A Terrible Beauty: What Teachers Know but Seldom Tell outside the Staff Room (29 page)

She laughed. “Oh, hell yes, sounds dirty, is it?”

“Just thought we’d come to wish you luck,” Karl said,
looking around. “This is nice!”

“Say,” Myrtle said, “how about the nickel tour?”

They ended in the dining room.

“I hear you’ve got all the students you can handle,”
Karl said.

Solange poured the champagne while O’Connel, enjoying
this, opened a bag of ice.

“Two dozen right now, and a waiting list with as many
more,” Solange said.

Myrtle raised her glass. “French champagne over ice,
now that’s real class.”

“Don’t be a poop, Myrtle, old thing,” Sid said. “We
don’t stand on convention, here.” Karl held out his glass. “Egads,
what have things come to? They’re letting all manner of riffraff
open schools now too, I hear.”

“Everybody got some?” Solange said. “How about you,
Chelse?” She beamed, holding a glass aloft.

“Ah, corruptor-of-youth, okay, then,” Sid said. “I’ll
offer a toast.

To the hard-headed Welshman, the angel of death, and
to their school.

May they put us all out of business.”

“Yeah,” Karl said, “and give us all jobs while
they’re at it.” Aurora raised an arm. “Wait!” She held her glass
out to Solange.

“And to finding out you were wrong, and being happy
about it.”

O’Connel took Solange’s hand and together they
drank.