Telephone

"Bonjour Mama! Its me, Nathan"
"Hello darling, how are you doing?"
"Fine"
"Are you enjoying it?"
"Yes"
"Are you happy?"
"Yes"
"Did you like the mini motorbike rides?"
"Yes"
"Well ... so everythings ok"
"Mmmmm"
"nothing else to tell mama?"
"Is Abigail ok?"
"She's doing fine honey ... she's playing in the garden."
"Dis lui que je l'aime" (tell her I love her)
"I will darling. You have a nice time ok?"
"Bye". click.



"Allo Mama? C'est William"
"HELLO Big Bill!! How are you doing?"
tears ... sobs ...
"William ... what's wrong? Did something happen"
"Mama come and get me ... pleeeeease come and get me"
GULP
"um ... you're three hours away William ... thats quite tricky right now ... tell me whats wrong"
"everyone's picking on me. the boys in my dormitory took my clothes out of my suitcase and threw them all over the room. Then they all started hitting me with their pillows" (sobs) "I want to come home ... Mama pleeeaaaase come and pick me up ... I want to go HOOOOMMMMEEEE sob sob ..."
(lump in throat)
" William, pass me your monitor"
suddenly perks up
"elle est la" (here she is)

"Allo?" (now translated ...)
"Hi, I'm Williams Mama. Hows' he doing?"
thoughtful silence at other end
"William and Nathan fight a lot"
(like : tell me something new! Is the pope catholic????)
"Oh dear. Really? How strange ..." (so its only a white Mama lie)
"William is sulking ... he's had a big tantrum and won't let anyone get anywhere near him. He's in a big strop"
(Gulp. such familiar territory. Act surprised)
"Gosh ... really???? Hmmm.... I wonder if ..)
"Nathan set all the boys up against him. Its been impossible. Its part of Nathan's revenge for Williams boxing his ears ... for no apparent reason ... I'm not sure what he told all the other boys, but they seem to want to gang up on him"
(such a familiar scene)
"Oh dear, can I..."
"I'm going to talk to William and try and coax him back to normal. He's very upset"
"OK. Let me talk to him again"
"Merci, Au Revoir"
(lovely lady. A really lovely lady. Gently spoken and obviously very concerned)
"Mama?"
"William. You hold your head high, ok? You be brave now. You go downstairs, ok? You go and show everyone that you're a brave boy, and that everything is ok, ok? (heaps of feigned confidence in voice)
(contagious though! A very confident voice replies)
"OK Mama! I'm going to go downstairs. I will be brave. Je t'aime Mama"
(Je t'aime William. Vas-y!!!!)
"You call me later ok?"
"OK. I'll call later to tell Abigail everything is fine, ok?"
"OK William, off you go!"
CLICK (A kind of happy determined one)

The Bernard Bunch is impatiently waiting William's call tonight.