Page 94 of Mr. B

The mood was much more somber than it had been last Sunday when they were dropped off, and the kids were gathered in small groups saying goodbye as though it was the last time they’d see each other. Cassandra walked up to Wes, who was sitting in a camp chair. “Aren’t they going to see each other on Monday?”

“Yeah, but they form attachments here that they don’t at school. It’s weird, but it’s always like this.”

“It’s very sweet.”

“I didn’t have kids of my own, but counting the 200 currently enrolled, I’ve been responsible for nearly 500 kids since I became principal.”

“That is a lot of kids.”

“Yeah. 267 have graduated, and I’ve been able to keep tabs on almost 200 of them.”

“You know, most principals can’t say that.”

Wes shrugged. “I can’t help getting attached.”

She leaned in close and whispered in his ear. “I think I just fell in love with you all over again.”

He grinned. “Try to control yourself, lady.”

She sighed. “It’s not easy.”

The first car drove into the lot, and Cassandra moved away as Wes got to his feet. One of the girls ran up to them. “That’s my dad. Thanks for a great week.”

“I’m glad you had fun.”

“It was the best.”

“I’ll see you at school.”

She ran off as two more cars approached. As the kids went to their respective cars, one of their fathers walked over to Wes.

Wes smiled. “Hi, Chris.”

“Wes. I heard you had a little trouble this week.”

“A little, yeah.”

“Will you be at the board meeting this week to fill us all in?”

“Sure will.”

“What’s with the crutches?”

“I’ll fill you in on that, too.”

“I’ll see you Wednesday night.”

Chris walked away, and Wes turned to Cassandra. “Well, that should be fun.”

The rest of the kids were picked up without any further confrontations with school board members, and Wes and Cassandra went to say goodbye to Lester, who was loading his gear. Lester shook hands with Wes.

“Mostly a good week.”

“We’ve had better, I guess.”

Lester put a hand on Wes’ shoulder. “Don’t let them pin the berry thing on you. It wasn’t any more your fault than it was Cassandra’s or mine.”

“We’ll find out soon enough if Pete has calmed down about the situation.”