Chapter 72

“Wow that was pretty ballsy Andrew. You just straight out told her you wanted to fuck her?”

Leslie sounded surprised.

“At first I was more delicate but yes I did tell Hannah that. I have been seduced by three older and more experienced women. The age is less relevant that the experienced part. The first two assumed that a 14 year old guy would want to bang a 17 year old woman. Although Moira and I were more equal it still went from studying to fucking in 15 minutes. I have never had a girlfriend where the two of us grow together as a couple. I want to spend the next couple of years doing that with Hannah or someone else. But it is important for me to be honest upfront but also it will help me reading signals, you know I am clueless with signals. That is what makes Ara’s silence so mystifying. None of this would be happening if Ara had ever returned any of my calls. She stopped and picked up a stick and hit me with it. Three days later she leaves and I never hear from her again. That is beside the point. The relationship with Hannah is not going to be defined by sex but it makes sense for her to know that I want to have sex. I told her she had to set the pace because I would miss the signals. We will see. If I have spooked her then so be it. Honesty is best.”

“Well she knows where the relationship is going. I do have something to show you though. Don’t get upset but I think I might have found out why Ara has not been in touch.”

She pulled out a copy of the Daily Mail of all things and passed it over to him. The paper was already open to an inside page. There in picture with Prince Andrew was Ara. The caption read, ‘Prince Andrew talking to The Hon. Arabella Lindsay on the occasion of her brother’s 21^st birthday. George Lindsay, heir to the sixth Baron Ashland was a classmate of Prince Andrew at Gordonstoun.’

Andrew looked at Leslie.

“Normally I say ‘Wow’ to things like that but it doesn’t seem sufficient does it. Was she at the wedding?”

Charles and Di had married the previous month.

“No idea. I was leafing through the paper and spotted this. Normally I would have never seen it, just lucky. For all I know she is in the papers regularly.”

He laughed.

“At least I know why. I just wish she had not toyed with me in June. She didn’t seem like that whenever I spoke to her. Well good luck Princess Arabella.”

Fuckity fuck.

“It has been a good news, bad news sort of day. I got a call from one of the guys on the course this morning, Simon Glamp who works for the Treasury. We exchanged numbers at Easter on the course. I had forgotten that I gave the civil servants his name and Nigel somebody’s as well. He phoned this morning to ask if I had told anyone about his taking the Computer Science course. I did confess that I had and I had to tell him all about the meeting with Butler. The people who were there were not junior flunkies. The guy from the Treasury that you talked to was Simon’s boss’s boss, hang on there might have been another boss in there. Anyway, he was very senior. Simon has been offered a promotion because I mentioned him. He was all very grateful and I was so taken aback. I managed to finally get him off the phone but I now have a friend in, well not high places, but at least middle places. It was cool. I am glad something good has come of it.”

“It is always nice when you can help someone. You go through your life doing that and you don’t even notice half the time.”

Finally something else did come out of the meetings in the summer. Someone from the Department of Industry wanted to meet again. Julian could not go because it was his first week of university classes but Leslie and Andrew were scheduled to head back down to see them on a Friday in early October. He tried not to get too excited, he had to get through September first. Andrew tried to be more open with people, especially his friends. He made the most effort with Suzanne and tried to be more interested in her life. In third term the previous year he had been guilty of taking their friendship for granted. She noticed the change in him.

“I have not been a very good friend to a lot of people, you especially. I need to be a better listener and a better friend. Not just with you but with everybody. I got very self-absorbed last year and I need to be better.”

“Has Hannah put you up to this?”

“No. Be nice, I am doing this on my own. It was this thinking that Hannah tapped into last week. You know I am not a saint.”

Suzanne laughed.

“Oh we all know that!”

The first Thursday was very funny. Hendricks and Kearns nabbed Andrew after Assembly.

“Andrew, you will get a lift down with Mr. Kearns to Goldenacre today so that he can show you round, introduce you to the grounds staff and get you a key for the male teacher changing room. It has been decided that you will change there rather than in with the rugby players. Next week you will be on your own. Okay?”

