Chapter Text
Man, the corridor seemed way longer than he remembered. Autumn light was flooding in through the widows all the way down one side, lockers with the odd older teen dotted about lining the other. Trying to avoid just looking at his shoes, which was tempting due to his nerves, Youssef tried not to catch the eyes of the kids. It was only year sevens and 6th form in today, so the hallway wasn’t as full as he imagined it usually would be. The clattering of the lockers and the shouts and chatter of the kids was already definitely a vibe though.
All of a sudden Liz, the school receptionist, stopped and turned back to him.
“Here we are.” She said and knocked on the recessed door that, until now, had blended into its surroundings so well it had escaped his notice.
At the muttered, “Come in,” Liz pushed the door open and ushered him through.
“Ah, Mr Farouk. Welcome back to Truham.” The headmaster gestured to one of a pair of chairs opposite his own, and Youssef took the hint to take a seat. From the books lining the room, the cream coloured walls, the institutional carpet, to the uncomfortable chairs with blue scratchy fabric & metal arms, it was impersonal to such a degree that Youssef could only assume that either the man wasn’t a regular occupant, or that his personality must be as bland as the room itself.
Just as he was beginning to settle himself in his seat, there was a bustling noise from the hallway behind Liz and Youssef stood again, straightening at the sight of the shorter man who sailed in, arms full of slightly crumpled white paper which contrasted beautifully against his sepia toned skin.
“Ah, Nathan. Timely as always. Youssef Farouk,” he said, one arm outstretched towards him, “Nathan Ajayi” he said, moving his arm to indicate the man who’d just entered “Was an Newly Qualified Teacher like you last year, and will be your primary mentor this year.”
As Nathan took the seat beside him, Youssef noted his warm smile and kind eyes crinkling at the corners. “Hi.” If his skin was like chocolate, his voice was the sort of velvet you want to wrap yourself up in.
As Youssef tried to bring his brain back online, he looked away, aware that heat was rising in his cheeks.
“Umm.. Hi” He stammered, taking one more quick glance at the man who’d taken the seat next to him.
Just as he was wishing the ground would swallow him up, the headmaster spoke.
“Right then gentlemen, I have a meeting with the governors to prepare for, so I’m assuming I can leave your schedules up to you? Shall we meet again in a month to discuss how you’re getting on Youssef?
“Umm…of course, absolutely Sir.”
“Oh, please Youssef, call me Adam. You’ve not been a student here for years!”
“Thank you…Adam.” He said, rising to his feet to take the headmaster’s proffered hand.
“Right then, shall I show you to your classroom?” Said Nathan, with a kindly smile, as he took to his feet and spun towards the door.
Liz gave them both a bright beam, “I’ll leave you to it then, gentlemen. Any non teaching questions that Nathan can’t help with Youssef, come and find me.”
Youssef gave her a quick smile and a muttered thanks, bustling past to keep up with Nathan, who moved faster than he would have expected from someone shorter.
“So you’re an ex-student?” Nathan shot over his shoulder, as he led them towards the science block.
“Yep, not for nearly 10 years though.” He responded, finding it far easier to talk to the back of Nathan’s head for some reason he wasn’t prepared to examine at this moment.
“Oh, really? Why 10?” Asked Nathan, looking behind him with a puzzled expression.
“I did my A levels at Higgs, then uni, then a quick stint in the forces before….”.
“Oh, which flavour?” Nathan asked, with unmasked curiosity.
They’d slowed now, coming to the door of the science block, waiting for the stream of year 7’s that were clearly just leaving their registration to move onto their first class.
“Royal Air Force. I wanted to be a pilot.” Said Youssef, aware that this was maybe a little more of a personal response than he’d normally give, but Nathan had seemed genuinely interested.
“Well, that’s not at all endearing!” Replied Nathan, with a flash of a cheeky smile.
The students had all scattered now, and as Nathan turned to enter the corridor beyond, Youssef did his level best not to melt into a puddle on the floor and/or trip over his feet as he followed.
