Tell Me, Darling Read online

  Lunch time came before she knew it, and once again she was starving hungry. This time at least there was a half decent veggie burger, chips and piles of fruit. Thank you Lord for edible food, she thought as she and Emma sat down with their plates.

  “How’s your morning been, Nursie?” asked Raj, putting down his tray beside them.

  “Great!” said Sadie. “I’ve been crazy busy, but I love it so far.”

  “My group is all right,” said Emma, flicking her beautiful hair over her shoulder. “The Italian girls are so loud – except for one who looks as if she’s about to cry all the time. And I have two Russians, one Austrian and one poor girl from France who doesn’t know anyone else. She was so happy when I spoke French to her.”

  “I also have a bunch of loud Italians,” said Raj, tucking into his burger. “They are all about fourteen and can’t wait to start playing sport. They are not looking forward to the English lessons – I think the poor tutors are going to have a hard time motivating these kids to study in their summer holidays.”

  “Have you noticed how young all the staff are?” asked Sadie, stating on her chips. “Is anyone even over 25? It seems strange to me.”

  “I agree,” said Raj. “After what Ian said yesterday – it’s probably all about cost. Students and inexperienced people are cheaper to employ than professionals. I bet the owner is making a fortune out of these kids’ parents – do you know what they pay for a week here?”

  “I saw in the brochures,” said Sadie. “It’s a lot. But the costs must be high – all the food made for them, all these facilities …”

  “Yeah,” said Raj, not convinced. “They pay us peanuts, and we’re going to take the heat when things go wrong. Ian told me that last year a kid ran away and got all the way back to Europe before anyone even noticed.”

  “Wow,” said Emma. “I’d better make sure none of mine go missing.”

  After lunch the staff were called into the office for a meeting with Joe and Jonesy while the kids had free time and descended on the tuck shop to spend their money on junk food. Joe stood at the front with his arms folded.

  “This won’t take long, people,” he said. “So far things are going all right, except for a few mess ups that I hope will not happen again.” Caitlin blushed. He gave them all handouts with their schedules for the rest of the week. Sadie was a little taken aback at how full hers was – she had multiple shifts a day supervising groups and doing night patrol. She also had a few slots marked “Office.” She would have to ask what that meant.

  Joe was talking again. “Let me also remind you that skiving off your duties is a sackable offence. I don’t want to find any of you relaxing at the pool or tanning on the lawn when you are supposed to be with your group. You need to know where your group is at all times – the only time you do your own thing is when they are in English classes or after eight thirty when you hand them over to the night shift, do you understand? Most of you SGL’s have eight kids each, and all day you are going to be counting to eight in your head, right, making sure you know where they all are. Coaches and teachers – same applies to you until you hand them back to the SGL’s. These kids are our responsibility while they are here, and I’m telling you now some of them will do the best they can to bend the rules and cause as much trouble as they can. We can’t let anything happen to them. If harm comes to one of them and they were in your care, I’m telling you now that’s a …”

  “Sackable offence!” piped up Mitch, the muscly martial arts coach. Everyone laughed, except for Joe.

  “Funny,” he said. “At least you have it clear. Now clear out and keep an eye on your groups.”

  “Yes Sir!” said Raj, who got a glare from Joe in return. Raj just grinned back, and Sadie liked him for it. He wasn’t letting Grumpy Joe get him down.

  Sadie soon discovered that night duty was more like a nightmare than anything else. The kids were supposed to be in their rooms by eight thirty, with lights out at nine. It was much earlier than most of the European kids were used to, and there was large scale passive resistance to the rule. The SGL’s were supposed to make sure their groups got ready for bed, and then whoever was on the first night duty shift got to be the bad cops who had to actually make it happen. The first night that she was on in the girls’ dorm she and Caitlin barely managed to get some quiet before their shift ended at ten thirty, and even by then they doubted that the girls were asleep. They walked up and down the passages, chasing girls into their rooms, and saying “Sssh! Quiet!” an awful lot. The only thing that made the evening bearable was that she had company, and she and Caitlin had emerged from their ordeal firm friends.

  It turned out Sadie’s office shifts were to help Jonesy and Joe with the admin. Head Office was dragging its feet about finding someone to fill the gap left by the resignation of the Director. For now, Jonesy and Joe were own their own, so Sadie, who had no small group or lessons to teach, had to pitch in. She didn’t mind – she liked organizing things, as long as perfection and neatness weren’t too important. She just hoped Joe wasn’t going to be too awful to work for.

  Chapter 5

  “Where have you been?” Joe was at his desk when Sadie rushed into the office, aware that she was twenty minutes late for her shift. “There’s a problem with the transport plans on Sunday and we need to get hold of the bus company. I need to meet with the kitchen manager – I cannot do everything!”

  Sadie stood for a second, out of breath after running all the way from Room 13. “I know I’m late …” she said, but Joe interrupted her.

  “Yes, you are late!” he shouted. Sadie lost her temper. She had tried to be understanding for the past few days but now she had run out of patience. And unfair criticism was not something she tolerated – not any more.

