I hadn’t thought of that day since before Risk and I broke up, but watching it on film made it all come rushing back to me and I could remember it like it was yesterday. It was after school had ended, the guys and Mr Jones were waiting for the room that doubled as the music room to be cleaned by the caretakers and while they waited they sat in Mr Jones’s office. I popped in to say hello, and goodbye, because I had to go straight to work since I just landed my first job at Mary Well’s diner as a part-time waitress. Risk had asked me to wait a minute and he sang his version of the song to me. It was the best part of my day.
As Risk finished the song, I gave him a big kiss then got up just as a younger Mr Jones said, “Ew, can you both, like, not do that in front of me? Thanks.”
The hall burst into laughter, but I couldn’t move.
“Is that you?”
I jolted when the man on my right whispered his question.
“Me?” I shook my head. “No way.”
“Huh.” The man looked back at the projected screen. “Looks like you.”
I said nothing further and neither did the man.
The film switched back to Sarah Marks approaching several children and as she asked them to answer the same question. Each answer was different from the last and it made me choke up a little because each word used was exactly the word to describe Mr Jones. It made my heart happy to know that he was beloved by students now just as much as he was when I was in school.
“Describe Mr Jones in one word . . . go!”
“Funny.”
“Cool.”
“Kind.”
“Compassionate.”
“Happy.”
“Amazing.”
“Nice.”
“Patient.”
“Understanding.”
“Legend!”
The room erupted with laughter thanks to that last description from an energetic boy. The video then turned into a montage of pictures through the years with students and staff members. A bunch of staff members appeared on screen and said a few words about their colleague. Five minutes later, Sarah Marks popped back up.
“Mr Jones, you are one of a kind, sir. We’re all so happy for you to get the break you deserve after helping so many people throughout your career, but we’d be lying if we said were weren’t sad too. You mean so much to us and we’re going to miss you every day.”
The video zoomed out revealing hundreds and hundreds of children who all shouted. “We love you, Mr Jones!”
The video ended and everyone clapped, the projector was turned off and the lights to the room were turned up. Mr Jones stood up from his seat on the small, makeshift stage that was put together every year for graduation. He shook hands with the principal, who was on the stage with him, then Mr Jones moved to the microphone stand.
“Thank you for your hard work on the film, Sarah. I’ll cherish it forever.” Mr Jones smiled. “And thank you to the students and my colleagues for your lovely words. I’ll be honest, I’m trying my very best not cry right now but it’s very difficult because, from the bottom of my heart, I have loved my time at this school. I remember all of my students, past and present, and I appreciate every single one of you.”
Everyone clapped again when he wiped under his eyes; I was right there with him wiping my own tears away. The man was an absolute gentleman and I wished nothing but the best for him. He deserved everything that was good in the world. He deserved to go on a six-month-long cruise with his wife; he had always talked about that when I was in school.
“Now that I’ve got the tears and the thank yous out of the way, I get to the very exciting part of my day. I’ve had permission from the top gun of this school to dish out this warning.” Mr Jones rubbed his hands together, grinning. “If I see a single student rush towards this stage, or get up out of their seat, it’s an instant suspension. That goes for any parents too, if you run up on this stage, your child will take the fall for you and will live in a bubble of shame for the rest of the term.”
Everyone laughed apart from me because I knew what was coming. There was no way Mr Jones would put out a warning, even jokingly, if anyone other than who I thought it was was going to be coming on stage.
“Please, join me in welcoming past students and global superstars, Risk Keller, May Acton and Hayes Hurley. They’ve taken a break out of their busy schedule to come home to Southwold and attend this ceremony for my last year at Sir John Leman High School. They’ve brought along Angel Reyes too!” Mr Jones beamed. “Our very own Southwold boys are home! Give it up for Blood Oath!”