ALWAYS LINGER 1962

A BOY AND GIRL IN HIGH SCHOOL IN 1962

My mum said
I can bring you
home lunchtime,
Yiska says,
as soon as she sees
Benny get off
his school bus
and has captured him
by the school fence.

Today?
He says.

Yes today,
she says.

Benny looks
around him:
other kids
are walking past,
some are
in the the playground,
some standing around
talking like him
and Yiska.

Ok,
he says,
are you sure
she doesn’t mind?

No I asked her
his morning
at breakfast time
and she said yes,
Yiska says excitedly,
mind you
we won't be able
to do anything,
but at least
you will be there.

Benny sees Reynard
entering the playground
over the other side.

Where shall
I meet you?
Benny says.

By the school gates,
she says smiling.

Ok I’ll meet you there,
he says,
look got to go
Reynard's here
and I want to
have a word
with him about
something,
Benny says.

Yiska looks about her
and sees the boy
looking their way.

She's disappointed;
she wants to talk
with Benny longer.

Can't you see him later,
we don't get
much time together?
She says.

Benny looks at her:
yes sure,
he says,
taking in her hair,
and her eyes
gazing at him,
and her school blouse
and her small breasts
pushing against
the white material.

She tells him
about her mother
and how she
persuaded her
to let him come
and how
her brother Rick
wasn't going
to be there
as he had gone
on a school trip
and so it left
just them lunchtime
and if her mother
was out of sight
for a few minutes
they might get a chance
to get down
to some kissing.

He listens to her,
watching her
lips move,
then taking in
how firm
her body seems
in her uniform,
how he held her
that time behind
the maths block
until a teacher
(spoilsport)
shooed them away
with a shaking
of his finger,
but the memory
of which
(the hugging and kissing)
will he thinks
always linger.