5:20 PM

Leonie Juchster went about her kitchen tirelessly.   She must have his tea ready before he came home, or he would be uncontrollable.   Sonja had failed another mathematics test.   The last time Allan had been furious, he expected nothing less than perfection from their daughter.   She was supposed to be the shining success of the Juchster family, so Allan himself could gain greatness through association as the one and only father of Sonja Juchster.

But who wanted to be the father of a dolt who could not even pass the simplest tests in anti-differential calculus?

Over the last twenty-five years, Leonie had often considered leaving her tyrannical husband.   Yet how could she?   Even if Leonie could have supported herself upon the deserted wife’s pension, there was still Sonja to think of.   Leonie could not leave Sonja alone with Allan, and no one could support a school

age child on the pension.   Leonie herself had only year nine education and no special training, so was virtually unemployable.   Even prior to 1970, when the depression had begun.

*      *      *

“Alphonse … Allan,” Leonie hurried to correct herself.   It was more than a decade ago her husband had anglicised his name, yet Leonie still could not help thinking of him as Alphonse.   “You are very early tonight.   Your tea will not be ready for at least another hour.”

“Tea is not important,” said Juchster, dashing Leonie’s hopes.   “We have more important matters first.”

“Important matters?” said Leonie, feigning ignorance.

“Sonja’s test,” said Juchster.   “Apparently she has not done very well, or else she would have been fawning all over me.”

Leonie hummed and hawed for another ten minutes, before conceding that Sonja was forced to front up to her father with her test paper, which was brightly marked in red with a large E+.

“At least I got a plus, for good endeavour,” said Sonja, grasping at any straw.

“What is the point of good endeavour, when you’re only endeavouring to be an idiot?” demanded her father.   “Good endeavour won’t get you very far, if you graduate onto the dole.   You’ll wind up like those disgusting parasites that I see every day at my work.   E+’s with good endeavour toward getting relief, and no inclination to ever got up off their backsides and try to make something of their lives!”