The 'Cousins'

Part Fifty-Seven Bravo: Dr. Armstrong Questions Jess

Armstrong spoke softly, almost conspiratorially.“ Think carefully Jess before you answer this question. Were you and Colonel Stuart … lovers? You do know what I mean by ‘lovers’ don’t you Jess? Answer me truthfully please, you can trust me.” Armstrong’s eyes bored into the boy as Jess struggled to recover his faculties from the mauling and shock of Armstrong’s question.

“Yes Sir … No sir … It wasn’t like that …”

“Yes sir, you were lovers, is that what you are telling me Jess?” Armstrong was fired up like a foxhound smelling the blood of its prey.

“ No sir, I’ve never done those things, but I do know what you mean.”

Part Fifty-Seven Bravo [ Follows on directlly from Fifty-Seven Alpha]

Armstrong’s voice hardened and rose in volume.

"You say you’ve never done these things. Don’t lie to me boy. You’ve been seen naked, in bed with an English visitor.”

“ No sir, it’s not true.” Jess almost shouted his reply, reeling with outrage. He steadied himself by holding on to the front of Armstrong’s desk.

The Principal stood up behind the desk to face Jess, his own self-control ebbing away as his cheeks reddened and his chest heaved with emotion. Armstrong half-shouted at the boy cowering in front of him. Jess gripped the front of the desk more tightly to hold himself upright. Armstrong thrust out his jaw, placing his hands on his hips as he repeated his accusation.

“Yes Sir! You were seen in bed with that man, in the motel last night. More than that, but I have received other reports about your depraved activities following Mr.Marks’s investigation into the rumours circulating the College about you.”

“ No sir … no sir … it’s not right. It didn’t happen like that.” Jess closed his eyes to stop his head spinning.

“ Yes sir,” Armstrong bellowed with over confidence in the veracity of his allegations. “Then tell me what was the cause of the commotion in the cafeteria this morning if it was not a demonstration of the feelings of your fellow scholars about your ... your  ... filthy and disgusting dalliances with this Englishman?”

‘No Sir, it’s not tr-ue..”

“Don’t lie to me boy, how dare you lie to my face. You know it’s true. The facts speak for themselves.  … You have been prostituting yourself with this man; demeaning yourself and the good name of this College. Go on admit it to me, tell me the truth boy?”

Jess stood limp and sobbing with his head bowed in front of his Principal. He could think of nothing to say. He had been battered by these words of accusation and staggered under them as if they had been punches to his head and body.

Armstrong sat upright, his eyes blazing as he adopted a quieter, more fatherly tone of voice.

“Tell me the truth Jess. You’ll feel much better afterwards. You probably think it’s not a bad thing that you are doing. After all, it’s what you know, what you learned from Colonel Stuart.” Jess looked up sharply at Armstrong who saw the confusion in the boy’s face his words had caused. He smiled at the boy and explained. “You told me yourself you slept with the colonel, … the man who paid your fees here.  You’ll feel better when you get it off your chest. Admit it to me now; you were selling your homosexual favours to this man to earn money to replace the revenue from Colonel Stuart and avoid burdening your family with debt. Now that’s the truth of this matter, is it not?”

Jess’s knuckles showed white through gripping the desk so tightly. His body trembled all over and his chest heaved as great sobs welled up inside him. Jess had become emotionally exhausted, but his brain functioned and he knew he had to make Armstrong believe him.