Chapter Thirteen

GARDNER sat quietly in the chair outside Mr. Walker’s office and the school secretary; a rather attractive female of twenty something years asked him if he would like a cup of tea, but he rather reluctantly declined. It was cold outside and probably a cup of hot tea would have been what he should have had, but he had looked around in vain for the toilet and couldn’t find it. Maybe if that secretary could come back in a few minutes, he could ask her where he could go... but middle aged and married though he was, he always found it difficult to ask anyone to direct him to the toilet... and an attractive young woman of twenty something years in particular. After all, it wasn’t as if he was blind or anything like that, but sometimes the little boy’s room was not in the most prominent of places. It would have been different if the secretary had been a man; twenty something or eighty something, but then suddenly the Headmaster’s door opened and Tommy asked him very quickly if he would direct him in the right direction. It only took him five minutes, before he was able to return.

“Now then, Mr. Gardner,” said Mr. Walker, the Headmaster as he stroked his thinning hair, feeling sure that there was more on top than he imagined... “If I can help you I most certainly will because we were all distressed to hear about Richard Bright being in such trouble and news of this kind becomes gossip in a very short time, especially in a large school like mine. Richard wasn’t the brightest of pupils,” the Headmaster added with a grin, “But he was a good boy. Never caused any trouble and got on well with the other pupils... as far as I can understand.”

“Yes, Mr. Walker... I am led to understand that Richard... Richard Bright... well, wasn’t as bright as his name seemed to suggest... as you have inferred... and I was just wondering, if THIS was the case, then how on earth he could have studied the violin with such expert results... because he does play beautifully... or so I understand.”

Mr. Walker shuffled some papers on his desk as a broad smile formed across his tanned face.

“I have just spoken to Mr. Wiltshire. That’s Richard’s form master and he has left me some notes that may help your enquiries. You say Richard was interested in music, did you not? Violin, you said, Mr. Gardner... Well I’m not at all surprised at that. Not at all for one minute. You see Richard Bright was not a star pupil for most of the subjects we teach here... far from it, as I have already told you, BUT he wasn’t anywhere near the bottom of his class. Oh no... Richard was a very quiet boy and as I am sure you will understand with a school full of boys... and I may add, ROWDY BOYS, and girls too for that matter like we have here, that as you would expect in any mixed school, he didn’t stand out in the crowd, but Richard was what I call a ’thinker,’ and sad though I am to say it... many of my children don’t put their thoughts or their minds in gear before they start to drive, if you get my meaning. Richard was the very opposite of that type of boy”

Tommy Gardner stroked his chin. Things were beginning to look better for young Richard Bright, but the headmaster didn’t answer all the questions that Tommy wanted to know.

“Why is it then that he was shunned by the other pupils, especially the girls?” he asked and watched the headmaster’s face for his reaction... half hoping he would suggest that Richard Bright might be gay, although by this time, Tommy Gardner knew that Richard Bright was anything but that...

“Do you have children, Mr. Gardner?” asked the Headmaster.

“Yes... I have seven, but why do you ask that?”

“Well children are all different as I am sure you have found out from your own experience, but Richard wasn’t what you might call... a ’Pop Star’ He loved music as we discovered from the exams with his music teacher and he learned to read music which was something that most of our other pupils find very difficult. With Richard it was as easy as reading a novel. He took to it with ease... and so I am not at all surprised that he has excelled with the violin and I am delighted that he is doing that now. With regards to the girls not paying much attention... Well, the girls here and I suppose in most schools want a boy who is ‘with it’... in the pop world... and Richard was too quiet for that. I feel he would never have made a ‘pop star’ if you get my drift...”

Gardner felt relieved when the headmaster explained the situation to him. So Richard Bright wasn’t as dull as many thought, even his own mother, but could have been quite a quiet genius in his own little way... so that he could study a delicate and difficult instrument as the violin with such proficiency and apparent competence.

“But... but surely he must have made some friends at school? Some other male pupil who might be regarded as his mate... his best friend?”

“I believe there was such a person,” The Headmaster replied after some hesitation...”but my notes here from Mr. Wiltshire tells me that this boy was two years senior to Richard and left school to go on to university where he intended to further his education at a music academy. His name was Francis Major, but he would not have seen or spoken to Richard for years, I would have thought.”

