Mr Ropata had a lot on his plate the next morning. The second day of the school year and everything was piling up on him and his morning was full of appointments from parents.
First off, he had a mother of a Year-9 boy, complaining about the methods used by Mr Harris the PE teacher.
‘He uses a paintball gun and shoots dye pellets at the boys if they don’t put in enough effort. My son came home with his PE shorts drenched in green dye.’
‘Yes, I can understand that may be a concern for you, Mrs Blewett, but I can assure you Mr Harris is one of the best Physical Education teachers in the country. He has huge success with his methods and I can assure you, your son is in very good hands. If there is any problem with washing the green dye out of his shorts, please let us know and we will give you a new pair free of charge.’
Next was Mrs Komene, complaining how his son had food stolen off him at lunchtime by a senior boy named Tucker. Ropata promised he would look into the issue and sort it out.
Now he had Ms Grace Bishop in her office. She was most definitely a much more pleasing distraction than his last two visitors were. In fact, Mr Ropata was having trouble thinking straight, because she was such an attractive woman. When she first entered the office, he was knocked out by her fabulously voluptuous figure and long dark hair. She wore a figure hugging knee high dress, with a low-cut top, showing of a shapely bosom. She seemed way too young to have a daughter at the school, but she did. She looked as though she was in her early 30s, but had to be closer to 40.
‘So, err, Ms Bishop. I understand your daughter… err…’ He looked at his papers, the girl’s name having disappeared from his mind. He felt embarrassed as he prided himself on having all his facts together before he met with a parent, but he had been too distracted trying to get over the woman’s great physical beauty. ‘Ah yes, Vanessa Danté. She just started here yesterday. I take it you are a solo-mother Ms Bishop?’
‘Yes. Vanessa’s father walked out on us four years back. Took off overseas and never returned.’ Ms Bishop smiled. She had a very enchanting smile and her bright sapphire blue eyes were equally as engaging.
‘I’m so sorry to hear that. It must have been very difficult for you.’
‘Yes, it was at first, but you move on, don’t you? Vanessa and I have done ok without him.’
‘And you’ve never remarried?’
‘I’m happy to stay single.’
Mr Ropata marvelled. How could such a desirable woman, never have been snapped up by some eligible bachelor?
Ms Bishop seemed to know what he was thinking. ‘I’ve had plenty of girlfriends though.’ She smiled and her eyes twinkled playfully.
Mr Ropata wasn’t sure whether she was joking or not. ‘Well, I err…’ It would be a real shame if she was gay, but it would certainly explain why she had never remarried.
‘It’s ok.’ Ms Bishop smiled. ‘It’s no great secret. No need to feel uncomfortable.’
‘Oh, no, I have no problem with that at all.’ Mr Ropata put on a laugh for her benefit. ‘I don’t judge anybody on what lifestyle they choose. But anyway, let’s get down to why you’re here. I understand you have some concerns.’
‘Yes. I’m very worried about my daughter.’
‘Is there a problem? Is she being bullied? Because if she is, I can assure you I will stamp it out right away.’
‘No, it’s not that at all. She really likes the school so far. I’m more worried about her relationship with a particular male student here.’
‘Well, it’s not up to the school to dictate who she can be friends with, Ms Bishop. Of course, if you are worried he may be a bad influence…’
‘No, not at all, he’s a wonderful young man. It’s just that… well, it’s kind of complicated. I don’t want to go into all the details, but I’m worried about her infatuation with him.’
‘Well, you know teenagers…’
‘No, this isn’t just a teenaged girl crush. This is something so much more than that. She is very deeply in love with this boy. So much so, that I worry it is consuming her too much and she may take things too far.’
‘I find it remarkable that she could have developed such an attachment in such a short time. Didn’t you just move into town a few days ago?’
‘Yes, but she’s known the boy for a few years now. They used to go to the same school for a while in Taukauri.’
‘That’s quite a distance away. Quite a coincidence that you should end up in the same town as him.’
Ms Bishop gave a delightful laugh. ‘Well not quite such a coincidence I’m afraid. My daughter had a large part to play in that.’
‘Really?’
‘Yes, I like to include her in all major decisions I make. When the day-care I was working in closed down, we needed to move so I could find more work. I asked her where in New Zealand she’d like to live. She said she’d give it some thought and the next day she suggested somewhere in the Taranaki. Opportunities came up in several places, but she didn’t like them. Next thing she hands me something she printed out from the Internet on a day care centre in Akato and insisted I apply there, so I did and got the job. We chose to live here in Te Arawa so she’d be in walking distance to school. Everything seemed ideal, until last night when she revealed that boy was here…’ She went silent and gazed out the office window into the main carpark.
