With the Headmaster's Approval (8 page)

CHAPTE
R NINE

Adam continued
with occasional lunches with Don Shaw and the staff of the boys’ school, much to the disappointment of some of the girls who fought to serve ‘Sir’ his lunch.  He treated their waitressing with all the seriousness he would give to a real waitress, questioning them on their knowledge of the menu and giving them his full attention, so for that brief time they felt they’d been singled out for special treatment.  

He’d also become friendly with Kyle Rudd, the sports
master, and they played an occasional - fiercely competitive - game of squash together. The lunches proved beneficial to both Heads and they’d agreed on the need for drug counselling. During one of the lunches Adam was disturbed to learn that some of the girls had acquired a reputation for being easy, something a partly Christian-funded school should not be known for. The Christmas holidays were approaching and with them the opportunity for the girls to be led astray at the numerous parties and functions. He decided they needed a warning about the dangers they faced, and the harm they were doing to their reputations.

He brought up the subject at the morning break. “What do you actually teach them about sex, Mrs O’Brien?”

She shifted uncomfortably in her chair and looked round for support, but none was forthcoming, “I teach them the physical aspects of the sexual act, and about contraception and how to use it, and about sexually transmitted diseases,” she said. She went to the cupboard at the end of the room. “I have some posters,” she said, unrolling one to reveal a picture of the male genitalia.

Annette Woolf looked away in confusion and Eleanor Stannard frowned.

Barbara Crook informed him. “Kate has to keep it in the cupboard because the girls got hold of the previous one and made some, shall we say, alterations to it,” “They changed the angle ...”

“Never mind, Miss Crook,” interrupted Eleanor Stannard.

“Warn me when you’re going to put that up in the classroom,” Adam said. “I don’t want to inadvertently find myself standing in front of it.”

Kate O’Brien rolled up the poster and placed it back in the cupboard.

“What do you tell them about the emotional side?” asked Adam.

“I tell them they should wait until they are mature enough to have sex, or are at least in a long term relationship, but girls are having sex earlier and earlier. Whatever you say to them, you can’t put the genie back in the bottle. Many of the girls are already sexually active.”

“But surely not all of them?” argued Adam. “Perhaps if I talk to them it will make a difference.  A man’s point of view might give them a different perspective.  If I can stop just one girl from having sex before she’s ready, it will be worth it.”

“Well, good luck with that. What magical thing do you intend to say that will stop the flow of teenage hormones?” said
Barbara Crook.

“I can explain how boys think about sex.”

“Wham, bam, thank you, Mam?” said Barbara Crook.

“Really, Miss Crook, do you have to be so crude?” put in
Eleanor Stannard.

Adam looked pointedly at Barbara Crook. “From a teenage boy’s point of view, that just about sums it up. They’re just looking to score.”

“And you know all about teenage boys?” said Jenna Murray.

He turned to her with a frank look. “I was one.”

“So how old were you when you first had sex?” asked Barbara Crook.

“Miss Crook! Please.” spluttered Mrs Stannard.

“No. I’ll answer that,” he said. “I was two weeks away from my fifteenth birthday. My kid sister’s baby-sitter was nineteen and experienced. I was tall for my age and she thought I was sixteen. Fourteen year-old boys don’t really know what they’re doing. I’ve always been grateful to her.”

“And so, I presume, were your future conquests,” said Jenna with a tight smile.

“So what happened?” insisted Barbara Crook, eagerly sitting forward.

“We got careless. My sister found us in my bedroom and told my parents and I ended up babysitting my sisters for the next six months,” he said with a sheepish grin.

“Are you saying that boys should have their first experience with older women, and therefore girls with older men?” said Jenna.

Lauren Mathews butted in,
“My first time was a bit of a disaster. I was sixteen and he was twenty. Does that qualify as an older man?”

“Please, let’s not turn this into a confessional,”
pleaded Eleanor Stannard.

Jenna ignored the interruption.
“Shouldn’t teenagers have their first sexual experience with someone of their own age? The innocence of getting to know one another,” she said.

“They’re not m
ature enough to control their raging hormones. That’s how babies happen,” said Adam.

“If you’re going to talk to the girls, then shouldn’t one of us give a talk to the boys,” said Miss Crook.

