Chapter Ten
I was hoping that my mother and the other protestors would have had the good sense to pack up and not return but every day for the following week, they turned up in the morning before the first bell and packed up to go home at 4pm, to return the following morning.
On Friday, when I drove into school, there they were getting themselves sorted and giving me cheery waves. Robbo was pullingopen a few picnic chairs and setting them at the stove where Nellie was already at the kettle, brewing up. Leaf had made what looked like a dandelion chain and was stringing it over her placards. It was as though they were settling in for Glastonbury.
And there was Nora, mug of tea in her hand, in the glow of the gas stove, looking radiant. The pirate queen.
I stopped the car and she walkedover and peered in through my window.
‘Mum, I think you should go now,’ I said through the glass.
‘Go where?’ she said, innocently.
‘Home.’
‘Put your window down,’ she ordered. ‘That’s better. Now, we can’t leave, Tabitha. We explained it all to you. Not until that land remains part of the school.’
‘Mum… please.’
‘Sorry, Tab. Think of the trees.’
‘Think of me! I’ve got enough going on witheverything. Rosie’s exams…’ I didn’t tell her about Rosie’s panic attack because I didn’t want to worry her. You see, that was typical. We all tiptoed around Nora, worrying about her feelings, but she never worried about any of us. Principles came first.
‘I know,’ she said, sweetly. ‘I know you do and it’s most unfortunate, but we don’t have the gift of time. The end of term is nigh,’ she wenton. ‘By the way, tell Rosie to call me. I haven’t heard from her for ages.’
‘She’s finding it very tough,’ I admitted. ‘A lot of pressure.’
‘It’s too much,’ said Nora. ‘Too much for anyone, never mind a young girl.’
‘But how else is she going to get to college?’
‘There’s more to life than college,’ she answered. ‘You know that. I never went and neither did your grandmother. And look at us.’
‘Yes, look at you. Standing in a street protesting at some development. Trying to save trees that are probably riddled with some kind of disease and should for the good of their health be euthanised.’ My pomposity, I noticed, was coming along brilliantly. ‘Or chopped down, I suppose you could also say.’
‘Aha! You said development! Which is why, Tabitha, we are here. Vigilance at all times. Youalways have to be alert where people can smell money.’
‘Are you accusing me of being interested in money?’ I said, aghast. ‘My motives are purely for the benefits of the pupils.’
‘No, you’re not an avaricious person, Tabitha, I know that. But what about the other people involved. Be careful. Be suspicious. Always ask questions and never believe what you are told. That’s what I’ve learned inmy fifty years as an activist.’
‘This is the modern world, Mum. You need to catch up.’ I was so annoyed that I revved off too quickly and thought for one terrible moment that I had run over her foot. I had to look in the rear-view mirror to check, but thankfully she was walking back to the others without a limp, and then, horribly, I wished Ihadrun over her foot.
*
The children were my biggestconcern. It wasn’t fair on them to have to walk past a protest everyday – however friendly the faces of the protestors – and not know what was going on. I needed to explain that whatever the school was planning was in their interests. And so I turned to the locus of any well-run school, the place where we gather as a community. I called a Special Assembly.
Standing at the front of the hall, thechildren cross-legged in front of me, the teachers, including Red, in a row at the back, I waited for silence.
I looked around at the school. Eighty bright little faces looked back. God, it felt good to be a teacher. You felt such a weight of responsibility, such trust. It was the most rewarding job in the world and although I wasn’t in the classroom as much as I would have liked, my days consumedwith the logistics of running a school, I still took great pride in our pupils.
‘Now, to the reason why we’ve called this Special Assembly.’ I smiled at them all and took my time, speaking slowly, to let them hear my words. There was pin-drop hush and I felt like a great actor on the stage, my audience in the palm of my hand. Now, Red could see how together my life was. What a success I was.How good I was at my job.
‘I am sure,’ I said, ‘that many of you are asking questions about the group of people who’ve been standing outside the school all week. Does anyone know what it’s about?’
They were an intelligent bunch and we would be able to have an interesting discussion, I was sure, explaining both sides of the argument and why it was so important that people were allowed to protestin this day and age. And I could explain what we would gain if we were to sell the land. I was feeling pretty confident, as I stood looking down at all the innocent faces, that they would see it from my point of view. Yes, we appreciated the Dalkey Wildlife Defenders point of view, and could even have a week looking at different forms of democratic protest. Projects. Outings. All sorts of things.This could be extremely beneficial to the school. This could be A Learning Experience. But more than anything, selling the land was A Very Good Thing for the school. One girl put up her hand.
‘Yes, Molly?’
