Chapter 6

Did I mention that Patrick was in school half-days? Mornings. The same school as Rachel, who was a year ahead of him. After dinner, when both kids were asleep and Weena and I each had a glass of wine, I found out about Patrick's problem.

Apparently, he had been fighting in the school yard.

Actually, he had knocked down an eight-year-old and was sitting on his chest when a teacher 'removed' him. "Is there more to the story?"

Weena had a gleam in her eye. "Is there? Is there! It seems that the bigger boy was baiting Rachel, calling her 'yellow slant-eye' and 'lousy Jap.' Rachel was crying and Patrick jumped at the bully, knocked him down, and was bouncing on him while yelling 'bully' and 'filthy racist'!"

"Sounds okay to me. I used to do that nearly 30 years ago where Jacky was concerned."

"They're not supposed to fight!"

"What's a six-year-old supposed to do with an eight-year-old? Reason with him?"

"I'm not sure. But I've got to go in to school to speak with the headmistress on Monday."

"Better you than me. I'd just agree with Patrick."

"Yes. And they'd just refuse to have him back."

"Oh."

"Recall how much trouble we had finding a place. They all prefer siblings or descendants or co-religionists. And neither of us went to school within hundreds of kilometres of here."

Roughly 60% of children in Western Australia attend a government school, with the other 40% attending some kind of private school.

State schools are overseen by the WA Department of Education and Training, centrally and through its four district offices across the Perth metropolitan area. Roughly half of the private schools are Catholic, most of the others are also affiliated to churches; Anglican, Uniting Church, Lutheran, Baptist and so on. There are also Montessori, Steiner and schools with other affiliations.

"We could switch to a public school. Isn't the one in the Downs supposed to be good?"

"Then he couldn't be with Rachel. We're in Zone 3, they're in Zone 10."

"Would that be a disaster? She was in school without him last year."

"We'd be abandoning her to that bully," responded Weena.

"So now he's her protector?"

"Isn't he?"

"Let's sleep on it."

In the morning I thought I'd see what Patrick had to say. Weena was bathing Sarah. "So you got into trouble at school?"

"No. George got into trouble. He's a drongo." [a dimwit]

"Where did you learn that? We don't use words like that."

"At school. All the kids talk like that."

"Well, they shouldn't. Anyway, you knocked George down?"

"Yes." He seemed proud of himself. "He insulted Rachel."

"Do you think that was right?"

"What would you do if a bloke insulted Mum?"

"Well, your Mum's going to talk to the headmistress on Monday."

"I know."

"What do you think will happen?"

"They'll talk and Mum will say I'm sorry. And she'll ask me to say I'm sorry, so I will. And I'll get sent back to my class."

I had to laugh, but kept it in. It sounded so close to what I thought would happen. "And?"

"And if George insults Rachel again, I'll knock him down again."