“And what would you tell them?” asked Jenna.

But Adam didn’t give her time to reply. “That wouldn’t be such a good idea. If you told them how girls respond you’d just be giving them ideas on how to seduce them.”

“I had thought of perhaps introducing a virginity pledge and the girls could wear a bracelet to show they intend to remain virgins,” said Kate O’Brien.

“That might prove counter-productive,” said Adam. “Some of the boys could see a virginity bracelet as issuing a challenge. And girls not wearing them would look like they were willing.”

“Will we have to get the permission of the parents before you can give the talk?” asked Lisa.

“Sex education is already part of the curriculum,” said Adam. “But it might be a good idea to
record it and take minutes in case of any repercussions. We can begin with the senior girls.”

“Are you going to let them ask questions?” said Lisa. “It could be a bit risky. You know what some of them are like.”

“We can hand out paper and they can write down any questions they’re too embarrassed to ask,” said Adam.

It was decided to have the talk on the last Friday before the Christmas holidays. They would hold it in the assembly hall for the senior girls.

Most of the teachers
wanted to hear his talk, interested to see what Adam would have to say, and how the girls would respond. But Annette Woolf had hastily volunteered to take some of the junior girls for carol singing practise, and Dee Taylor had taken the rest to play ‘chase’ in the gym, a favourite end-of-term game involving the entire gym equipment and having two girls do the chasing and tagging those caught, or those who put their feet on the floor. There was always an incorrigible group who conspired to be caught early on and could therefore spend the rest of the lesson chatting about boys, clothes and Christmas parties.

When the girls were assembled
in the hall, some of them giggling and some with ‘you can’t tell me anything I don’t already know’ expressions, Kate O’Brien called Adam and Lisa. As they filed through the door the noise in the hall lessened appreciably until the girls fell into complete silence. Lisa could feel her heart beating a nervous tattoo. She hoped Adam would be able to handle the questions the girls were likely to throw at him. Kate O’Brien and Lisa sat behind the table and Lisa prepared to take notes while Adam stood in front and began to address the girls.

“I don’t suppose there will be much I can tell you about sex, as being teenagers, you therefore know everything,” he began. There were a few smirks from the girls who were thinking just that. “However, there are some aspects that you think you know, but probably don’t - and that’s the difference between the way boys think about sex, and the way girls think about sex.”

Sidelong glances were exchanged.  Maybe this could be interesting. Better than Mrs O’Brien telling you to wait until you got married. Yeah, right, as if.

“Mrs O’Brien has told you about the physical aspects of sex and warned you of the dangers of having unprotected sex. She’s also explained that having sex before you’re emotionally mature enough is not a good idea,” he continued.

A few girls rolled their eyes. It was going to be the same old story after all.

“Girls have a romantic notion of sex. They fall in love and they think of sex as making love,” he said, sitting on the edge of the table with his foot resting on a chair. “Boys, however, are just looking to score.” He paused while the girls exchanged glances. “They carry condoms to show off and because they’re hoping to get lucky, and if they do get lucky they’ll brag about it. It will be another notch on a headboard. I don’t want any of you to become a notch on a headboard.” He waited while they digested this and Lisa noticed a few of the girls turning to grin at Glenda McKenzie.

“They’ll tell you they love you. But if their hormones are raging they’ll tell you anything they think will help them to score.”

Lisa was taking it down in shorthand and
had the tape recorder running.

“If word gets out among the boys that one of you is having sex, it’s likely that you’ll be hit on by other boys, and knowing that a girl has said
Yes
to one boy makes the others less likely to take
No
for an answer. Once you’ve got a reputation it will be hard to shake off. I don’t want any St Mary’s girls to have a reputation for being easy,” he said, looking round at them. “I know it’s a double standard and it’s not fair, and that it’s sometimes difficult to control your emotions, but it’s your reputation that’s at stake. You’re the ones who’ll have to take control and say
No
before things go too far. Don’t put yourself in a situation where you can’t shout for help.”

He stood up and started slowly pacing back and forth. “I know you feel you are mature enough for sex, but I want you to consider waiting until you’re older and in a committed relationship. Wait until you’re sure you’re in love and not just lusting after a boy, or doing it just to please him.
It might make you popular with the boys – but for all the wrong reasons.” He stopped pacing and said, “I’m sure you’ll have some questions. If you don’t want to ask it you can write it down.”

