last year students noticed the problem and one of them leaves the formation to close the window, well done. The teachers smile in gratitude...
***
And after some minutes, he finally reaches the microphone, getting ready to speak...
—Eehhhhh..— His initial line until he remembers why he's here...
—Tuturutu turutu turutu!—
—...….—
….How to put it… the principal pulled out a trumpet and started playing as if they were going into battle..
—Let's charge!.— The principal shouts..
—Let's charge!!.— Some students shout following along…
—Aahhhhh!!..— ...One of the students screams and runs away, he seems to take it seriously…
—..Principal.. the inauguration ceremony.— One of the teachers says, reminding him of the not-so-obvious task...
—I knew it.— The principal says.
..There's no way he knew!, he completely forgot!..
It turns out that last year the principal sold the bell and the speakers of the classrooms to buy a trumpet... since then, he announces schedule changes and meetings by playing the trumpet from the patio... accompanied by some incoherent shout..
—Good night, everyone.— The principal begins...
—...…— We overlook it..
—Today begins a new cycle, you'll have many new experiences, some start a long career, others are in the final stretch. But the most important thing, I remember when I was a child and lived on a small farm, my mother said to me "go milk that cow", and I didn't want to, so, certainly, it will be a great year. Last week I had a burger that was mmmh. Remember that you can count on us for whatever you need and more than an institution, we are a family. God bless you all!, and this year we'll beat the rival school!!!!!.— He gets excited at the end of the speech..
We stand up and applaud together with the students. He lost track of the speech a bit, but the message was clear.
The principal has his moments of lucidity where he can move and speak naturally, it's very random, but at least he has his days of normality.
—Eeehhhh.— He says..
And his moment is over...
—Prin-ci-pal!, prin-ci-pal!!.— The students give him a standing ovation for their affection..
—I don't care about anything!!.— The principal says, who runs towards the crowd and jumps off the stage as if it were a concert..
—Prin-ci-pal!!..— The students keep cheering, and most of them leave the hall with the principal on their shoulders as if he were a rock star..
—Prin-ci-pal!!.—
—Long live the burgeeeeer!!!!!— Shouts the principal..
—.....— It's always like this..