So at 3.30 Andrew was being shown around, introduced to the head groundsman and given a key for the changing room used by the staff. Hmmm. After he was changed he headed out to the hockey pitch and left his new stick by the bench and went for a quick run to warm up. He was just about back at the side of the pitch when he saw Hendricks, McIntosh and the large squad of players coming out of the changing rooms. Ms. McIntosh was a primary school teacher who coached the 1^st eleven. He did not know her at all and had never been introduced. As Andrew got to the benches and the large group approached he could feel his heart racing. 30 plus faces were all looking at him with interest and suspicion.

Hendricks ripped the Band-Aid off quickly.

“Ladies, this is the new assistant coach, Andrew McLeod. He is a student in 5G.”

Andrew could see Hannah trying not to explode with laughter. Suzanne was looking mad as were several other people. Some of them looked disinterested while a few looked very interested.

“Some rules. He is a coach and will be treated with respect but you call him Andrew, not Mr. McLeod. He will be assisting both Ms. McIntosh and myself. He changes with the male coaches and will not be in the women’s end of the clubhouse for any reason. All coaching discussions will be out here on the field. He took the coaching clinic this summer and is a Scottish Hockey Level 1 coach. Anything you would like to add Andrew?”

Andrew stood there guessing ‘Er’ wasn’t what she expected.

“I am pleased to be here and hope I can help. This is all new to me to. It will be a fun and winning year.”

Less was more. And with that he led the girls in 10 minutes of warm ups. Andrew had never been down to any of the training sessions, normally he got to run round the Meadows instead, so had no idea what they worked on in practice. McIntosh was gently testing him and near the end of the session she took a group of mainly forwards off to one side and started coaching them. Hendricks already had the 4^th years off to the other side working on dribbling skills. The remaining group looked at him. Andrew caught McIntosh, out of the corner of his eye, watching to see what he would do.

“Come on then. McIntosh has given me no instructions and wants to see what I do now. Let’s work on getting the ball up the field from a free hit at the 25 yard line. Split into two groups, attackers grab some of those bibs. How many do we have here, enough for 5 on 5, okay? Free hit from the 25. Show me how you get it past the forwards and through to the midfield.”

Andrew saw McIntosh turn away and so went for it. He swapped the groups back and forth and had them running hard. One of the things Andrew had been most impressed with at St. Andrews when watching the other coaches was the power hit across the back line. This was one area where the team needed to improve their play. They did not have the power. Andrew knew he had the power but was very worried about his hand-eye co-ordination in hitting the damn ball. If he hit it look out but the ‘swing and a miss’ shot was a worry.

Andrew was surprised to discover he really had learned some stuff at St. Andrews. He connected smoothly without any whiffs. He needed to dial the strength back a bit but they worked on the breakout and up field pass until the end of the session. It had felt natural and not forced, helped immensely by the fact the team listened to him. The whistle blew and the group huddled together as McIntosh addressed them.

“There is an Intra-squad scrummage at 9.00 on Saturday morning. We will split the teams evenly. Three stations where skills can be demonstrated followed by a mock game. 20 minutes each way. Any questions? Good, off and get changed.”

The group left and Andrew stood with the two teachers. McIntosh looked at him and laughed.

“It is going to take some getting used to you whacking that ball. Golly Andrew, you leathered it a couple of times. Still if they can cradle a pass from you then they will be fine with their teammates. Well done for stepping up when I walked off, it was unfair but I wanted to see how you coped. I really didn’t care what you did, I just wanted to see what you would do. The drill you ran was excellent. This should be a good year if all the training sessions are like that. Well done.”

“Thanks. I saw you watching out of the corner of my eye when you left me with the 10 defenders. I just picked something that I was impressed with at the clinic.”

The three of them were walking slowly back to the stand to get changed. Hendricks piped up at this point.

“Tackling and dribbling practice against you is going to be interesting as well. How long is that stick Andrew, I have never seen one that length.”

Andrew didn’t burst out laughing, he didn’t even smirk, but it was touch and go. Hendricks looked flustered as soon as she said it so he quickly moved past her faux pas and jumped in with the facts.

“I don’t know. It is an old stick that the shop said they had had in the back for ages. It was designed for someone even taller than me but one thing I am still working on is the stooped way everyone plays the game. I am more upright I think but it works for me. I don’t really know what is a normal length hockey stick versus a regular one. Some of the team are barely five feet tall, and I am 6’2”. If I tried to play using that equipment then I would look like I had a toy.”

