Work Text:
It is the start of his third full week and Nick has come into school early for a meeting with his colleagues in year five, the kind of meeting that it is hard to fit in to the course of a normal day, to discuss a slight issue in regard to Callum Bailey, the autistic child in his class. Sadly, Callum has not settled back into school life as well as had been expected and his presence is becoming a little disruptive. Nick suspects that he plays on Nick’s lack of experience, but Richie, Callum’s integration assistant thinks there is more going on and has asked for this conference to discuss his concerns. They are joined by Sue Anderson, the other year five teacher, who has been at the school for thirty years and has taught all the Bailey siblings, and possibly his parents too. Connie, the year five teaching assistant, and Helen McPherson, who is presently bringing a tray of teas and coffees in from the staff room, and who taught Callum when he was in year four.
“Perhaps he’s not taken to having a male teacher.” Nick says anxiously, in response to a comment of Helen’s.
“I don’t think it is that.” Richie is quick to reassure, “Callum always has taken a few days to settle back into the routine of school, after the summer, I should know I have been with him since year two.”
“But is it taking longer, and is he more disruptive in the meantime this term?” Helen asks.
Richie replies, “unfortunately.”
“Is Callum habitually non-verbal?” Nick asks, “That wasn’t highlighted in his report.”
“He’s stopped talking again?” Helen exclaims, “that’s a backward step.”
Sue nods her head. “How are things at home?” She asks Richie.
“That’s one of the issues.” Richie replies, “Shirelle has gone to university.”
“Shirelle has?” Sue exclaims. “My goodness, it only seems five minutes since she was in year five herself. I take it she’s living in halls.”
“She’s studying nursing at King’s College London, and yes, I believe all first years are residential.”
“I’m pleased for her, she always was a bright girl, but I can see that would be a massive upset to Callum’s routine at home.”
“Especially as she was more or less his primary carer last year, while their mum was in hospital.”
“So, Callum is taking out his frustrations and anxiety on our furniture?” Connie states.
“In a nutshell,” Richie replies, “I’m really struggling to get him to stay in his seat most of the time, and the stimming is bad…”
“And the drumming…” Connie adds.
“He’s always drummed.” Helen responds sharply, she has a fondness for Callum, a bright boy, and she wants him to reach his full potential.
“But he’s bigger now, and he gives those tables a fair whack,” Connie says equally sharp, “It makes me jump, and disturbs the other children.”
“Has he never had a proper outlet for it?” Nick asks, thinking of an article Charlie had shown him recently.
“A drum kit, you mean?” Connie replies, “oh per-lees don’t encourage him further.”
“I’m not an expert.” Nick says, a little put out by Connie’s attitude. “But there was a study recently by the University of Chichester about drumming helping autistic adolescents with concentration and behaviour.”
“Callum isn’t an adolescent.” Connie protests.
“I don’t know.” Sue says, “Some of my year fives aren’t far off.”
“It might help if he had a channel for his drumming.” Nick continues, on a roll. “Set a few boundaries and rewards. Callum, from what I can tell benefits from a strict routine and knowing exactly what he is doing when. Perhaps drumming at a set time could help him bang about less when he is in class?”
Richie looks thoughtful. “There’s a drumkit in the music cupboard, I know nothing about it. But I could have a word with Mrs Bailey about lessons, channel that energy somehow.”
“I actually think that might be worth a try,” Helen says thoughtfully, “Callum had a real thing for a drummer in a band last year… Lee, that’s his brother…” She explains to Nick, “got him into… now what was his name.”
Nick tenses, waiting for the inevitable, wondering if it shows when Connie chips in, “George Daniel.”
“That’s it.” Sue says, excitedly, “George Daniel, of The 1975, Lee was mad about them when I had him in year six four years ago, and Callum is quite the mini-me.”
Nick lets out a long exhale, and finishes his tea, it is twenty past eight and time to start thinking about work. Richie begins to gather up the mugs, Helen stops to admire Connie’s engagement ring, a recent addition acquired over the weekend.
