Flying the Flag JOHN GEMORE ‘The boy wal briskly up she lng path, his wl polshed back shoes crunching om the gave. war Satay afternoon Bd Me Kalght Ind given hia een, bt he ad en be tack a the schoo bys. "Thee was noone eke in gh. He xopped to prod wit Nr oe 8 conker which len Fom one of te ees which ined the pot He tock of ht black ka loves and eed to stl the nt hee hand spockecof hire wae acer bur that ar where had pute book. =| Jae had ju tou Inthe loeal tn a paperback called Wonses fy {Se Unione -anhe pu dhe inthevight land pocket insedanithen he pike up the conker. i Te sod adiring sil in ie cont of ren, dhe spies of which ese all enya of not Hike he and pie shell ofthe ching a Thome which mar bit lke, This wars honest andthe ther ‘rar ahaneniker, bu why hone Hs mother Rod eomained when Tread bought one iat de drawing-room at hoe. “Gil ke thr nasty ng out of bre! dnt care mhat ale ana who tld ou tht anyeay? Lia? Honesty, ea that bor ‘pen to nate nthe cook's company “Gre dy at heer shoot Pole had bed the hart, soc, “nme ogi! one rd Solreyeence afte foumeore steppes om eo the tve eh of Oliver high ist. tn the hem ofthe bi union shaso that heeouldseehow het (cena get ‘liver dap the joen bits on dhe gravel and uted the conker roundand ound between pals before he pled esac would {pina ch neighbouring eld Me Ket Bade im sat the ils 4 I Foetere 23 so chile of tru eon bond Mi og hat spin tout owing Cae gnc MRE Pa id "Ott wc ear tow wo ve ara eS Se as wine abeady - uth mother hal Keone ane a soves “A oslenap al Ls ty" paar me ete hep ea Ol ther never wore Alves sis tater ws» een, and in ta Cee ‘undo: be wash Cit Enger ae War ee een ~ ile Wie Dea was not Pl nd ee as oS ln doa te he ack ia todo wih ting At Home, Ole el tae isn and oe his mate had out fan eee Ses the ichoa Rel nly ten England ace Sheath ke a tregh shen over on Hume Leave ut feos Pld Alot of ple wil never he and et hee ee oye lng se Nothr Conn, bt ofa te lg), lier wale up the ath, wondeting what Pll woul be doing sx that vey samen “ colt : Tie cle eal ‘age So many thing wee det fe way ther cep tte She choot though tht s+ gol chek Heyes awe ‘ue asthe bes schol em thea Bot tis ne mt e ee, foc his moser Kad explained fit how nortan esl > [pra eon Engl education vo thie he would know where he come frm Head been hee svc mess and there was sil lays smebing ew ond diferent to leam fe had sated on thas other Seung ‘freon right after ie moter had let ie nde eteance all sith Me Knight and gone off 9 catch her ple, He kc he wuld fave teste a denier But hd ened ut tobe such» sal room, ad thre were sx Beds mt The bigger boy wo had hep Im tke hs tuneup had jus le ht these A sl ae wos tuck ‘othe head en of exch ofthe cremated on bolted Calvert ‘ls jacker nd pu is loves on api.Ee Nw in fom te Cron Bein, Frognl, Robinson... The other two were Meade and Ross | There vasa cuphoard beside each bed, with a curtain in font of i |, instead ofa doo, andall he curtains were worn and faded ike the oes in Lydia’ room inthe servns! quarters ot home. He unlocked the trunk and began to unpack ‘Oliver opened the leather covered rhotogranh frame and pu iat ‘the rot ofthe tmp shit ote cupboard. ere was erie, profession ally-tken colour photograph in each secon of the Fame His mothec fon ove sie his fither onthe other He looked in is wallet snd cock 4, 000 a stall, crumpled blak and white ping-pong photoetaph of Mac woman in a arched white uriform ep. He pat the phorogaph ‘of Lydia into the lenther-covead fame on the same side 38 his twothers pretre. At fs the top of ic covered hs mother’s chin, but ‘he igled ic aound unde the gas