As soon as we arrived back at mine we climbed out of the car and headed inside. I owned a two bedroom flat, big enough for just me, and kept the place fairly tidy. There was a computer and, small, filing cabinet in the corner that I used for my shop business, a couple of two seater sofas, television, stereo and a coffee table in the front room but that was all. I wasn't one for ornaments or pictures all over the place, I saw enough thanks to the shop, so the walls were bare.
"Would you like anything to drink Alice?" I asked.
"Do you have anything alcoholic?"
"I've got wine, beer or would you prefer something stronger?"
"Do you have any vodka or scotch?" Alice asked.
I went into the kitchen and fetched a couple of glasses before going over to the filing cabinet and opening the bottom drawer. I took out the bottle of scotch that was in there and went over and sat with Alice.
"I'm afraid I've only got scotch." I told her, before half filling her glass. "Do you want any water in that?"
"No thank you that's perfect." She said taking a small sip.
"So Alice do you remember what you said at the reunion?" I asked.
"Which thing I said quite a lot that night if I remember?"
"The part about wanting to do a lot more other than teaching, but never getting around to them."
"Oh that yes I remember." She answered.
"Do you want to tell me about them?"
Alice finished her drink and asked for another, which I poured, and looked at me.
"All I have ever done is teaching and, over the last five years, things about it have been getting me down."
"How do you mean?" I asked.
"Teachers don't seem to be in charge anymore." She said. "When I started kids respected us but now we just get more and more abuse and there is nothing we can do."
"Surely there are rules, just as in any job." I said.
"There is but the kids don't care." She answered, taking a large drink from her class. "They say things to us that I would never have dared say to an adult."
"What sort of things?" I asked.
"On more than one occasion I have, let's say, been asked to flash various parts of my anatomy."
"That's not right."
"One eighteen year old even asked me to give him an A and said he would make it worth my while."
"Haven't you ever complained to the head?"
"It always comes down to our word against theirs and their friends always stick by them." She said.
"So what have you wanted to do different then?"
"I suppose just the usual, travel, see the world, get married to a nice man, have kids and be happy and settled." She said. "But it's too late for the kids and marriage part now I guess."
"The kids I guess it is but why the marriage?"
"Because I'm fifty-three years old and people just see me as a lonely old, work obsessed woman."
"Actually you are a very attractive fifty three year old, nobody would ever guess that was your age just by looking at you." I told her. "Don't you ever go out at the weekend?"
"Not really, unless its school related like the reunion, I'd just sooner stay at home."
I filled our glasses again and took a swallow. Alice was twenty-eight years older than me, and my old teacher, yet I was having the best weekend I had ever had. If she went out she would easily be able to find someone that would treat her well, not all men were bastards.
"What about another job? Isn't there anything else you could do?" I asked.
"The thing is, apart from the attitude of the kids, I am good at my job, can teach maths and English and the holidays are good." She said smiling. "And now I'm too old to change careers."
Alice finished her drink and put her glass on the coffee table.
"Can I use your toilet please Andy?" She asked. "That scotch has gone straight through me."
"Of course you can it's just through there." I said pointing towards the door on the opposite wall.
As Alice went through the door I went to fill our glasses again and noticed that the bottle was virtually empty, we had drunk three quarters of a bottle between us already, and I went into the kitchen. I had no more scotch in the house so got a couple of beers out of the fridge and went and sat back down, just as Alice returned from the bathroom.
"I needed that." She said as she sat back down, closer to me this time.
"I'm afraid the scotch is almost gone." I told her showing her the bottle. "Hope you don't mind beer."
Alice took the scotch from me, downed what was left, and then picked up her beer.
"Beer's good thanks." She said.
I put my arm around her shoulder and we slowly drank our beers and didn't say anything until they were empty. Alice finished first and put her bottle down.
"Do you want to show me the rest of the flat then Andy?" She asked. "I've only seen in here and your bathroom."
I took her hand and pulled her up from the sofa and began to show her what there was to see. As we walked past the spare room Alice stopped.
"What do you keep in here then?" She asked.
"I suppose you could call it a storeroom." I told her. "It's just full of spare stock for the shop."
"Show me Andy please."
I opened the door and Alice just stared. There were boxes stacked around all four walls, right up to the ceiling, and a pile of papers on the floor.
