Imperfect Harmony by Jay Northcote

Author:Jay Northcote [Northcote, Jay]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Gay & Lesbian, Literature & Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Gay Romance, Lgbt
Amazon: B01E18FZP6
Publisher: Jaybird Press
Published: 2016-04-15T03:00:00+00:00

Even a tedious day, mostly spent covering history lessons at the Grove School for a teacher who was out on a training course, couldn’t dampen John’s spirits. He set the work the teacher had left and let the kids get on with it. He suspected half of them were actually on their phones under the desks, but as long as they were quiet and not throwing chairs around, that was good enough for him.

For the last lesson of the day, John was to cover a music lesson for a year eight class. Usually John disliked covering lessons in his own subject, but for the first time he found himself quite excited about it. The lesson plan involved singing rather than instrumental work, and inevitably that made him think about Rhys as he skimmed through the notes the teacher had left.

The kids were boisterous, but enough of them were enthusiastic with it that they ended up being quite fun to teach. John revised the song with them—a three-part round from Zimbabwe—and by the end of the lesson he had them making a great sound. Even some of the most reluctant singers looked quite impressed with themselves.

“Good job,” he said to them as the bell went. “That was great.”

“Thanks, sir,” one of the girls said to him on the way out of the door. Her friends giggled, but the girl sounded genuine. “That was a fun lesson.”

When the kids finished filing out of the classroom, Anna Dawson, the head of the Music Department, came in.

“Hi, John,” she said. “Sounds like you were having fun with 8R.”

“Yeah.” He glanced up from packing up his notes. “It went quite well, I think.”

“We’re losing Tim Schofield at the end of this term. He’s just handed in his notice—he got a job as head of department over at St George’s School. We’ll be advertising the post at the end of the week. It’s full-time and permanent. I wondered whether you’d be interested?” She smiled.

“Oh.” John stared back, not sure what to think. He realised this wasn’t the reaction she’d been expecting; a little more enthusiasm was appropriate. “I… um. Yes, maybe.” He let himself imagine it. A permanent job in the area, teaching his own subject again. Perhaps he was ready for that. “Thanks for letting me know. I’ll definitely think about it.”

“Good. With your level of experience, you’d be a strong applicant. Okay, I’ll let you get on. Thanks, John.”

“Thanks. Bye.”

He looked around the classroom after she’d gone, taking in the displays on the wall about famous composers and different styles of music, the racks of instruments against the walls, and the empty seats where the students had been. He felt a thrill of excitement at the idea of planning lessons again, inspiring kids to learn, instilling them with an appreciation of music.

Yes, maybe it was the right time to reclaim this part of his life too.

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