Page 41 of Keeping Penny

Bowie leaned against Pyro’s leg shyly and nodded.

Even though she had to know the little girl was blind, Miss Blake didn’t hesitate to speak to her, instead of at her, crouching down so she was at Bowie’s level. Which Pyro wholeheartedly approved of.

“Because this is your first day, I know it has to be a little scary. But in my class, we have buddies. Every day you get a new buddy, so you can get to know everyone. Today, Abigail Bixler will be your buddy. She’s relatively new too, so I think you’ll have a lot in common. She’ll help you find your desk, take you to recess, sit next to you at lunch, and generally be available in case you have any questions. Will that be okay?”

Bowie straightened and nodded.

“Great! This is going to be fun. I promise,” Miss Blake said. Then turned to the class behind her and said, “Abigail? Come meet Bowie.”

A girl with long dark hair appeared at the teacher’s side. She was of Asian ancestry, petite like Bowie and cute as a button. “Hi, I’m Abigail, and I get to be your buddy today. Everyone wanted to be your first buddy, but Miss Blake picked me! I’m not blind, but I only have three fingers on my left hand because that’s how I was borned. In my last school, I was made fun of, but no one’s allowed to make fun of anyone here, so I really like it. I can’t wait to help you see stuff! Come on, your desk is right next to mine.”

Abigail took Bowie’s hand and the two girls walked into the classroom, already chatting away.

“Wow, from being scared to leaving us behind without so much as a ‘see ya,’” Penny mused with a wry smile.

“I hope it’s okay, but I’ve prepped the class about Bowie. About her being blind. They had a ton of questions for me, and she’ll probably have to answer even more throughout the day. But I’ll keep an eye on her, make sure she’s not overwhelmed. She’s in good hands, Mrs. Burns.”

“Thanks. I’m only a phone call away if you need me though.”

“Of course.” The teacher smiled, then turned and headed back into her classroom.

Penny and Pyro stood at the door and watched Bowie for a minute or two, before Penny sighed. “She’s going to be fine.”

“Of course she is. She’s strong, like her mom.”

Penny gave Pyro a smile, then they turned and walked back down the hall.

“Thanks for coming over this morning. I know you probably have more important things to do on base.”

“More important than making sure a little girl feels safe at school, where she’ll be spending most of her time for the next twelve years or so? Not even close,” Pyro said honestly.

As they walked toward the apartment complex, Penny said, “That was harder than I thought it would be. But I have no doubt Bowie will thrive in a formal classroom setting. She’s smart as a whip and will probably outpace her peers in no time. But I don’t want her to skip any grades or anything. She needs the social interaction with girls and boys her own age. People who don’t make fun of her or shun her for being different.”

“Was it that bad in Gabon?”

“I’m probably not being fair. But where we were, people struggled daily for just about everything. Kids were only in school until around the fifth grade before they went to work for the family to help feed everyone. Any disabilities made life extremely tough not only for the child, but for the family as well. So I don’t blame them for wanting to keep their distance from Bowie.”

“I do. That sucks,” Pyro muttered.

“I know I’ve said it before, but I feel like I need to say it again. Thank you, Pyro. For all you’ve done for us. I don’t know where we’d be if you hadn’t helped us.”

“You’ve done a lot for me too, you know,” he told her.

She snort-laughed. “Oh yeah, sure. Totally disrupted your life.”

“I think I needed disrupting,” Pyro said seriously. “You and Bowie have made me realize I was holding on to a lot of anger about my childhood. But that part of my life is over and done. I need to stop living in the past. And you and Bowie are helping me do that. Seeing what an amazing mother you are, despite having the same background as me, makes me ashamed I’ve been so bitter and against relationships and families.”

“I have my bad days too,” Penny said. “Days where I’m sure I’m screwing up Bowie for life. But I made a vow to myself that no matter what, she’d come first. I’d never let her feel unloved or unwanted, no matter how difficult it was to have an abusive husband, no money for food, or trying to raise a blind child with no resources to help me.”

“And you’ve done an incredible job for six years.”

“Thanks.”

“It’s okay that I’m coming over tonight with pizza, right? I didn’t ask you before I promised.”

“Of course. Bowie loves seeing you.”

“What about her mom?” The question popped out before Pyro could think twice about asking.