Sticky Moments on Tour: I ended the day at the Jesuit school on Corso Siracusa by examining some external candidates. They were poor and some failed. The drill in these situations is to hand over the results in a sealed envelope and leg it before things turn ugly. This I duly did, and moved along sharpish to the bus stop round the corner. I had been standing there for about ten minutes when a gro…up of sheepish, crestfallen students and their teacher joined me in the wait for a number 66 bus. “Hello again”, I said, but they all just moved away from me. Very awkward.
Something similar happened in Rome a few years back. I held on to the sealed, dire results for as long as possible but handed them over to the teacher in charge as the school exit hove into view. As I headed for the doors the headmistress came out from her office and invited me in for coffee and pastries. By the time I emerged the results had been distributed and their meanings digested. I exited the building to face a sea of disgruntled faces and mutterings which did not sound complimentary. Some even shook their mark sheets at me. I walked to the end of the street as casually as possible but broke into a brisk trot after I had turned the corner. Fortunately, I have never had to return there and I doubt I ever will.