Glenda McKenzie was the first with her hand up. She wore a knowing smirk. “Do you always carry a condom, Sir?”

CHAPTER TEN

They were shocked gasps as everyone turned to look at Glenda, and then back at Adam. Lisa waited with trepidation for Adam to reply.  Glenda’s mother worked in the local supermarket.  It was obviously her who’d seen Adam buying condoms. If he told the girls he didn’t carry condoms Glenda was likely to denounce him as a liar. But if he said y
es
, it would be admitting to having sex outside of a committed relationship, something he’d just told them not to do. It would also open a can of worms as they speculated on who he was sleeping with. And the staff all knew he must be having a sexual relationship with Danielle Du Bois.

He looked directly at Glenda from under lowered eyes, pausing before replying, “No comment. Next question.”
Glenda turned to her neighbour with a knowing smile.

“Sir, should girls carry condoms,” asked a timid auburn-haired girl, surprising herself by speaking up as she’d never even kissed a boy
, but wanting to appear experienced.

An untidy looking girl with wispy hair in need of a comb
said in a whisper meant to be heard, “How would she know what size to buy?” causing her neighbours to snigger and a girl behind to loudly suggest she buy a selection box.

Even the staff found it difficult to suppress a smile, and Lisa had to cover her mouth with her hand. Adam
lowered his head, trying to keep a straight face. Finally he looked up and answered the question. “If she’s already sexually active – yes. If she isn’t sexually active, that’s debatable. Carrying condoms might give boys the impression you’re willing to have sex, or at least willing to be persuaded. It will also stop you having an excuse not to have sex if you don’t really want to. And if fear of pregnancy or getting a sexually transmitted disease is your prime motivator for not having sex, then carrying a condom might tempt you.”

A girl
in the front row nervously raised her hand.  “What do we do when our boyfriends are all worked up and they tell us it will be harmful to their health if we don’t let them go all the way?”

There was some shuffling and nudging from the girls who also wanted an answer to that particular question.

“Tell him from me his life is in no danger,” replied Adam, with a conspiratorial wink.

A serious-
faced girl sitting near the side wall put up her hand. “Sir, how do we know when we’re mature enough for sex?”

“
When you have enough self-discipline to resist temptation, and when your self-esteem means more to you than the approval of a boy, or your friends. When you’ve known your boyfriend for a long time without having sex with him, and you can control your urges, and you still want to be with them and no one else, you’re probably developing a mature attitude. Remember that girls mature sooner than boys and are often a lot smarter and can hold the balance of power where sexual relationships are concerned.”

He stopped pacing and sat on the edge of the table with his thumb in his pocket. “
A recent study showed that the higher your IQ, the less likely you are to indulge in teenage sex. Every additional IQ point increases the odds of virginity in adolescents by two point seven percent in males and one point seven percent in females. Teens with a below average IQ are five times more likely to have had sex than those with an IQ of over a hundred and twenty.”

He let them digest that piece of information.
Lisa wondered where Adam had got that gem, but it just might influence the clever girls.

A few written questions had been handed to Adam. He read each of them
, and Lisa saw his face cloud as he put one question aside. He picked up another one and said,” Someone has asked if a blow job can be counted as having sex.” He grinned at the teachers. “I’m sure some of us can remember President Clinton claiming that oral sex did not count.”

He turned to Kate O’Brien. “I’m sure Mrs O’Brien will tell you that oral sex still requires a condom to prevent the transmission of sexual diseases.” Kate O’Brien nodded, anxiously wondering where Adam was going with this one.  It was bad enough her having to talk to a
small class of girls about sex, but in front of all the senior girls, let alone the staff who all probably knew more than she did, and she also had the embarrassment of Adam. She dreaded someone asking a question she couldn’t answer. She’d considered requesting a change of subjects, but who could she change with? Lauren Mathews wouldn’t be suitable, in her frame of mind she’d put the girls off men for good. Jenna Murray would be good, but she was single and it would give a poor impression if the girls thought she was having sex outside of marriage. She’d once overheard Barbara Crook and Hayley Price discussing Tantric sex. She’d Googled it and didn’t feel it fitted into the curriculum. Heavens knows what they would tell the girls.

