Waterland

After school, during one of his remaining workdays, a dejected Tom walks on the school playground. He’s slightly drunk and addressing his imaginary children with rhetorical questions, the last one being, “What is a history teacher?” (235), to which he gives various answers. He supplies his “children” with reasons not to drink alcohol, then Price suddenly appears. Price is waiting to meet with others who have formed an “Anti-Armageddon” (236) club under the guise of a chess club. He expresses sympathy about Tom’s wife and says the other students feel the same way.

They go to The Duke’s Head pub, where they drink and discuss the club, which was inspired by something Tom said in class. Price apologizes, saying, “I’m sorry I messed up your classes, sir. I’m sorry I cocked things up for you” (239). Tom replies, “That’s what education’s about” (239).

Tom gets progressively drunk and recounts his conversation with Lewis earlier that day, in which Lewis called him “a tired old cynic who’s been teaching too long” (241). When the barman asks if Price is 18, Tom says he is and claims him as his son.