  “Someone got stung by a bee, Joe!” she said, loudly. “I was busy, all right! What do you want me to do? Should I have told little Vladimir to just suck it up because I had phonecalls to make? Huh?”

  Joe didn’t reply, but he was still fuming. He stood up, grabbed a plastic folder from the desk where Jonesy was trying to speak to someone on the landline, and stormed out again. Sadie looked at Jonesy, shaking her head. She was trying hard to do what was expected of her, but it wasn’t easy being pulled in different directions. Jonesy put down the phone and looked at her sympathetically. “He’s not having a good day,” he said. “There is a serious stuff-up at Head Office and Joe is taking the flack, even though he doesn’t deserve it.”

  “Yeah, well he shouldn’t take it out on me,” said Sadie. “I’m just trying to help.”

  “Yes, you are,” said Jonesy. “You have been a star for the past few days, honest. Even this morning he said he didn’t know what we would have done without you.”

  “He said that?”

  “Yup,” said Jonesy. “Now come over here and get that funny accent of yours on the phone to the bus company, will you? If we can sort out this mess, he will be eternally grateful.”

  Sadie grinned. It was hard to stay upset for long with Jonesy around. In half an hour the problem was sorted out – the arrivals schedule and the lifts that were needed were up on a multi-coloured list on the office wall in Sadie’s bold, round handwriting. Joe came back just after she put it up. He walked up to the desk where Sadie was sorting out the post.

  “Sadie?” She looked up. “I shouldn’t have lost my temper like that. I apologise.”

  “All right,” said Sadie, feeling a little embarrassed. “I have to attend to the kids first. You know that.”

  “I know,” he said. “Of course you do. You must.” His eyes fell on the list on the wall. “You’ve sorted it out?” he said. Sadie saw the beginnings of an actual smile on his face.

  “She has worked her magic,” said Jonesy, from the other side of the room. “She charmed that crosspatch old man at the bus company and he’s doing everything we wanted him to in the first place.”

  “Fantastic,” breathed Joe, running a hand through his already tousled hair. �
��That is such a relief. I keep picturing kids stranded at the airport with no way to get here, getting calls from parents, head office, airport security …” He rubbed his forehead vigorously, his frown returning.

  “You’re under a lot of pressure,” said Sadie. “But you know what they say – worry can’t add even a single hour to your life.” As soon as she said it, she felt self-conscious – that was from a Bible verse. She didn’t even remember the last time she had actually read her Bible, but it had just popped into her mind.

  Joe was looking at her strangely. “Yes,” he said. “I do forget that sometimes.”

  “Almost dinner time!” said Jonesy, closing the lid of the computer. “Now that Sunday travels are sorted, I am ready for some sustenance!”

  Sadie left the office with Joe and Jonesy and headed to the dining room. She was also hungry, as usual, and this evening after supper she had night duty again. She sighed. Surely the real working world couldn’t be more tiring than this – she had been up since six, busy all day, and it would be ten thirty before she had a moment to herself. Oh well, she thought, it’s really wasn’t so bad. She was on duty with Ingrid, the English teacher, and she hadn’t really had a chance to get to know her yet. Tonight was going to be long and exhausting, but by the end she was likely to have made a Swedish friend. It really wasn’t so bad.

  Chapter 6

  Sadie felt a thrill of excitement as she walked through the forest the next evening. She could smell the trees and the damp earth, she could see the path in the silvery patches of moonlight, and although her body felt tired after a long day at camp, she still had energy for people and conversation and was ready to have some fun. Sam, Juan, Raj, Gabriel and Sadie, happily not on night duty, were on their way to the pub in the village and had taken the shortcut through the woods that Ian had recommended. It was almost nine, the night was warm and cloudless, and beside her Gabriel was singing in his impressive tenor voice as they made their way along the path, with only one small torch and the weak light of their phones besides the moon to guide their way. She felt as if she was in a dream – the sensations of the dark and the forest around them, and the almost haunting classical song Gabriel was singing all added to the strange, exciting atmosphere.

  “Gabriel!” said Sam, from behind them. “What language is that? It’s so … sexy!”

  “That is Italian,” said Gabriel. “I learn it from YouTube. Beautiful, no?”

  “It wasn’t beautiful this morning when that Fernando brat was giving me lip,” said Sam. “But you make it sound pretty awesome.”

  “It is beautiful,” said Sadie, looking up at Gabriel and rather liking what she saw. His hair was long, sometimes tied up but this evening hanging around his broad shoulders. He had wide, almost innocent-looking eyes, and a way of bursting into song at the slightest inspiration. Every now then, when he was talking, he would lapse into rapid Spanish without realising it. The sound of it thrilled Sadie – it was so exotic and different. So romantic.

  “Thank you, Sadie,” he said. “How about something more modern?”

  He lifted his arm and put his other hand on his chest, and to Sadie’s surprise began to sing an old Elton John song that she recognised from her Dad’s old CD collection.

  “Oh my gawd,” said Sam. “I thought you said modern. That’s ancient stuff.”