“Whether there is a definition in law, or whether you feel that it doesn’t count, boys will eagerly line up to get a blow job,” Adam said. “If your aim is to be popular with the boys then it’s a sure fire way
to go about it. But at what cost to you? Why would you risk your reputation, which you could carry with you for the rest of your life, just to pleasure a teenage boy who may or may not care about you?” He waited while his words sank in, and some of the girls were looking uncomfortable.

There was a lot of prodding and muttering of, ‘
no, you ask’
going on in the second row. “Do you ladies have a question,” said Adam.

Eventually a girl with wide eyes and blonde hair tied in a ponytail plucked up the courage to ask, “We were wondering if you slept with your wife before you got married.”

There was a collective intake of breath, and even the teachers felt for Adam. Lisa wondered if he would be too embarrassed or too emotional to answer.

He dropped his gaze and they waited to see if he would answer. After a short pause he
said, “I met Michelle when she was twenty two years old and I was twenty eight. When I asked her for a date she made it clear that if she went out with me, she wasn’t going to sleep with me, and she didn’t waver from that. So I got to know her as a person and not a sexual partner, and I fell in love with her. We were married eighteen months later.”

Lisa could feel the atmosphere in the room change. It was obviously still painful for Adam to talk about his late wife and there was an embarrassed
silence that was suddenly broken by the bell for break.

As the girls started filing out of the hall, and the staff heading for the staffroom, Lisa picked up the
written question that Adam had discarded. She gasped when she read
; Sir, R U fucking Miss Murray?
It was obvious even to the girls that there was a spark between Adam and Jenna.

Adam was subdued as he sipped his tea. He was sitting on the couch between Lisa and
Eleanor Stannard.  He sighed and put his head in his hands.

“What’s wrong, Adam?” asked Lisa gently.

Still with his head in his hands he said, “Did I get through to any of them?”

“I’m sure you did. They’re not all like Glenda and her cronies. “

Turning to Lisa he said, “I can’t help thinking that they’re the same age as Kirsty would have been.”

She saw the misery in his eyes. “You’ve never shown us a picture of them. Is it still too painful?”

He reached in his pocket and took out his wallet. Extracting a photograph he handed it to Lisa. “It was taken a month before they were killed.”

It was of the four of them. Adam was sitting on the arm of chair smiling down at Michelle
who was sitting in the chair with the children in her lap. They were looking up at him with such love and adoration that it was almost painful to see.

After the break Lisa’s office door was partly open when she heard a light tap. “Come in.”

It was one of the senior girls. “Yes. What can I do for you?” said Lisa.

“Mrs Ryan, I’d like to talk to Mr Wild, please. It’s important.”

“I’ll see if he’s available,” said Lisa.

Adam was sitting in his chair deep in contemplation. “Is something wrong?” she asked.

“No. I was just
wondering if I would have got through to Kirsty.”

“I’m sure you would,” said Lisa. “One of the senior girls wants to talk to you. She says it’s important.”

“Show her in. But you’d better stay.”

He stood up and motioned for the girl to sit down, glancing at her name tag he
said, “What can I do for you, Anne?”

She darted a nervous glance in Lisa’s direction and Adam said; “Don’t worry, Mrs Ryan won’t reveal any secrets, if that’s what you’re concerned about.”

“Sir, I just wanted to thank you. My boyfriend has been urging me to have sex with him. He’s even bought condoms.” She stopped, suddenly overcome with embarrassment.

“Go on,” said Adam, gently.

“The other girls have been egging me on saying it’s about time I went all the way.  But now I’m going to say,
No
. If he tells me that I would if I loved him, I’m going to tell him that if he loved me he wouldn’t want me to do something I’m uncomfortable with,” she ended in a rush, feeling the blush creeping up into her face.

Adam smiled across at her. “I’m pleased you’ve made that decision. You won’t regret it. Don’t let anyone talk you into anything you’re not ready for.  And make sure you’re not alone with him where he could force you to do something you don’t want to.”

She got up to leave. “I won’t. I’ll remember what you said.”

He watched her departing figure disappear with a confident stride down the corridor.

“So it was worth it,” said Lisa. “At least you reached one of them.”