I had been taking in first year students ever since Susan, my daughter, was eight and she is now nearly fifteen. It started when my husband switched from working on cruise ships over to tankers and that meant he could only get back home once or twice in a year. After that, the house seemed very quiet with just the two of us and I welcomed having more people around, plus of course, the rent money came in handy.
Being a university landlady here in Cardiff, means providing bed and meals and also things like laundry and looking after guests as would their own mothers. I normally take in new students because it's their first experience living away from their families. They are more ready to accept my rules and that helps ensure everything goes smoothly, both at school and back at the house. For the same reason, I generally prefer to have girls.
Until recently, I took two guests each year, because I had two spare rooms, each with a washbasin and desk. But when Susan turned thirteen, she insisted on moving out of her small boxroom. So now I can only take one student at a time.
Last year though, for the first time, I took a boy, Joe. In fact he turned up at the last minute, sent over by the university accommodation office, together with all his stuff and I didn't have the heart to send him away. In the end, I grew quite fond of him, but at times, he could be a bit of a handful and that, together with the fact that my daughter Sue was quickly growing up, decided me to go back to taking girls. I also asked the office, if they could try to suggest someone a little earlier, to avoid the usual last minute panic.
The accommodation office rang a week before term started and said that a Mrs Lam would like to look at the room for her daughter, Yumi.
In recent years, the university has been promoting itself to overseas students and Miss Yumi Lam was part of that, coming from Malaysia. Her mum was in England with her, just for a while, to help her get settled.
They came over Thursday after lunch, having already checked out another place in the morning. Mrs Lam was well dressed and spoke quite good English. Yumi though was more fluent and explained she had been educated in an English medium school and had followed the international A level syllabus. Although quite pretty, I thought she seemed a little reserved, but she answered my questions happily enough. However her mother took the lead. Mrs Lam wanted to look all over the house, asking about the meals and other domestic arrangements and finally about her daughter's study. Would she have quiet and space to work? She even suggested I should keep an eye on her to ensure she did. I pointed out that my daughter Susan also needed to study in the evenings and that I was sure that both girls would work hard.
By this time we had finished our tour and were in the sitting room. Sue was due back from school any minute, so I put the kettle on and offered cake.
Sue's timing was good and she arrived just as I put the tea on the table. Because the September weather was warm, she was still in her green summer uniform dress with white ankle socks. She plonked herself down on the sofa next to where Yumi was sitting, perched nervously on the edge.
I poured some tea for Mrs Lam, but Sue said she was going to get herself some squash and Yumi shyly asked if she could have that as well. So I sent the two girls off to the kitchen while I chatted to the mother. As they went, it was noticeable how alike they were from behind, except of course for Yumi's darker hair. Much the same height, both slim and although Sue was in school uniform, Yumi was wearing what I would call a respectable grey skirt, together with white kneesocks and sensible shoes. Not typical for an eighteen year old in Cardiff, in 1963.
Just as the girls were returning, clutching their squash and wanting the cake still on the table, Mrs Lam was recounting how some months earlier, just before Yumi's last exams, she had lied about studying. Apparently, she had claimed to be working in the library, but had been seen at the cinema with a friend. Her mother had caned her.