“Well see you all at the staff meeting later.” Helen calls as she heads off, “I hope it isn’t too tough today, Nicholas.”
She holds the door open for Richie to pass through with the tray, on his way to the staffroom.
“Sue’s out of touch.” Richie says as they part by Helen’s classroom. “Callum went off George Daniel, it was Charlie Spring all last term.”
******
Callum is as disruptive as ever and Richie ends up taking him out. Despite the conversation earlier Nick can’t help feeling that somehow, he is to blame, that it is his fault that he can’t hold the child’s attention. He knows that this is false guilt, but it ends up a long day, and that is without the full staff meeting after school. Stopping briefly to email the link about the research to Richie, Nick arrives in the staff room late, slipping into the seat saved for him, squashed between Helen and the man himself.
The Head runs through some changes to the term plan, and a couple of items that need to be addressed before half term. She mentions that with Nick now on the staff she wants to offer French to all children in key stage two and that Nick, and Marie, one of the year three teachers will be working on a programme. It isn’t a long meeting, and it ends with the Head congratulating Connie on her engagement.
“Well, after fourteen years and two kids, I thought it was about time I made an honest man of him.”
They all laugh, including Nick, and everyone begins to stand up, ready for home.
“What about you, Nicholas?” Helen asks, “Are you courting? As my granny would have said.”
It was bound to happen eventually Nick thinks, in some respects he is amazed that it has taken a fortnight. Nick feels the tips of his ears go pink; he wonders how much he should say. But he’s seen Richie’s rainbow pin on his rucksack, and Helen is sweet with him.
“Um… yeah, I do have a person, um… a boyfriend, in fact.”
Richie turns to Helen and high-fives her.
“Called it. My gaydar never lets me down.”
Nick is so surprised he almost forgets to say, “I’m bi, actually.”
The exuberant Richie is immediately contrite. “Sorry Nick, I shouldn’t have assumed.”
Nick hurriedly says, “No, you’re fine, frankly I am a bit surprised. I usually get the girlfriend thing, not the other way round.”
Nick swings his bag over his shoulder and picks up his coat, the weather has turned pretty autumnal since the hot spell at the beginning of the month. He can’t believe two weeks ago he celebrated his birthday at the beach.
“So, what does he do then, your young man?” Helen asks walking out to the car park, alongside Nick and Richie.
“Oh, he’s a student, he’s at the Guildhall School of Music.” Nick says, unable to keep the hint of pride from his voice. Helen hears it and smiles.
“And what is he intending to do when he graduates?”
“Compose.” Nick replies, confidently, “But that’s a while off, he has just started his first year.”
Nick notes the expression on Helen’s face and realises that she thinks he is dating an eighteen year old… and while that is quite legal…
“He’s twenty-one.” Nick adds blushing furiously, “he’s been working since he left school, but now he’s a student.”
“Like Charlie Spring.” Richie says, joining in the conversation.
Nick is so surprised to hear the name he just echoes, “Charlie Spring?”
“Callum’s hero Charlie Spring. Replaced George Daniel in his affections about a year ago. Charlie was the drummer with Guilty by Design you must have heard of them.”
Nick keeps his features as blank as possible, no mean feat. Richie mistakes it for confusion.
“There’s that song they have out at the moment, keep hearing it everywhere… In Your Arms.”
Nick does know it, he knows who is was written about too, but he keeps that to himself.
“He’s just given it all up to go to music school. Same as your fella, the Guildhall, I read a piece on him in The Independent.”
Helen joins in. “Didn’t we have a time when that band split up last term…”
******
Nick isn’t sure if he is imagining it, but Callum seems slightly calmer on Tuesday, to the extent that he is surprised when Richie says he is going to take Callum out again immediately after morning break. Nick raises an eyebrow and asks,
“Anything I should know about?”
Richie just taps the side of his nose and says, “merely testing a hypothesis,” mysteriously.
