Underachievers

Standing in the shadow of trees, after gathering some leaves into small mounds along the edge of the path, Arthur, a park-sweeper straightens his back and sees a former school-ma'am of his: she is quite elderly now, surely retired?, and it's been many years since those days. He moves his arm up and down from his leg where it had been resting; she has not spotted him, and so picking up his feet he hurries and is soon clomping in his leafy boots right on her shoulder, which he has to touch before she'll stop and turn.

He feels a shudder run through her while his hand is laid there. Bending over her, for now he sees that he has become considerably taller than the elderly woman, he gives her an open-mouthed grin, and he stands with legs apart while she welcomes him. 'It's Arthur isn't it? A much grown and vigorous man I see, and you are quite brown with health.' Straightaway she has recognized him. Very soon he has started to tell her something quite personal to himself - the reason for his seeming underachievement. Not something he could tell an acquaintance; how for instance do you slide that into a conversation? Ah! but here it is something fitting; why nothing more natural could be considered than to explain one's position to a former and kindly schoolteacher under whose gaze one has not been standing for a very long time.

She begins to walk away. Something which causes Arthur to falter in mid-sentence, yet he continues to address her, following her for a few streets until he follows her into a room, the door of which she opens for him - so she was only finding somewhere more private after all; there had been two people facing one another on a see-saw not far off, the creaking had been quite audible from where they had stood in the park. He continues. His voice is quite different inside; too loud at first, he has to check himself and is now quietly booming.

And she begins to recede from him. Moving to a door in the opposite wall, quickly she's outside a window and getting into a car. Arthur hears a giggle. Two girls he hadn't noticed are looking down but laughing; fortunately he hadn't said anything too revealing yet; he'd only been setting the scene; and so he is able to leave hurriedly yet not unduly shaken.