The Teacher's Secret by Suzanne Leal Read Free Book Online Page A

and Ray, even when they were kids. When they were little, they’d get mistaken for twins. Which was fair enough, from Sid’s perspective at least, given that there’s only eighteen months between them. But Ray hated being mistaken for his little brother’s twin. Not that it would happen now. Nowpeople would give Ray an extra ten years over him. Sometimes, you’ve got to be careful what you wish for.
    Sid doesn’t wish for much. He’s more inclined to let life deal out its cards and get on with it. There are worse places to find yourself than Brindle. And here he is, still living in the house he was born in. Unlike Ray, who took off as soon as he could. But someone had to stay—especially after their father dropped dead. So Sid stayed to keep their mother company, and then, as time went on, there was never a good enough reason to move out. If he’d had a family, things would have been different—he wouldn’t have expected them all to bunk in with his mother—but, somehow the family thing never happened. That’s the truth of it. It just never happened.
    And since his mother’s been gone, it’s just him at the house now.
    Today, the first touch of water on him is cold. Climbing backwards down the metal ladder, he lowers himself into the water until he is covered to his neck. Most of the young ones wear goggles and a cap—even the men—but he’s never done either. He just closes his eyes for the first couple of seconds then keeps them open for the rest of the time. A bit of salt water never hurt anyone.
    He mostly swims overarm, two strokes to a breath. As a nipper, he’d keep his face right out of the water, but they don’t do it like that anymore. Now, they keep the face in. Left side or right side—it used to be you got a choice—but he’s noticed that it’s gone and changed again among the young ones. Now it’s one side three breaths, the other side three breaths and on you go. He’d got used to breathing on the left, but the whole swapping sides thing is a bridge too far.
    The first lap is a bit nippy, but by the second lap, it’s perfect. Today, the pool’s an aquarium and as he makes his way back up the length of the pool, he’s following a blackfish. He’s a big one, biggerthan others Sid has seen, and he thinks of him as the chief. Chief blackfish, trailing a school of smaller fish, tiny blue and yellow ones that disappear in a clap of colour when Sid gets too close.
    After his third lap, he stops to have a break. Leaning his elbows up on the concrete edge of the pool, his eyes follow the waterline across the narrow bay that stretches out in front of him and across to Sandy Rock. For the locals, it’s the best fishing spot around. Sid used to do some fishing there himself, though he hasn’t done it in a while. Tom, who lives five doors down, he still gets around there. And every week or so, there’ll be a knock on Sid’s door, and it’ll be Tom with a couple of fish in a bag for him. Sometimes he’ll stay while Sid cooks them up and they’ll have dinner together. Other times, Tom will just hand him the fish and be off. Either way, it’s okay by Sid; he likes Tom’s company, but he likes his own company, too.
    For his fourth lap, he floats on his back and looks up at the sky. It’s a clear sky. Clear and sunny. A good way to start the school year. Yes, he repeats to himself. A good way to start the school year.
    He floats his way back to the shallow end, his head full of nothing much, so much so that he misjudges the length of the pool and bumps his head against the end. It doesn’t hurt so much as knock him out of his reverie. With a bit of a start, he straightens up.
    From over near the pool shower, he hears Ray calling out to him. ‘Bump yer head, did you, mate?’
    When Sid looks up, Ray is speeding down the pathway on his buggy, walking stick poking out of the back. As always, he’s in a pair of board shorts, his calves red and tight from the infection that’s already put