‘Were you angry that she’d manipulated you?’
‘Yes, I was pissed about it. This isn’t a good thing for her.’
‘I take it you feel she’s too young to be involved in such a serious relationship?’
‘It’s not that. I’ve always told her to follow her heart, which I guess is why she went to so much trouble to get us here. It’s just that, she’s not in a suitable frame of mind to deal with a relationship like this.’
‘Oh…’ Mr Ropata’s brain buzzed, trying to fathom a multitude of reasons why she would not be able to handle a relationship. ‘Why do you think that is? Has she suffered some kind of traumatic experience, does she have a mental illness of some kind…?’
‘I’d rather not go into details Mr Ropata. I don’t want her to be treated any differently to any other student in this school. I admit there are things I have not told the school when I had her enrolled here, but I can assure you, they are not an issue. She is a very bright, personable young lady who gets on well with everyone. She will fit in very well here. I just need to make sure her teachers keep an eye on her and make sure she’s ok.’
‘I don’t understand. Why does she need to be watched?’
‘It’s hard to explain without going into details. The situation is volatile and I’m afraid she may become upset if things don’t go according to plan for her.’
‘Should we, the school be concerned?’
‘No, I mean, I’m more concerned with her personal wellbeing. She can take things very hard and I just want to make sure she’s happy here, that’s all.’
‘Should we be worried about the boy?’
‘He’s a fine young man.’
‘Who is he?’
‘His name is Rex Cassidy.’
Mr Ropata eased back in his chair. ‘Ah… Rex Cassidy.’ Why was he not surprised to hear that name? It seemed to be a name he was destined to have to deal with on a regular basis while there at Te Arawa. ‘Well in that case, I would certainly be worried about your daughter’s personal wellbeing. He is a nice guy, I can see that, but if your daughter is sensitive when it comes to matters of the heart, she may find the going tough.’
‘That’s what I’m worried about.’
‘Don’t worry, Ms Bishop. I’ll make sure the teachers are aware of your request and if we see anything that may give us cause for concerns, we’ll be sure to call you.’
‘I’d appreciate that. Well I guess that’s all I really need to talk to you about then.’
Ropata was about to get up and open the door for her, but then paused as something else came to mind. ‘Oh, there is one other thing while you’re here. One of Vanessa’
s teachers; Ms Cann, told me yesterday that she had a slight problem with your daughter in class.’
‘Oh, she did?’
‘Yes… it’s not an extremely big deal, but you know her nose stud?’
‘Yes.’
‘It’s not actually allowed to be worn as it’s against the dress code. Ms Cann asked her to remove it, but she refused.’
‘Well yes…’ Ms Bishop said awkwardly. ‘I’m not sure what I can do about that. I very much doubt anyone will convince her to remove it.’
‘A bit of a rebel, is she?’
‘Well, she can be when she wants to be, but, well… it was bought for her as a gift a while back. In fact, Rex brought it for her.’
‘I hear it’s a diamond.’
‘Yes, a very expensive gift, but that’s Rex for you. He even paid for her to get the nose piercing. I doubt very much that any amount of threats will get her to take it out. It’s her most prized possession. It’s the last thing he ever bought her, before Nessie and I had to move on.’
‘Ah, I see. It seems we will have our work cut out for ourselves if we continue to make an issue of it.’
‘I’m sorry.’ Ms Bishop looked embarrassed. ‘She’s very headstrong. I’m afraid she often gets what she wants. She has the ability to wrap people around her little finger. That’s no excuse, I know, but I choose my battles with my daughter carefully and this is one battle I don’t really see as a huge issue and I don’t want any part of. If you continue to make an issue out of it, please keep me out of it.’
‘Well… ok.’ Ropata wasn’t sure what to say. Maybe it wasn’t really something worth making a song and dance over. He’d have to talk it over with some of the staff. ‘Well in that case, I guess our business is done.’ He rose to his feet and walked to the door to open it for her.
In a way, Mr Ropata was disappointed that she had to leave. It was such a pleasant experience having a woman so beautiful in his office. In some ways, he hoped he would see her again soon.
There was little time to relax. His next appointment was due any moment. This time it was two parents, coming in to talk to him about some concerns. Another daughter too.
A knock came at the door and he invited them to enter, a couple in their early 40s, a dark-haired woman and a man with a completely shaved head. Both parents sat down at his desk and he smiled at them politely. ‘So… Mr and Mrs Evans. What can I do for you this morning?’