They got to the stand with the changing rooms and went in the main door. The woman all changed down at the south end on the left and Andrew turned right and headed the other way. He was shaking his head. ‘I’ve never seen one that length’. How he managed not to laugh he would never know. Even with the conversation with the two teachers he was still finished before any of the ladies made it out the changing room. No hair was a complete blessing. Hannah came out with a big group and came up to him with a huge smile.

“You looked so nervous when we all walked up. You should have heard all the comments during the training. And then look at you, running the pass out drill smoothly and efficiently.”

The comments came thick and fast after that. Variations of surprise at the whole idea, surprise that the school had allowed it and most of all surprise that he knew what he was doing.

“When she told us all not to call you Mr. McLeod I was crushed. It would have been so awesome, oh Mr. McLeod, oh Mr. McLeod.”

This was Suzanne who appeared to have gotten over her pique.

“Can you imagine?”

Andrew was shaking his head.

“I am glad I survived the first session okay. There is a long way to go.”

The chat carried on all the way up into town where most of them got off to swap buses. Hannah lived out on the west side of the city so got the same bus as Katie and Suzanne. He walked a couple of stops down with Tanvi and two other 6^th years who he did not know but who seemed perfectly friendly.

“When did you decide to coach Andrew?”

One of them, Allison, asked.

“Hendricks asked me at the end of second term. I spent all of third term working with two of the team who were graduating. We went down to Goldenacre every Thursday and they ran me ragged. After a term of that I was at least able to control the ball and hit it without making a fool of myself. I did the coaching course last month and survived 12 twenty something women ragging on me. I am doing myself no favours doing this. I can imagine the comments tomorrow.”

“Do you think it will be bad?”

This was Tanvi.

“Nothing too stupid but there will be a bunch of guys doing the whole ‘sissy for hanging out with the girls’ shit. The worst will be the whole ‘did you shower with them’ stuff. I can hear it now. Mostly morons who have never been laid but it grinds.”

“Why are you doing it then Andrew?” Allison again.

“I was coming to the games anyway, so when Hendricks asked me I thought why not. I can’t go through life worrying about what other people think. I go to the library every lunchtime and after school to study. Once you survive cancer it is amazing what you no longer care about.”

Andrew needed to be a whole lot more careful about bringing up his cancer, based on two of the faces. He told them it was a long time ago and he was all clear. Andrew saw his bus coming so scooted on down to the right stop and left the three of them discussing the new assistant coach.

Rob Derry was entirely predictable the next day. When Andrew came into the first class after Assembly he even looked at him with a let’s get it over with look on his face. Rob’s problem was that Hannah and Allie were looking daggers at him already. The best zingers were going to be sexist, or misogynistic or both. One word of those and Rob was going to be looking for his testicles.

“Coaching hockey, really McLeod. Do you have to wear a dress on the way home?”

Yeah the 1980’s were really enlightened in Scotland. Andrew shook his head and smiled at him but said nothing.

“Did they let you shower with them? Is that why you are doing it? Just to see naked girls?”

The taunts in his voice were grating. Andrew could see Pete was worried Hannah was going to leap over three desks and throttle Rob right there and then. He put a hand on her arm just to calm her for a second.

“Derry, come out here at once.”

Caldwell was standing at the front of the room, having arrived unnoticed.

“Class, books out, quiet reading. I will be back shortly.”

And with that he marched Rob out the class. They all exploded with laughter and no one got any reading done. Caldwell came back without Rob and finished the class without another word. It came up again in the Prefects common room later that morning. It was more genuine curiosity than anything else. It was one of the 6^th year stars of the rugby team that asked why he was doing it.

“I have never been any good at sports, I did cross country for the last four years. But I have enjoyed being part of a team. We are a team,” Andrew indicated round the room, “the CCF is a team, and I was on the swim team for the second half of season last year. This is just part of it. Helping out. I am uncoordinated and have lousy foot eye coordination. I worked really hard to get to be mediocre at hockey. The teams are all miles better than me in skill. I can talk a good game but they are the ones who put it into practice. It is fun. I didn’t do it for a quiet life that’s for sure.”