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#1: Mary-Lou Author: Pat, Location: Doncaster

Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 2:21 pm

Mary-Lou sat back from the computer feeling a little upset. She didn’t like being referred to by a string of letters – it felt dehumanising for a start. Besides, it was obvious that people’s opinions had been formed by reading the books, and the books told virtually nothing of her life after leaving the Chalet School. Only the bit where her mother had passed away really, and she had tried to bottle up her grief. Things had already changed for her by then though. She thought back to her first month at Oxford, the month that she would never forget.

She had arrived at Oxford full of confidence having been a successful and popular Head Girl. She had settled into her room, gone through registration, joined one or two clubs, and expected to go on as she had at school. She had had a shock when it didn’t quite work out like that. She had been her usual insouciant self, greeting everyone on a friendly basis as if she had known them for years, and at first had ignored the slightly surprised air of her fellow students, and the frankly incredulous reaction of her tutors. She had tried to help one or two people who looked lost or homesick too, and had been hurt by the rebuffs she had received. What she couldn’t ignore was the fact that she found herself outside the groups that started to form. She felt isolated and lonely. On her first walk with the walking club she found herself on her own by half way through the day. It was upsetting and bewildering and got worse as time went on. She found the work interesting and easy, it was her relationships that were not working. So on the Saturday afternoon, about a month into the term, she went for a walk along the river bank. There was no one to go with her, but this time she didn’t mind; she needed to think things through, and for that she had to be on her own.

A couple of miles up river she found a place where she could sit down out of the way of others using the path, and began to think hard. She remembered that she had had a similar problem with Kathie Ferrars when she first came to the school. Her friends had suggested that it could be because of her attitude, but she hadn’t really believed them. It had all changed after that trip anyway, so she’d never thought abut it again. Now she had to. Could her friends have been right? Her mind kept going round in circles without really coming to any conclusion and she felt more and more hopeless. Then a shadow fell over her, and she looked up to see Jeff, one of the other students on her course.
“You looked miles away!” he said.
“I was thinking about things,” she replied. “I seem to have got off on the wrong foot here, and I was trying to work out what was wrong. You see I was part of a large gang all through school and was Head Girl for my last year, and here it’s so different.”
Jeff sat down beside her as she spoke, and listened to her attentively. She told him about her early childhood, growing up in a small village with no friends as she wasn’t allowed to mix with the village children. How she had met Clem and Tony Barrass during her last summer there, and made friends with them. The move to Howells Village and going to the Chalet School, where she had been encouraged to help others. It all came pouring out, including Kathie Ferrars reaction to her.
“Is that it Jeff? Is it the same thing?” she said at last. “Did I put people off?”
“I think so. You were too pally, treating everyone like your best friend, even the lecturers! I think we all found you a bit overpowering to be honest, and that’s why we backed off. As for the powers that be – who know what they think! And people who are homesick don’t want someone telling them that their unhappiness is their own fault either! But you can start again you know. Just take it slowly this time!” And he grinned at her in a friendly way, taking away some of the sting that his words caused.

Mary-Lou thought about the days that had followed as she slowly bridged the gulf that had opened between herself and her fellow students, and had gradually been welcomed back into their midst, making some very good friendships on the way. She was a different person now, but all anyone really knew was what they read in the books, and that saddened her.

#2: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 2:24 pm

I always wondered how she'd manage when she realised that CS life wasn't actually like "real" life!

Thanks Pat.

#3: Author: Róisín, Location: Gaillimh, Eire

Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 4:43 pm

Thanks Pat - this is something that interests me. I hope she didn't become an *entirely* different person though Wink

as I do like her in the books.

#4: Author: Kate, Location: Ireland

Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 6:35 pm

Poor ML! *hugs her* Thanks Pat.

#5: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 6:39 pm

Thanks, Pat. Poor girl, getting to university and finding out that you are not automatically popular as you expected to be. I'm glad she had the character to sit and think about it all, and that she did learn something from her unfortunate beginning with Kathie.

#6: Author: Mrs Redboots, Location: London, UK

Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 7:21 pm

Thank you, Pat.

#7: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2006 12:26 pm

Thanks, Pat

I'm glad that Mary-Lou was able to figure out the problem and start again Very Happy

#8: Author: Cryst,

Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2006 1:11 pm

Thank you Pat, nice to see her come through that - though it's a bit of a shame that she had to change in order to fit in!

#9: Author: aitchemelle, Location: West Sussex

Posted: Sun Apr 09, 2006 10:37 am

Thank you Pat! Very Happy

The CBB -> Starting again at Sarres...

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