See The Look

So Cromwell’s idea (being sent to Coventry) was isolation by surrounding the Royalist soldiers with those people who wouldn’t like their ‘ideology’. Doesn’t matter if everything else was wonderful (though how any civil war can create any feelings of wonder I shudder to think), the soldiers found the social isolation so dreadful, the term became a part of the vernacular of social idioms. And my parents (particularly with my mother coming from the English heritage) understood what such isolation would induce in its victims. I must admit, I was often sent to Coventry. Sometimes when the other children were told not to talk to you, or I was told to go to our room. I was to experience the isolation so often, sometimes, I even appreciated it. Seriously, in a house where four boys shared the one room, getting some alone time could be great. A moment alone in our house could at times be a privilege unless there was a serious punishment expected. And generally, if you were ‘sent to Coventry, there was a punishment to come.

Yet, here I was hesitatingly walking from my room, to the kitchen, where other members of the family were seated about to have dinner. Neither of my parents were there, but my sisters had put together dinner for all the younger family members. As I entered the room, everyone’s heads were very, very focused on the plates in front of them, except my younger brother seated at the end of the bench.  He was leaning forward to look where I was about to sit. And smiling. He didn’t fully understand the trouble I was in, but seemed to appreciate there was something different happening. I looked sideways to see his ‘cherub-like’ face (as my mother sometimes described him) peering down the table. ‘Your late.’ He said clearly.

My sister coughed loudly and shook her head towards him. She was already achieving the ‘motherly’ table correction technique. The stern look, and modest shake of the head, was accompanied by a not too subtle, cough in the throat. This was often used by my mother to give advice or direction in a way which my mother seemed to think would not be noticed or heard above the general din. It was a method to gain the attention, in case someone had forgotten their manners, or used the incorrect behaviour at the table. In the silence of the room in this instance (and for our kitchen to be silent at mealtime was almost unheard of), the sound carried very clearly. My youngest brother’s face became serious (which in itself was funny) “I’m doing it” he said in a aggrieved manner. And with a very exaggerated intake of breath and a large action of closing his mouth. He silently clenched it shut. There was a minor snort from one of my other sisters and all of us struggled not to laugh. I was told to sit down and in silence our family began to eat the dinner

(Continued tomorrow)