“So, what went wrong?” Nathan began leading him straight up the stairs, stopping beside the second door on the left, “Ah, here we are.”
Nathan opened the door, then stepped aside and gestured for Youssef to enter first.
Youssef’s nerves had reached such a crescendo that he completely lost his place in the conversation as he entered his first ever teaching space.
4 rows of white work surfaces reflected the sun, which shone from the windows stretching along one wall. Each row was split into 2 with a walkway down the centre. Each section comprised a sink in the middle, flanked either side by a pair of high wooden stools. His desk and a fume cabinet sat at the front. It was far larger and better equipped than he remembered from his Truham days.
Nathan walked in behind him, giving him a warm smile as he took in Youssef’s bewilderment. “The Science and Art block was refurbished last year. Happy?”
Youssef nodded, not daring to speak.
“I’m sorry to drag you away, but can we just pop over to my classroom so I can show you where to find me?”
Youssef took one last fortifying breath as he looked around “Sure, lead the way.”
Nathan’s classroom very much reflected the man himself. Plain walls (and even windows) that may have once felt institutional were covered in students' artwork. Drying & equipment racks covered all the available surfaces on the back wall of the space, and though the setup was similar to his Chemistry lab upstairs, the starkness of the students' work surfaces had been softened by paint splotches. The overall effect was warm and endearing.
“So, you never answered my last question.” Nathan, rather than sitting behind his desk, went in front of it, leaning up against it and crossing his arms.
“Umm…What question?” Youssef was getting to the point of overwhelm now, it was a good job he wasn’t teaching until tomorrow, he was so glad he’d have the rest of the day to prepare and process. He took up a stance similar to Nathan’s, leaning against the front of the first bank of workstations.
“My dad was in the RAF, you normally sign on for 15 years at the minimum. What went wrong?”
He didn’t know if it was the overwhelm, or that he just wanted to be honest. “I was diagnosed with a genetic eye disorder that affects my night vision about 18 months ago. I was offered a sideways step into a ground support role, or an honourable discharge. The thought of changing to ground support is …”
“Being reminded every day of what you can’t have anymore.” Nathan finished for him. “My Dad felt the same after he had an early heart attack. He took a far more lucrative role with a commercial airline though, what brought you to teaching?”
Youssef was charmed that Nathan seemed to actually get the position he’d been in. It had really been a tipping point in his life, and none of his family seemed to understand why he’d made the choices he did. It floored him that this man, who he’d only just met, seemed to get him more than people who’d known him for 25 years. “It was the other path I considered when I was leaving school. When the RAF door was closed, I took it as the universe’s message that it was time to try the other direction.” He snorted at himself. “That sounds so…”
“Earnest?” Smiled Nathan. “So you didn’t just want to be a pilot, you are one.”
“Yeah, but you must know that the RAF are really strict about who can fly missions, and my diagnosis disqualified me, so… not really anymore.”
“You don’t pilot anymore? Not even for fun?”
“Not since my diagnosis. Flying recreationally is expensive, and my condition is degenerative, so I’ll probably only have ten or so years where I can still fly anyway. I thought it better to rip off the band-aid.” This was far more information than he’d intended on sharing with any of his new colleagues. Maybe the tiredness was getting to him? Better nip this, whatever it was, in the bud now before he’d given Nathan his whole life story. “Right, I’ve got a 2nd period meeting with the Head of the science department, and I’m going to need to crack on and get prepped for tomorrow’s classes.”
“Fair enough. I have a lesson that starts in …” Nathan looked at the clock, “15 minutes anyway. I’d best get the supplies ready. Will you be alright finding your classroom by yourself?”
Youssef smiled “Umm, yeah. It’s right above yours. Easy.”
“See you in a bit?” Nathan looked up at him as he took his full weight on his feet again and straightened up, preparing to leave.
“Yeah, okay.” He smiled, before turning his back on the sweet, sweet man and walking out of the room.
As he returned to his classroom, delighting just in being able to call it that, he took a look around his new second home and felt the unexpected warmth of hope.