Inheritance

Chapter Four. Growth of an Obsession.

Chapter Four 

Growth of an Obsession 

It was their first time. Cynthia's father had offered to drive the two of them to the Boxing Day dance, and pick them up afterwards. There was one condition, no drinking. There was no possibility of this, because even though Rachel had started to fill out in all the right places she still had the gangly look of a mid adolescent and could never be taken for eighteen, the legal drinking age. Anyway, she had no intention of drinking. She was going in the hope of seeing John. 

Rachel had first seen John, dressed in a red cassock with a white ruffled collar when she was only six and he nine. He had been a chubby little boy with golden curls, rosy cheeks, sparkling blue eyes, and the voice of an angel. There all resemblance to the heavenly host ended. He was a little imp, and Rachel delighted in watching his mischievous actions during the tedious sermons. One day he was going to get caught. Rachel went to church quite regularly, winning the award for best Sunday school attendance two years in a row. Over those years the curls darkened, the puppy fat redistributed nicely, and inevitably, the voice broke. John left the choir never to return. 

Rachel didn't see much of John for the next three years. She lived on an isolated farm and attended the local village school in Penny Bridge, so only made it into town for the Thursday markets, and then only during school holidays. One day she spotted John boarding a bus. He looked so cute in his navy blue cap and blazer, short grey flannel trousers and knee length socks decorated at the top with three spaced rings, one dark blue, one light blue and one green. He was attending the grammar school, and. these were his school colours. Rachel desperately wanted to go there too, but to do so she had to pass the dreaded eleven plus exam. Rachel was good in school and thought the exam wouldn't be a problem, but she left nothing to chance. She worked hard in school, did extra work at home, and attended tutorial sessions given by Mr. Lancaster, her headmaster, even though he had assured her of success. He was right. She passed easily. 

On Rachel's first day at the grammar school, she discovered that first formers sat in the front rows, girls on the right facing the stage, and boys on the left. The higher forms in order filled each succeeding row, so that second formers sat directly behind the newcomers, then third formers, and so on to the back of the auditorium. She knew that John, now in his third year, would be sitting about ten rows behind her. Most of her classmates were so nervous, that they sat rigidly in their seats and stared stonily at the front dais, wondering what fate lay in store. Rachel however had no such fear. She swivelled in her chair, put both arms on the backrest, and pretended to talk to the complete stranger sitting behind her. At the same time, she scanned the array of boys trying to be men that made up the third form as they filed into the auditorium. John was there, but how he had changed.  

He was now fourteen, almost six feet tall and thin as a lath. Obviously, his mother no longer had any say in how he presented himself to the world. His hair was still curly but looked as if it had never seen comb or shampoo. The knot in his archaic straight edged tie was of his own invention. His knees, exposed by the short pants that were mandatory until boys reached the fourth form, were covered in grime. Knee length stockings hung loosely over shoes that possibly once were black. He obviously had no desire to impress the girls. 

During lunch, boys and girls mingled in the school auditorium under the supervision of a staff member. Third form boys rarely appeared in the hall. They seemed intent on avoiding girls at all costs, and spent their lunch hours in sports activities of various kinds. Rachel attempted to persuade some of her classmates to join her on the terrace overlooking the sports field, to watch the boys play. Initially there was little response, but as the year progressed, attitudes changed, and watching the rough and tumble on the sports fields became more of an attraction.  

John's transformation began at the start of Rachel's second year. He now wore long pants to school and must have decided to show some maturity by taking a little more care with his appearance. Rachel thought that this might have been at his mother's insistence. Only later did she learn that John's mother had passed away during the summer holidays. Now each day he wore a clean freshly ironed white shirt with a senior tie arranged in a perfectly symmetric Windsor knot. His grey flannel pants bore a crease that could cut, and his shoes would have passed any muster. However, the haircut made the real difference. Someone had persuaded him to go to the new barber in town who was familiar with all the latest styles. He had transformed John from a tousled haired urchin in to a handsome young man. A young man Rachel was determined to claim as her own. 

Over the next three years she watched, fascinated as he entered the dating game. She learned from various sources that he was awkward with girls and apparently paranoid about rejection. He never would ask a girl out unless he had learned through the grape vine that she was interested. He would only date girls of his own age and liked the relationships to be steady. During these courtship periods, that generally lasted about three months, he would appear to be completely devoted to the girl, but after the inevitable break-up, he would treat her as a virtual stranger. Apparently, he liked to make a complete break. It was also rumoured that he had a very jealous streak.  

Of great interest to Rachel had been the type of girls he had dated. Initially she thought he preferred highly intelligent, athletic girls of average good looks, which gave her grounds for optimism. She was near the top of her class, of pleasant appearance and was the youngest player on the school field hockey team. As John matured however, his preferences seemed to change. He developed a fondness for girls oozing sexuality, a development that caused Rachel some concern. She hoped this was just a passing phase. 

Rachel was no wallflower waiting patiently for John to notice her. On the contrary, during the long bus rides to and from school she learned to interact with boys. All this required, was keeping abreast of the sports pages, and showing a willingness to help with homework. At school, there were compulsory dance lessons and she was a popular choice of partner. During these classes, she learned how to repulse repugnant rogues and cause the shy types consternation by dancing provocatively close to them. She had never had a steady  if you excluded her good friend P.C. She was saving herself for John, and tonight he would be at the dance, unfortunately with that floozy Tanya Porter in tow.