uncle dd, He went into the erunk aga and, fom theme o's pl ofthis, took out a small, at, round pie of wood and a small brightly caloaed eon a din stick, He fied he stick ino the hole inthe ese and pr the lag next othe photozraph fxn. He was la olled rd enen him he flag onthe a day of term athe othe school He Thnk seen Poll during the vacation. He'd Keen to bay geting fend came to England and anya hi ms tt’ We i 0 Ink fiom emer the howe. When be had hah bithay pt im Auge it had teen hie mosher who bad died all che other ‘hie he and was ow Independent, Th nant sac they dd ven Govenoe fom Engng anymore There es ES Gamer Tour i an tor ew Ge nino i “Best iether fod id “Red then Olver ws no long "ou the new toy then? ¢ "Thats rather cay sae, net We ust we lt re ee” ‘what hat ay Hag? "Dont uke Calves bl whacver you do, oe hel bash yourface in Hesabiginuser” Howe SD hand SS pn OST TRCT TS ET TT] fos iean do avon pte notaway” Fueede tag 95 mat \ ‘Ohh The ok ‘a ch ch 9 be ving ran Ie hat? “ou ay sod at cick” “Te baler per porn end we quis. Clive dp on he Suc. He os te sala vore does He med Olver soe at anni col ove thene ce ‘Or the Monday choot hal stared: Thre were ol ity as soim te bowing Howe sn fo guar ine ey mete > ther inthe ma chon Dung earn soe ale fred when One called the racer Si Hegel oo {i Hel done Bench a Lain re, well o Sen, be hey {Kise Spmat stesso hey nate hi do tema eal Ml won cash up he mater al sb cven heh Caer ‘lp nor wih he pep ction har Eero ele to bad fee hee ace ofr Yes aay, te nee “Fe it aun he fe dy fer Asya Franch Whi they wre ting rte ter Olver ke athe etek wat Theses ey nda the schoa ee howe. The tebe wee tio, When Ord wp eee masercame ny her eee Yh he saat he mars qe i rnc, ame ee 2 long whe “2 Fea ac im pate! Iw Ba. ‘Aer che cc ete day oye uo Bi pain awl Som ohn al mae? Young be ney? Dent do it an wl yout you jimi happen fo have 8 le ‘Ee kom wha mean? ‘inert pen Bene aga eee when the maser ld in “one afemson inthe min school lnehoom, after they'd al Ma tal beans for lan, Mende eae heal ack and cocked tpl ey whee ld a bumingclwee ghee next tothe seat UF his pans Then he let out a sei of farts bite aro Tone Tue fame Eventing about the place see. The fod was afl The darn "Tat your nanny in she pct! Lack, Bain, Rabu got aade +6 New Wig fram he Cann sel. The cleaners came round dung the dy when hey were down St the main school, bs moi the boys oly took alah once week ‘when the throm said that they had to. And he knew now why ee light he init Hd ad Ros cal oto Men ey, Fastice! Keep que! By the end of ach week Meade’ bed lays smelt of stale spk The eumes changing-room smelt of the dap loses inthe ig omsof wie ker, He witha be dint have oly ‘ye war lap cloud and wa ike cick theme, Why Sd everyody geo excited aout running arand fer «fal? Act you had v get changed inthe ig ld sel oe in font of eve oay el. Soeretines af’ ofthe Back bof fom the lage went ico dhe se with no swiss on, bat ape fom that Oliver had ever ee ther people naked nthe choo back ame, people wed ‘evgnsno the collet tn take of the Maks shores they more for clas pd pon che navy ones they wore fr gases Only the ig bye wore Tong toses freee And afer your games sfiernoen you went home to bathe Tas tas nd having a br nthe ose hows. There wane leek on the dor and all he wean were che sme to aed anybody could come i ay tne The fat tse he'd had 9 Bath thete bed fel aed was ding himself when Rew and Bain and Bain’ big fiend Plummer fom Dora 4 had come in and he'd waged ‘he eomel around i lle td they luge at hm “Lie Oly dost want uo one mhat he ge! We'd beer abe a loskat hin, hadnt we? ‘And