London Overspill

I was something of a snob, I fear, when I was small...

When Michael Nichols

came to school

he called Mrs Higham

Miss

because

he was London Overspill

and he didn't know.

He lived at

Ten Acres

where the new houses

were,

and the bus picked him up at the end of his road

before

us,

so when I got on

he was sitting in

my seat.

He went and sat there on the way home too.

So I sat next to

my seat.

And he told me to watch out for his foot

because

when someone stood on it

it turned green.

But I did not

believe him.

So I stood on it

sitting down.

And he hit me.

On the nose.

It was a real

London hit

with his fist.

And I started bleeding

so I scraped at him

with my fingers,

and I scratched his face.

Then we were both crying

And John

did not know what to do to stop us

but he kneeled up

on the seat in front

and watched.

When I got home

Mum said I should not fight

and I said

I was not fighting

but she knew I was

so then I cried again

and said I would not go to school ever again.

She said

I should say to him

Look what you've done to my eye,

because he was London Overspill

and he was probably

upset

too.

So the next day

he was sitting in my seat

again

and I didn't want to

but I said

Look what you've done to my eye.

It was all blue and puffy.

And he said

well you've got really long nails.

And I did have

So I said sorry

for the scratches across his cheek

and he said

Sorry

too.

Then I told him

I was from Wanstead

but I wasn’t really

London Overspill

because it was Essex

and we wanted to come.

He said I was right

and he let me sit

by the window.