******
The week flies by, Richie continues to take Callum out of class for twenty minutes after morning break. Obviously, the time out and special attention from his integration assistant is working, Callum’s behaviour in class is showing a marked improvement, and he could almost be called chatty. Nick doesn’t know if he is imagining it, but his work seems to be improving too. Certainly, he doesn’t seem to be having any difficulty keeping up with the rest of the class.
This is reflected in the general atmosphere in the classroom, and Nick himself feels like he is starting to bed in, confident in putting what he has learnt into practice. Although, it doesn’t stop him being knackered when Friday arrives, and Sarah drops him off at school, but there is something that puts a spring in his step, Charlie Spring to be exact.
Nick is walking across the playground, messenger bag in one hand, overnight bag in the other, just as Richie arrives on his bicycle.
“No car today?” He calls to Nick, as he dismounts.
Nick stops and waits for his colleague as he secures his bike in the racks. “No, I’m off to London this afternoon, straight from work. On the train.” Nick adds to explain his absent car.
“To see the boyfriend?”
Nick can’t help a perfectly soppy smile appearing on his face, Richie looks at him and grins.
“That’s a yes then.”
The two men walk across the playground, toward the staff entrance,
“Does that mean, that you’ll be dashing off the minute the bell rings, or can you spare me fifteen minutes at the end of school.
Nick wants to say no, he cannot spare a second that keeps him from Charlie but, he supposes he can allow Richie fifteen minutes of his Friday afternoon non-contact time, “Depends.”
“I’ve asked Mrs Bailey to pop in after school for a quick word about Callum.”
“About your hypothesis?” Nick asks remembering their conversation from earlier in the week.
“Yes, I think you might be interested in seeing the outcome too.”
“If it is behind Callum’s general improvement this week, then I’m in.”
They reach the staff entrance, Nick holding the door open for the older man.
“You know, I was thinking…” Richie starts to say something, but then stops.
“Yeah?”
“Nothing… no… never mind.”
******
Somehow, Nick gets through the day, his mind mostly on his work, when not drifting off to thoughts of the Thameslink rail service and who will be waiting for him at the end of the line. He is a little miffed that Richie has arranged for Mrs Bailey to come into school without consulting with him, but then what does Nick know? He’s only been teaching for three weeks, whereas Richie has been Callum’s integration assistant for three years and worked with other autistic spectrum children before that.
Nick meets Callum’s mum in the lobby and takes her through to the small hall where Richie is waiting with Callum. The moment Nick enters the room he sees what Richie has been up to all week. He and Jeff, the caretaker, have dragged the school’s old drumkit out of the music cupboard and set it up, and Callum is now sat on the stool behind the bass drum, brandishing the drumsticks like weapons of war. The kit is in far from good condition, and to Nick’s mind looks incomplete, but he’s probably the only person in the room to notice that. Richie sets a track on his phone to play, of course it is one of Charlie’s, the high energy, Late to the Party, from the second album. With no need for encouragement from Richie, Callum starts to drum along.
Nick has learnt a fair amount about drumming in the last nine months, enough to tell that Callum actually has a decent sense of rhythm and what he lacks in polish he makes up for in enthusiasm. It is fantastic to see him channelling his energy into something positive, and Mrs Bailey is impressed too. They let Callum play for about ten minutes before Richie tells him to stop, and to go with Connie to get a drink. The remaining adults stand round and discuss the situation. Mrs Bailey isn’t sure but will consult her husband and thinks that money could be found for drumming lessons, but with two other children in the house, studying for GCSEs and ‘A’ Levels, is understandably worried about the noise.
“You could possibly get an electric kit.” Nick says, now completely on board with the idea, “they are considerably less noisy.”
Mrs Bailey says they will think about it, thanks them both and goes to collect her son. Nick quickly helps Richie put away the drums, just in time before his phone beeps to tell him his uber is outside. He grabs his overnight bag and slings his messenger bag over his shoulder.
“Have fun!” Richie calls to Nick’s departing figure.
That’s certainly my intention, Nick thinks.