Gardner knew he had a lost line connection with this one and went onto another subject.

“You’re sure there’s no-one else here at the school that could help me, Mr. Walker. I really need far more information that you are able to give me, mush as I am most grateful for that.”

The Headmaster closed his notes from the form master and shook his head.

“I am sorry, Mr. Gardner, but as you will appreciate, Richard left our school when he was fourteen without any noticeable results or exams... and I feel myself, if he had only stayed on a little longer, he might have reached... Oh wait a moment... There is a note here from Mr. Wiltshire at the bottom of this report. It seems to be rather confidential, but I am sure the police will treat it with the respect it deserves... yes?”

“Most certainly,” added Gardner as he leaned forward with enthusiasm to hear what else was to come.

“It says here... and again, I must ask you to treat this with confidence, Mr. Gardner.”

“Yes... yes of course. Now please tell me what Mr. Wiltshire has to say?”

“It says here that Richard Bright had requested to stay on at school but that his mother was rather poor, being a widow and needed him to go out to work as soon as possible.” The Headmaster shrugged his shoulders and raised his spectacles to his forehead as he looked at Tommy Gardner, “As is so often the case with poor parents or parent, Mr. Gardner... They need the money and support of their children when they get on in years and their children can go out to work. I’m sure you will understand,” he said and Gardner smiled, just as the telephone rang in the headmaster’s office.

“Hello... Hello... Yes of course Mr. Wiltshire. By all mean, I still have Mr. Gardner with me and I am sure he will be grateful for any further information you can give him. Will you come along now? Good, I’ll expect you then in the next few moments.” Mr. Walker replaced his telephone and turned to Gardner with a smile.

“It seems that Mr. Wiltshire... that is or rather was Richard Bright’s form master... he has something that he feels might be of interest to you, Mr. Gardner and he will be along in a few moments.

There was a knock on the Headmaster’s door a few seconds later and Mr. Wiltshire popped his head around the door.

“Mr. Gardner... I am sorry I missed you a few moments ago, but I had an awkward situation in my class and I couldn’t leave the boys at that time. However, there is something that I feel you should know, apart from my report in which I gave as much information as I could at the time, but shortly after Richard left the school, I had a report on him from one of the doctors who exam the children every year and he tells me that ,,,” Wiltshire stopped talking sharply and looked at the Headmaster, almost as it he was asking permission to go further with what he had to say.

“Well... What is it Mr. Wiltshire. We’re waiting,” said Mr. Walker with a look of impatience in his eye and the form master sighed heavily as he turned again to face Tommy Gardner.

“What I should have discovered long ago, Mr. Gardner... and I do feel bad that I missed this terribly important information... is that young Richard Bright was indeed above average intelligence, but there was evidence that he was dyslexic.”

Both the Headmaster and Tommy Gardner stared at the form master and it was the Headmaster who spoke first.

“This should have been noted long before the boy was about to leave school, Mr. Wiltshire this is a very serious lapse and we must certainly apologize to Mr. Gardner,” he said

“But,” said Gardner in reply, “Surely that wouldn’t have made any difference to Richard being able to study the violin... would it? Why, I know of many actors who are dyslexic and have no trouble studying their lines as the memory doesn’t seem to be affected.”

Mr. Walker coughed and held his left hand to his mouth as he stroked his balding patch with his right.

“That is very true Mr. Gardner, but we are here to TEACH children and enable them to get the best out of the education we are able to give them. This should have been made known to the boy and his parents at the time it was discovered... whereas it’s too late now, when the stable doors are closed and the horse has bolted...”

Gardner stood up and almost bowed to the Headmaster for the information he had just received. This made a big difference to him and would certainly have done to Richard Bright, had he known too... but then, on second thoughts... it hadn’t made any difference to the way he plays his violin and who knows, maybe if he wasn’t dyslexic, he may not have been such an accomplished musician.

There was a sense of disbelief as well as relief in Gardner’s face as he left the Headmaster’s office, when he reflected on his conversation with Lizzie Bright...

“Worked my fingers to the bone for that lad, I did,” she had said, “and this is the way he treats his poor old mother...”