I'm Normally Perfect (re-upload)

Chapter Twenty

'Has your first day back been trying?'

'Eh. So-so. Same tutor, of course. How has your day been thus far?'

'All right. I was cornered in the SCR by a couple of my colleagues who wanted to hear all about you.'

'Why?' It never ceased to amaze me when someone I didn't know personally expressed an interest in my life. Actually, it amazed me when people I did know personally expressed an interest.

'Because, darling, you are Catherine Perfect,' she looked at me as if I was supposed to know that, 'everything you do is utterly fascinating.' I realised she was being facetious and laughed.

'What did they want to know?'

'Oh, not much, what you were like, how you were finding England, how it was living with you.'

'Did you tell them I was horribly messy and played electronica really loudly every night?'

'And that I was sick and tired of having to clean up after your drinking benders.'

I hung my head in shame, 'I know, I'm sorry, I'll try to do better.'

'Would you, please? If only for Cate and Clem, they're very impressionable, you know.' She smiled as she poured the water into our cups. 'I told them we got on quite well as housemates and that if they wanted to know how you were finding England they could ask you themselves. I swear, some of them seem...intimidated by you.'

I giggled, 'That's stupid.'

Her tone was droll, 'Well, you are quite frightening, you know.'

'They obviously don't know what constitutes horror. Have they met Professor Burrows?'

She chuckled, 'I'll ask them. How was your meeting?'

'Holy Cammoli.'

She laughed, 'That exciting, was it?'

'You know how he's normally such a laugh-a-minute type of guy? Well, this morning he was in a more cheerful mood than usual.'

'Is that possible?'

'Believe it or not. You've really ticked him off.'

I could tell by her reaction that she knew to what I was referring. She sighed, 'Good. He was being a right berk over it.'

'Why didn't you tell me?' I wasn't hurt, I simply would've liked to have known.

'I didn't think of it; to my mind it didn't concern you.' She picked up her cup and saucer and removed the bag after mashing it with her spoon. She added milk whilst saying, 'I went to him on my own and asked if it would be possible for you to live with me. He said I'd have to go through the proper channels, which I already had done, but was informed that I lived too far out. So I brought it before the congregation of Grove, (the body of the college consisting of fellows who make decisions regarding college policy and such.)

'My argument was that you were too young to be in the halls of residence and they very well knew why. Dr Macbeth spoke on your behalf, saying that it would do you good to be in a different setting. Melvin wanted to know why you should receive special treatment and a few of the others—lecturers and the like who didn't know you—took his side on those grounds. It turned rather ugly and I believe we both said some things that would've best been left unsaid.

'I went to Vice-Chancellor Davies and explained the situation, he said he saw no reason why you shouldn't stay with me and another meeting was held wherein both sides stated their positions on the matter. Sir Clifford, the Vice-Chancellor, first asked the people siding with Melvin if they'd even met you and when the lot of them said "no" he said that he had met you and found you to be a charming young woman and in your case he saw no reason why you shouldn't stay with me. Melvin said the commute could be difficult and Vice-Chancellor Davies turned to me very deadpan and said, "I might be mistaken, but don't you work here?" I nodded and he said, "Yes, that's what I thought." He turned back to Melvin and said, "There's that sorted, then, though transportation isn't really your concern with this arrangement, is it, Melvin?" There were a few tense moments where everyone was silent and Melvin didn't respond at all, then Clifford said, "Right, then. Let's have another vote, shall we?" And everyone except Melvin took my part.' She took a sip of her tea, 'And we all lived happily ever after.'