******
The weekend is blissful but far too short. Chris is away at Simon’s so Nick and Charlie have the flat to themselves, something they take full advantage of, lazy evenings on the sofa in front of the television, lazy mornings in bed, lazy walks through Borough market and sex, lots of energetic sex. Charlie is buzzing from his first week at the Guildhall, his excitement is delightful to witness. He talks almost non-stop, but Nick doesn’t mind, he had done the same thing the week before when Charlie had visited him.
They part early on Sunday evening, Nick really does need to do some PPA for the week ahead, but they will see each other at the weekend for their nine-month anniversary, which will coincide with Nick picking up his first month’s salary. Charlie doesn’t know it, but Nick has booked them into an AirBNB on the coast, nothing like the Savoy, or the house they stayed in for Nick’s birthday, but it comes highly recommended by a friend of Sarah’s who has actually stayed there, and he is confident by now, that any place for just the two of them is sure to be perfect.
Monday morning arrives too soon, Nick loved up and frankly shagged out, is feeling a little frayed round the edges, when he arrives at school. Richie takes one look at him, raises an eyebrow, and says suggestively.
“Good weekend?”
Nick groans and turns a delicate shade of pink which clashes with his hair, grateful that no-one can see what his skin is hiding beneath his shirt.
“You could say that.”
“I’ll get you a cuppa,” Richie says heading for the staff room, “and then you can tell me nothing about it.”
Richie is back quickly with Nick’s tea and a coffee for himself, he usually waits in the lobby for Callum to arrive so Nick notices this change in routine and is curious to discover the reason.
“You know.” Richie says after a short pause, “I was wondering if your chap has met Charlie Spring? With them being on the same course and all.”
Nick is grateful to have his head bent, looking for the first lesson’s work plan in his bag. His brain scrambles for something to say, in the end his mouth answers for him.
“I don’t know, I guess I could ask him.”
“Only I was thinking, wouldn’t it be great if he would meet the little fella, spend some time with him, it would really be pretty amazing for Calum, he idolises the guy, and it would give him such a boost, he’s having a tough old time of it with Shirelle living away.”
Nick doesn’t know what to say to this, so opts for saying nothing. Faced with silence, Richie continues,
“Leave it, I was forgetting they’ve only been at the college a week, it’s not likely their paths have even crossed, let alone they’ve become bezzie mates.”
******
Richie continues to take Callum out for twenty minutes drumming every morning, and his behaviour improves a little each day until Wednesday, when he suffers a setback and has a meltdown. Richie and Nick struggle to get to the bottom of it, and in the end, they phone Mrs Bailey who explains.
“Shirelle is coming home for the weekend; she only has one lecture on a Friday this term, and it finishes at ten-thirty. Callum overheard me arranging to pick her up at the station and got it into his head that she would be at home when he got home from school last night. You can imagine the scene when he discovered she wasn’t there. In fact, I nearly kept him off school today, but he seemed a little better this morning. I am sorry…”
Richie does manage to help Callum regain his equilibrium, but it is a subdued and restless boy who is in school for the rest of the afternoon. It settles something in Nick’s mind, and when he talks with his beloved later that evening, he has a favour to ask.
******
Friday morning, Nick is giddy again, but this time with excitement at his plan. He messages Callum’s mum to check that his big sister is definitely coming home for the weekend, Mrs Bailey replies in the affirmative and that they have already decided to come straight to school so that Shirelle can pick Callum up from school like the old days.
Nick is on tenterhooks all morning, when class is dismissed for the day, he persuades Richie to help him set up the sad looking drum kit, so that Callum can demonstrate his new found skills to his sister. When Mrs Prince, the office manager comes into the hall to say that Mr Nelson’s visitor has arrived, Richie looks up and says,
“That will be Shirelle Bailey, she can come in.”
Mrs Prince gives him a withering look, and says “I know Shirelle, this is a young man with a rucksack.”
Nick shrugs at the integration assistant and follows Mrs Prince to the lobby in front of the school office. Most of the children have left and the few who are milling around seem oblivious of the slim young man wearing a denim jacket over a Leeds University hoodie.
