The Notorious Expat Wives - Chapters 1 and 2

The Notorious Expat Wives

By

Kirk Haggerty

© 2012, Kirk Patrick Haggerty. All rights reserved.

Chapter 1. Pamela

Lunch hour at the Robert E. Lee High School in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Pam herded her four students through a cut chain-link fence and led them off campus without permission.

“Hurry up, you guys, we don’t have all day,” she called out to them. Jogging down a dirt road, they violated the law again by trespassing on private property - an abandoned factory long forgotten by most people, except for Pam.

“I always feel like a spy or something when we come here,” said one of the girls.

“More like Ninja training,” a boy replied, “but without the Kung Fu.”

“You guys should be used to this by now,” said Pam.

Glancing around to make sure they weren’t being observed, she opened a rusty side door, partially blocked by tall weeds and snuck inside. The corrugated roof high above had gaping holes allowing enough mid-day sunlight to reveal the dusty interior, cracked concrete floors, stairs and broken walls. It was dusty, but spacious; a perfect place to run and jump long distances. Here in this ruin, Pam and her students would practice Parkour, the sport of overcoming obstacles.

Six months earlier, these teens had approached Pam with a special request.

“We want you to teach us Parkour. You’re the only one who knows how.” She agreed, but on the condition that they do it during lunch break since she only worked in the mornings. They also promised they would promptly return to school afterwards.

Pam gave the first order in French, the language of Parkour.

“Équilibre.” She jumped on top of a low wall that surrounded a section of the factory floor.

The teens followed her in a slow tempo with their arms held away from their bodies like tight-rope walkers; each one cautiously putting one step in front of the other to keep balance. Pam made a graceful jump across a gap where a door once stood as they followed suit.

“Allez.” They picked up the tempo and jogged at a moderate pace on the second lap, then faster on the third. “Go only as fast as you’re able to. The goal is not to achieve, but to improve each day.”

After a short rest they practiced back flips: first on mats, then without - finding the best way to land their feet on the concrete floor.

“What’s a back flip in French?” one of the girls asked.

Pam made a funny face. “I have no idea.” They all laughed. “Follow me,” she said and dashed in the direction of the shipping docks.

The group approached two platforms about ten feet apart. Pam gave the order, “Saut de détente.” One at a time the teens made a running jump over the gap.

The next gap was fifteen feet apart, with old wrestling mats on the other side. “Roulade.”

They leapt across at full speed, landing on the mats while rolling forward with their hands, arms and backs, to prevent a painful landing.

Pam watched with satisfaction as each succeeded - like stuntmen in a movie. Now it was her turn; she flew and rolled on the mat flawlessly. The kids applauded as she got up. One of the boys smiled and winked at her.

Next, they charged across the factory floor at a high speed and approached a wall with a flight of stairs on the opposite side. “Passe muraille,” Pam cried out - a wall hop. Each student leapt high enough to cling to the top, using the momentum used in the initial jump. Once their upper body was above the wall, they supported themselves with their arms and chest, then completed the climb and landed on the stairs behind the wall.