Plaines ha sachod off the towel and he'd red to cove himself with hs band be Planes gad hs ws, "Is Mutny’s oy shy then? ar eld hs hands up akowe his head while Bata goth heat wee towel and moved abo cking ith ‘nf ngng ee is alla bun wile dy all tee laugh ‘Stop ty plea, stop" “Ohi ples, plese stop they mocked. Plummer le bim go. “Oive him his towel Baek, then Plamaser suid‘, sighs Da an threw it into the bath which wa sl ul of ey water. Then {he de ofthe wen of tthe longs of atin on the other se of hei rom to lea the oth andthe lone. Bog oh ae pa a atc Fieedeflg a7 & seskng That was vba it i nal he tole ehove Pgh ss och tah clef ae ee er wt inthe ea ahve Tha wre ee deem. He wo the eaptin of the undressed en ee ‘ung Per aa Bain woul ay Lect a nae ailehen hy gab Olvera win sare Chins eee in Chico bn ond pr he mais he ean they on aire ea ard oneinas Sey edee es ‘ll andthe alu tat hey het ee ‘nghed at hi. But he dey. I war very impart nae iver cae round thea corner of depth Phe big wreugh oo pte with thee pit laandrs mee only ewenty ink ee eae old be in tne for eu. The hin were delivered Bow he Saker end ll the kitchen dl ws to pr them cut on cable aa { beariehowe dining om sl on ee big cal tay on aces os delivered, They were uch nicer than sydhing wees eke + fosringoute Khon and Oliver cold aeaiy imagine ete, ‘errant filed lng fon fhe bars lig up hoch, Bas ey dil he a ve hae iin The kitchen al tough ia grea big shiny un, song aod withthe mil meet fad Engh mais ev. Ror heme i iv dale Eat Oe ‘ag much ner. Th eu hee wa et oo You ween supposed to have more tan one bn, but dere were alway some lover, and ou could yee two ene elthe refs se see you. fhe could pet two Buns ie welt ve eae ach ope He could go upto the dorm ad ea ll bout the Won of "Ne Unies fra while bee the bell ‘Tooke wp atthe great red brick clack owe of the boeing ‘owe, Fog ha told him Me Knight wa lite the loc ter bene fal asd why, Frogal had tld his the chek. hed four fies bi hl lida’ rdertand Ke wa ater tha he a seagh bucitmasonly ashore dtines fom he ate the on door, le ae ‘ana hurd along othe dining aoc No one ee wat sound bes ‘here wet still thee buns left on te hig toy surely 3 coe fasion of wed capa sauces and nal pols a te, ler ook tone ofthe bun and ai and then another, heating mezeot tafe the hil bar joined the glove nhs ight handset pecker ae be uid utUps, jut case the dorm, Oliver ws pried 9 hea oes. Nobel was meant be up here a the tne: He opened the doce PPuniaer and Bain and Meade wese around Olivers ted and the ‘coptoard carn war pulled back ad the cupboard was empty and ‘eurthingou of Olver cupbard was ape on dhe bina ane sess Boks clothes eventing “Hoy, whos do you tink you's doing? Olver shouted as hers covet and stared eo hunt shh the pl of thing "Don't make such a racket We js thought wed give you Hide tad up wo do at Bas ‘As Olive fod the photographs, Planner al, Dene wor me won’ tea yout Muy and Day "Or your posous cos tid Bain And then be herd Meni’ oie ying ‘Bu lack what I've gol side tamed oun nd there was Meade bolding the Mg “Give me that” Oliver ied to match i but Bln snd Plummer pashed him bck on dhe things on the bed and eld hi thee "You know. is not very partie Lenin this thing. You ae sup pete tobe Bgl ater all even iyo ares Do ess” Meas reached ino hi toe pocket and Bought og the grt lighter "No, don’ you dave Oliver doa be Ban sl Phone nie ered at his forest get away fom them “Wl beso eny fr you to ger ance Union Jack Messi his hmb Mcking the lie whet om he Hien “The Fright colors bghteed for 3 moment fo fae ad then she ates deed gel to che oe, "My yy he Ue ver evn