“You made it.” Nick says, beaming. He wants to grab Charlie and kiss him thoroughly but now is not the time or place.
“Of course, I couldn’t resist a request like that, especially when you asked so nicely.” Charlie lowers his voice and adds, “You will find that you owe me big time… and I fully intend to collect.”
Nick whispers back, “Any more of that kind of talk and you’ll find yourself in trouble.”
“Owoo, Mr Nelson, will you put me over your knee?”
Nick wills his face, or any part of him not to react. “You, young man, are a liability. Now behave and follow me.”
To say that there is a degree of confusion when Charlie Spring, former drummer, and vocalist with Guilty by Design walks into the small hall of a very ordinary primary school in Chatham, Kent, is an understatement. Richie stares at Charlie as if he knows him from somewhere while Sue who has popped in to see Shirelle for ‘old times sake’ doesn’t recognise him at all.
Callum is overcome with shyness, and then completely overwhelmed when his mother and sister walk in, and it looks as if he might burst into tears. Fortunately, Shirelle knows exactly how to handle her little brother and holds his face in her hands firmly but without hurting him, until he calms. She also knows exactly who Charlie is, even if she can’t quite understand what he is doing in her old primary school. Callum recovers and reaches out his hand to take Charlie’s, something that amazes those who know the boy well, he rarely voluntarily touches anyone, and never someone he doesn’t know.
Callum leads Charlie over to the drum kit and indicates he wants him to sit on the stool. Charlie thinks he has never seen such a distressed set of drums but then remembers the kit he started out on when he was eleven. Charlie adjusts the stool and then takes the sticks and belts out Phil Collin’s drum break from In the Air Tonight and his own drum solo from It’s a Wonderful Lie. The sound of ‘proper’ music coming from the hall attracts a small gathering of those amongst the staff who are still on the premises and Charlie is forced to play a little longer before turning his attention to Callum. Glancing at the boy’s mother and Nick for permission, he gently guides Callum to stand in front of him and hands him the drumsticks. He places his hands over Callum’s and when he doesn’t meet with any resistance begins to tap out a gentle rhythm.
“Begin by learning a few basic grooves, then as you improve you can add your own fills and variations.”
Charlie shows Callum a few of his own favourites, and some that are unique to his own playing. They spend around thirty minutes tapping away, still with an audience, which is a remarkable level of concentration for Callum especially for a Friday afternoon, but then Mrs Bailey recognises the signs that her son is about to reach his limit and calls a halt to the lesson.
Callum throws his arms around Charlie in an unsolicited hug which takes everyone by surprise but most of all Charlie who is uncertain how to respond.
“He likes you,” Richie says and then pushing his luck, adds, “Perhaps you could come in again some time.”
“Um… maybe, I get pretty busy.” He replies automatically but then remembering this is his partner’s workplace, says.
“Yeah, cool.”
Mrs Bailey and Shirelle tear Callum away and he reluctantly leaves, but not before getting Charlie’s autograph and a promise to send him some drumsticks.
Nick picks up his bags that he has left in the corner of the hall ready to make a quick getaway. He announces he has to give Charlie a lift to the station, and after another round of ‘goodbyes’, Nick and Charlie finally escape, laughing as they head to the car. Feeling the same sensation of freedom that Friday afternoon gave when they were still at school themselves, Charlie slips his hand into Nick’s and gives it a squeeze.
“That was fun, but it ate in to valuable alone time.”
“I agree, but I think I might be able to make it up to you. You’re not the only person who can plan a surprise.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
******
Back from loading the car with some folders she needs to work on at home, Helen finds Richie in the hall, making a final tidy up of the music cupboard.
“I wonder…”
“What?” Richie replies, emerging.
“Did Nicholas ever mention the name of the boyfriend. The one who’s a student at the Guildhall?”
Richie looks thoughtful. “You know, come to think of it, I don’t think he did. Why?”
“Only, I’ve just seen him and Charlie Spring walking across the carpark, and I could swear… that they were holding hands.”