Welcome Backwards to Ireland - an excerpt from The Troubles
(please keep in mind this is still in editing)
Mom seemed satisfied, but this was not at all like what I imagined I was getting into. It was one thing to be in boarding school, but sleeping with all those other people in my room? It’ll be like camp, I told myself.
Mom pulled me aside. “Don’t worry son, you’ll do fine. And don’t be afraid to tell if someone touches you.”
“Huh?” I said.
“You know, down there,” she whispered, motioning with her eyes.
“He’ll be okay, Mom. I’ll take care of him,” Roger said confidently. “No one’ll mess with him while I’m around.”
Yeah, if anyone even says the wrong thing to me, my big brother will pound him, I thought. I smiled at Roger but he didn’t notice.
The headmaster gave Mom some paperwork including a list of required items and where to get them.
Armed with the list, we headed to the official school outfitters in down town Sligo, bought what we needed for the uniforms - gray socks, gray trousers, gray shirts, gray sweater, a black blazer - the school’s emblem emblazoned on the lapel pocket being the only color, and school tie,
plus pajamas, slippers, heavy wool robe, extra underwear, rugby boots, rugby jersey, and the requisite colorful rug. I picked blue and green tartan wool - it would help keep me warm at night. When we were done we took a taxi back to the school.
I had almost all my stuff put away when Mr. Blackmore came round to see how we made out.
“Fine,” Mom said. “No problem at all.” She sighed, turned to him and asked if it would be okay if she took her boys out for the evening.
Blackmore nodded vigorously and smiled. “Of course! Of course!”
So we had dinner in Sligo, and later, Mom took us to a movie - “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”