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She’s never far from my mind, and I’m prepared to wait for however long it takes for her to be ready to be mine.
CHAPTER 13
Katie
Ibite back a whimper as I swipe my poor, raw nose with yet another tissue. Ouch.
My desk trash can is filling up with not only my own pile of snot-filled Kleenex, but a couple of my students’, as well. This is the Friday from hell.
I woke up this morning with a stuffy nose and a sore throat. I figured it was just my sinuses and came to work anyway. I felt all right for the most part, and I knew getting a last-minute substitute wasn’t the easiest thing in the world. I figured I’d muddle through and then take the weekend to recuperate.
Nope. My typically laid-back class became utter chaos. Two of my boys got into a tussle over who was going to be which superhero at recess. One of the girls started bawling her eyes out when another girl accidentally broke her unicorn eraser. Then I had a student throw up their whole lunch right after they came in from recess.
To say I’m ready to go home would be an understatement. If I can push through this last hour, Sue is coming over to get Cody to spend the night with her. She was already planning to come over since Nolan and I were going to go out on a makeup date. She was more than happy to adjust her plans, knowing I did not have the energy to mom tonight. I haven’t told Nolan I need to cancel yet. It’s taken all of my focus to keep my class from turning into even more of a madhouse than it already is.
“Flat tire!” I shout my attention-getter.
“Shhhhh,” my class responds, quieting down from the dull roar they had gotten to.
“Raise your hand if you have finished your worksheet.” I give my class the classic disappointed teacher look when only a couple put their hands up. “The noise level in here is entirely too loud for how many of you still need to finish. For those of you who are done, I would like for you to draw me a picture of what you plan to do this weekend on the back of your paper. Include as many details as you can think of and then bring it up to me.”
My students go back to working quietly again, giving my buzzing brain a chance to rest. Well, as much as possible when I’m surrounded by eight- and nine-year-olds.
The next half hour goes by quickly while I grade the spelling test we had earlier. I’m so proud of my kids. They’ve improved a massive amount since we started the year. Even my kiddos who were struggling with spelling have taken incredible steps forward.
I put their graded tests into their take-home folders and log the grades in my system. The kids periodically come up to give me their worksheets, and I ask all of them about their drawings. Most of my students have drawn things they wish they could do this weekend. Including going to Africa to see lions and cheetahs. I make sure to clarify what is true and what is just a wish or a made-up story. She absolutely believes a trip to Africa is in her future this weekend. All she ‘needs to do is talk her mom into it’—a direct quote.
Somehow, I muddle through the rest of the day until Cody comes streaming into my classroom with an excitement I couldn’t hope to match right now.
“Mom! I got a 100 on my math test today!” He waves the paper in the air.
I hold my hand out to see it. “That’s incredible, darling. I’m so proud of you!”
Cody frowns at me. “Are you okay? You don’t look so good.”
I breathe out a laugh. “Thanks, kid. No, I do not feel good. I think I got a cold or something. Would you mind having a sleepover with Sue tonight instead of her coming over to our house?”
He shrugs. “Sure. Are you going to be okay by yourself?”
“I will be just fine. I plan to go to sleep as soon as we get home.”
Cody helps me get my stuff packed, and we’re out the door a few minutes later. The drive home is quiet; the silence is both wonderful and dangerous. I can feel my body begin to relax with the knowledge that we’ll be home in a minute.
Sue is already in our driveway when we get there.
Cody bounces out of the car to hug her. I make my way over a little slower.
“You look like shit, girl.”
“You’re not the first person to tell me that today, although they used different words.”
Sue grabs my stuff out of my hands and starts for the door. “Come on. Let’s get you settled inside. Then Cody and I are going to go play laser tag.”
“What?” Cody screeches, making me wince. “Sorry, Momma.”
I run my fingers through his hair. “It’s okay. Go pack a bag. Don’t forget clean underwear and your toothbrush.”
“Got it.” He sprints off across the house while I go directly to the couch and flop down face-first onto the cushions.
