“Seems like a long time ago, now. I do enjoy our time here, Ralph. Maybe we should think about coming back for the summer?”
“We’ll have to see how our schedules pan out. It does sound nice, though; you can go riding and I can go sailing.”
“But I guess right now we need to think about packing to go back to the real world,” Katie said.
“But not until we’ve had that chicken pie,” Ralph reminded her.
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Chapter 6
As the semester came to an end and students saw their Finals looming up, they started to panic. The University examination process was well documented and staff and the administration adhered to a clear set of rules, but inevitably, some lecturers felt a certain level of empathy for their student’s fears. The students at the top of the distribution curve take it in their stride, the ones at the bottom have no idea what is going on and the mass in the middle simply complain about their lot. The unwritten rule is that the Professors highlight areas in the syllabus where questions are likely to be set, although not the actual questions. Many students admit that they only understood what the course was about when they did the revision. Hence a game is played out with lecturers and tutors teasing and encouraging their acolytes to revise or else face failing the course.
Ralph was expert at the game. Every year he went through the same old ritual that he thought had changed little since his own student days at Cambridge. He and his friends had engaged in sport, wild parties, and late night discussions about how to save the world. At the eleventh hour they had swotted for exams until dawn, sustained with endless cups of coffee. They had all managed somehow to finish up with a degree. But with this current tranche of students, he felt that there was something missing; a spirit of optimism; yes, that was it, he mused. When he was a student, the future was filled with excitement. There were places to go, worlds to conquer, role models to emulate. A knock on the door broke his reverie.
“Ralph, old chum. Got a minute?”
“Come on in,” Ralph said as he stood up and greeted his oldest and best friend.
Peter Cavendish plumped down in an easy chair by the open window.
“How’re things, Ralph? I must say, you look a bit down. Things all right down at the cottage in Devon, I hope.”
“Yes, fine, thanks. The cottage is ticking along nicely. You know; a bit of sailing, Katie got out riding a few times, we had some nice walks around the countryside.”
“Sounds idyllic, if you ask me. So no drama this time, eh? You usually come back having bested some beast in his lair or some such thing.”
“Probably just the effort of getting back into the routine at the College. I always find that a bit of a downer. Anyhow, how’re things with you and Marcia? Is she still tearing up the catwalk?”
“Actually this second wind of a career of hers has worked wonders. She couldn’t believe that after being retired from modeling for some twenty odd years she’s a hot property again. The over the hill older woman has become the beautiful mature woman with a lot more money to spend on her wardrobe than the twenty-year-olds.”
“I must say she looked quite happy with her lot in life the last time we got together,” Ralph agreed.
“I just spoke with Lance, and he and Cynthia had a great time with you and Katie, by all accounts. He was out there on the lawns regaling a bunch of his students when I came up the hill. Marriage seems to agree with him. He’s looking more like one of us every day.” Peter chuckled as he got up walked over to the window.
“I was just thinking about when we were students, Peter. Were we really so different to this lot?”
“I hope so, old chum. By the look of the motely bunch out there, I definitely hope so.”
“No, not their appearance, I meant were we more ambitious, you know, more optimistic about life?”
“Not me, Ralph. I barely scraped through. All I wanted was to get out and enjoy myself. I’m afraid that ambition didn’t figure in my plans. I just focused on how to get enough dosh from my folks to buy a few beers and get some fancy gear so that I could get a date with a pretty girl. Seems I made it.” He laughed and sat down with his feet on the glass-topped table that filled most of Ralph’s office.
Ralph looked at his friend. He was tall, popular with his students, and after a few rough years due to his philandering, he had finally realised what a gem he had in Marcia and settled down to a happy married life. They had a large house of the sort that Ralph could only dream about, and he had made his way to being the Dean of the School of Music. Not a bad result, Ralph mused.
“You did all right for yourself, Peter, even though you try to play it down.”
“I heard the previous Dean give his leaving speech. He said that when he was a young man he knew he wanted to grow up to be somebody. Now at 65 he wished he’d been more specific.” They both laughed. “So you see Ralph its all relative.”
They sat quietly for a while. His friend looked up.
“Just tell me if I’m out of line, Ralph, but we’ve been friends a long time, and something’s bothering you. Old Granger been twisting your tail or are you still pondering getting married to your Katie?”
“Just end of term blues, Peter. But thanks for asking. I’m thinking about packing it all in and moving down to Devon in another year or so.”
“Still hankering after the good life, Ralph? You’re too smart to think that moving to