  “Ooh, I know that one!” said Sadie. “My dad loves Elton John. Keep going!” This time she joined him. In a few minutes they were both belting out Daniel, singing their hearts out, Sadie laughing so much that she couldn’t get all the words in.

  “You know it!” said Gabriel, getting excited and grabbing her arm. “You know that song?”

  “My dad used to play it in the car when we drove on holiday,” laughed Sadie, catching her breath.

  “I love that song,” said Gabriel, his hand on his heart. “It is so sad and emotional.”

  Sadie smiled to herself. She couldn’t imagine any of the South African guys she knew admitting that they liked a song because it was sad and emotional. Gabriel was so European – he dressed nicely, took care of his hair and his nails, and the way he treated girls was almost comically gallant. She could imagine him in a seventeenth- century outfit with long boots and a sword, whipping off his cape to lay it on a muddy road for a lady to pass. He paid Sadie a lot of attention, and she had wondered to herself what she thought of him … but she wasn’t sure yet. He was only twenty, barely out of high school, really. But maybe that was what she liked about him – he couldn’t have been more different to the one person she was trying to forget.

  ‘You like that song only because it say Spain in it,” said Juan. He was a little older than Gabriel and a lot less dashing, and he spoke English slowly with a heavy accent and a slight lisp. “Let’s sing something really Spanish!”

  The rest of the twenty-minute walk passed with a lot of crazy singing and laughing, which continued in the pub. They crowded round a little table, and more than once Gabriel put his arm around Sadie and made her laugh by whispering Spanish into her ear. Sadie stuck to her usual one or two drinks, and except for Raj the others did the same. On the way home, Raj was the one singing and laughing more than anyone else, and by the time they neared the school, Sadie and Gabriel were supporting him on either side. They shushed him as much as they could before they used the key Jonesy had given them to get into the pedestrian gate, making their way to the dorms.

  “I’m not that drunk!” said Raj, in a slushy whisper as they got the doors to the dorm building open. “I can walk!”

  “Ssh!” whispered Sam, leading the way with Juan, who was probably the next most tipsy of them all and not looking too stable himself. “It’s not twelve yet and Joe’s probably still up. Be very quiet!”

  They made it to the end of the passage where the girls had to go left and guys right. Sadie handed her side of Raj to Juan and turned to go towards her room. “Goodnight!” whispered Gabriel, reaching out his free hand to clasp hers and kiss it.

  “Goodnight,” she whispered back, feeling a little thrill at the look in his eyes. The boys stumbled off down the passage and Sadie and Sam turned towards their rooms. As they did, Sadie heard a noise and glanced down the way they had come. There stood Joe at the end of the passage, still in his red camp T-shirt, one hand on the door and a file in his other hand. He was far enough away that she couldn’t see the expression on his face, but she could guess what it might be. Sam gripped her arm.

  “Just wave,” she whispered. “Be cool.” Sadie lifted her hand and waved. Joe didn’t move. Sam pulled her along and they disappeared down the corridor.

  “Oh my gosh,” said Sadie as they got to her door. “He saw us, clear as anything!”

  “Don’t worry, Veggie,” said Sam. “We had permission to go out, right? Raj might be in trouble for being under the weather, but I doubt it. Joe wouldn’t want to lose him when he’s so great with the kids.”

  “I guess,” said Sadie. “We haven’t committed a sackable offence.”

  “Relax,” said Sam. “We’re adults. He’s not your father or anything.”

  Sadie laughed. “No way!” she said, thinking of her short, rather portly Dad. “Night Sam. Thanks for the fun night.”

  Sam grinned. “You had fun with Gabriel, girl. Considering a spot of cradle snatching?”

  “You never know,” said Sadie, giggling. Sam winked at her and they parted. As Sadie tiptoed around her room, trying not to wake a sleeping Caitlin, that image of Joe at the end of the passage remained in her mind. It bothered her, and she wondered why. She had never been particularly concerned about doing exactly what authority figures expected of her, so why did the thought of what Joe might think of her night out make her uncomfortable? She knew he was hardly likely to sack her, as he kept threatening everyone. It wasn’t concern for her job that pricked her conscience as she lay on her bunk, waiting for sleep to come. Maybe it wasn’t that she cared what Joe thought. Maybe, she wondered, she was feeling guilty about going drinking and flir
ting with Gabriel. Don’t be stupid, Sadie, she told herself. The new Sadie doesn’t let anyone else make her feel guilty. There is nothing wrong with anything you are doing. You’re just having a good time. You’re working hard and you deserve a bit of fun. Don’t mess it up feeling guilty about nothing.

  Chapter 7

  There was one camper that Sadie had a particularly soft spot for – a soft-spoken Russian boy called Alexei, whom she had got to know a little when he had come to her to get a grazed knee cleaned up after a soccer game. Alexei was about fifteen and was a bit of a loner – the other Russian boys on camp were younger than he was and he found them immature and annoying. He was serious about improving his English and didn’t seem interested in showing off and impressing the pretty Italian girls the way they were. One dinner time Sadie took her tray and sat at a table with Alexei and some older kids he sometimes hung out with.