About a Boy ESL Class

He looked through the job advertisements in newspapers and wrote occasional letters to employers, but he was never invited to interviews.

He looked through the job advertisements in newspapers and wrote occasional letters to employers, but he was never invited to interviews.

He looked through the job advertisements in newspapers and wrote occasional letters to employers, but he was never invited to interviews.

He was a cool guy with a cool lifestyle.

Will didn't need to work for money because in 1938 his father had written a very successful Christmas song.

Many famous singers had made recordings of this song, and each time Will's father had received royalties.

He preferred to look at other people's lives from the outside, like watching TV.

If a relationship with a woman became complicated, he ended it.

If a relationship with a woman became complicated, he ended it.

Sometimes he wondered how his friends had time to work.

He wasn't interested in them, and he didn't want any responsibility for them.

When he arrived at John and Christine's flat, there were children's toys everywhere.

He paused.

Will was beginning to feel very uncomfortable.

(Will was sure that John and Christine were very unhappy, even if they didn't realize it.)

'You're joking, aren't you?' you're a very serious and responsible person.'

'You're joking, aren't you?' you're a very serious and responsible person.'

Fiona and Clive had separated four years ago.

They'd been to have a look at his new school, which was big and horrible.

The second kind was more confused because there were more people and places in it: his mother's boyfriends and his dad's girlfriends; flats and houses; Cambridge and London.

It was surprising how many things had changed when Fiona and Clive's relationship ended.

He couldn't help his mum with her problems, and she couldn't help him with his other big problem - school.

His first day at his new London school had been a disaster.

The children there were younger, and there were lots of weird kids there, so Marcus hadn't felt uncomfortable.

Even if she did move him, it wouldn't make any difference.

She didn't want him to watch 'rubbish' TV or listen to 'rubbish' music or play 'rubbish' computer games.

She could explain Bob Marley and Joni Mitchell.

He always sang songs to himself inside his head but sometimes, when he was nervous, the song just came out of his mouth.

Suddenly, for no reason at all, Marcus had started to sing, and all the other kids had laughed at him.

By the time they had finished their coffee, he had her phone number.

It wasn't even very difficult.

Well, my situation anyway.

He had never before watched a woman cry without feeling responsible, and he was rather enjoying the experience.

Usually when his relationships with women ended, he felt guilty, but this time he had nothing to feel guilty about.

Will knew then that there would be other women like Angie - bright, attractive single mothers, thousands of them all over London - and he knew he had a lot to offer them.

He could sleep with them, make them feel better about themselves, be a parent for a limited time, and walk away without feeling guilty.

So he stood there staring at her with his mouth open.

He'd seen all his relatives - his grandparents, his uncle Tom and uncle Tom's family - at a party the week before, and they'd all been fine.

He tried to remember the other things that people cried about on TV programmes.

Today, though, they were at the other end, so he reached his classroom without difficulty.

Then he had a wonderful idea.

He would pretend to be a single father and join a single parents' group.

But he couldn't actually believe it.

He was too young, too old, too stupid, too intelligent, too cool, too impatient, too selfish, too careless, too careful.

He was too young, too old, too stupid, too intelligent, too cool, too impatient, too selfish, too careless, too careful.

He was too young, too old, too stupid, too intelligent, too cool, too impatient, too selfish, too careless, too careful.

He was too young, too old, too stupid, too intelligent, too cool, too impatient, too selfish, too careless, too careful.

He was very worried that he'd get something wrong, like the name of his imaginary son - he couldn't stop thinking of him as Ted, not Ned.

The centre was a depressing place with lots of classrooms.

Will began to feel very depressed about being a man.

'Very brave.'

To his surprise, he was beginning to feel quite upset.

Will, Suzie, Marcus and Megan stood on the path by the edge of the lake, staring at the duck's dead body in the water.

'Are you suggesting that Marcus killed this duck?

'I was told he was throwing enormous loaves at it.'

But unfortunately that's not the part that has control of me now.

She could see immediately what he'd found.

He could see that Will wasn't bad, or drunk, or violent, so he would be OK.

One day on his way home from school, he had seen Will out shopping and had followed him home like a private detective.

One day on his way home from school, he had seen Will out shopping and had followed him home like a private detective.

'I'm very grateful.'

Politics.

She wasn't a bad singer, but Will was very embarrassed.

There were pictures from films on the wall, and black and white photos of people with musical instruments.

The next week, while Will was watching Countdown as usual, he was interrupted by a long, urgent ring on the doorbell.

I'm talking about older kids bullying you.'

Will took Marcus shopping in Holloway Road and bought him a pair of expensive Adidas trainers.

'Listen, Fiona, I definitely don't need a son in my life.

He didn't find her attractive and he certainly didn't want to sleep with her.

But conversations with her were never dull.

He was waiting outside her office when a girl called Ellie McCrae came and sat down next to him.

He had never been rude to a teacher before and he was very surprised at himself.

Something about society.'

Marcus was happy and Will felt very relaxed.

And where did I go on my first trip abroad?'

Ali's bedroom was typical of a twelve- year-old boy, with large pictures of singers and sexy actresses on the wall.

'OK,' said Ali, but he didn't sound very enthusiastic.

He could go downstairs and jo in Will and Rachel, but he would have to explain that Ali was crazy, and that would be really embarrassing.

CHAPTER NINE Depressions Will wanted to spend the rest of his life with Rachel, and he knew that he couldn't continue pretending to her that Marcus was his son.

He wondered if his mum was OK, although he knew there was no connection between his mum and Kurt Cobain because his mum was a real person and Kurt Cobain wasn't.

'I'm the one who should apologize,' he said.

The taxi driver was listening to the radio and Will suddenly realized that it was a discussion about Kurt Cobain.

She was funny and pretty and clever, but she just wasn't the right kind of person for him.

Criminals meet the victims of their crimes, so they understand the effects of their actions.'

Criminals meet the victims of their crimes, so they understand the effects of their actions.'

Criminals meet the victims of their crimes, so they understand the effects of their actions.'

Marcus was the only person in the world who might be able to give him advice, but Marcus - the old Marcus - was disappearing.