Post by larue on Jun 13, 2007 3:57:15 GMT 10
It was all she could do to keep from slamming the counseling office door behind her as she left. Had they even LOOKED at Susie’s records? Apparently not. She was seething as she made her way through the hallway toward the front doors of the high school. She had spent the last hour going to each of Susie’s classes for an abbreviated version of her school day. At each one she became more and more appalled at how inadequate the school’s tenth grade curriculum was for Susie’s needs. She was capable of so much more. Susan had gone to the counseling office to see where they were on finding room for her in the advanced placement classes. She’d waited for a while before someone could see her and then had been met with basic indifference and fumbling through a stack of student files before finding Susie’s. Six weeks into the school year and they still hadn’t evaluated her file. Susie hadn’t said a word. Surely she was missing her old school? Well, maybe not the uniforms but the classes?? Susan knew why Susie hadn’t said anything and the reason nearly broke her heart. Susie wanted to move to Chicago because Susan wanted to do it. Well, she was going to have to find a way to make it right for Susie too. Lost in thought she absently pushed open the front doors and stepped aside from someone coming in only to bump into him.
“Sorry," she murmured and looked up into the face of the man she had met at Cosmo’s school. His PE teacher, wasn’t it? David Burns. He reached out a hand to touch her shoulder and steady her.
“My fault entirely,” he said. “I saw you headed this way and you look like you are ready to duke it out with a dragon.”
“I might have to,” Susan sighed. “How long does it take to get someone’s attention around here?”
“Depends on who you are talking about,” David drawled playfully. “A plate of homemade cookies in the lounge will get most everyone’s attention. But you’ve already got mine.” Susan rolled her eyes.
“You are really not very good at this,” she said.
“At what?” His dark eyebrows raised innocently. “Tell me what the problem is. I’ll try to help.” Susan grimaced and shook her head as she tried to move past him.
“How about talking about it over a cup of coffee?” he asked as he stepped in front of her again.
“I don’t think so,” she said. “I’ve got to get home.”
“Aw, come on,” he wheedled. “I know a little place right down the street from here. I stop by for dinner on the way home from practice sometimes and…..”
“Look,” Susan interrupted. “I lost my husband last spring after a very short and very difficult winter. I am dealing with my son and my niece who were left reeling from that event let alone the fact that I moved them lock, stock and barrel away from their friends and their activities and their….damn…good schools in Iowa to come here because I thought it was what we all needed and now I am not so sure about that. I know that you are a very nice man but I am just not ready to deal with anything else.”
“It’s just coffee,” David said quietly. “”And maybe banana cream pie. You like banana cream, right? Everybody likes banana cream……or maybe lyou are a lemon meringue fan?” Susan sighed heavily and forced a smile to her lips.
“I’m sorry…..but no,” she said. She turned around and started down the steps.
“Everyone thinks the first year is the hardest.” Susan stopped and turned her head to glance back at the man standing at the school door. David eyes met her’s and he shrugged.
“It’s actually the second,” he said. “By the second year everyone else has moved on and they expect that you have too. They forget. So, the second year is actually the hardest.” He slipped the baseball cap back on his head and shrugged.
“Just my two cents…” He turned around and went back inside the school. Susan stared after him thoughtfully for a long moment and then headed toward the school’s parking lot and her car.
Susie was waiting up for her when she walked in the front door.
“Pretty lame, huh?” she said. Susan dropped her coat and purse on the staircase steps and sat on the couch and gazed at her niece thoughtfully.
“What are we going to do about this?” she asked. Susie’s brow wrinkled and she pulled her strawberry blonde curls loose from the pony tail on the back of her head. She ran her fingers through the thick hair she shared with Susan and shrugged.
“Celebrate the fact that I will have the highest grade point average in my class?” she mused. Susan rolled her eyes.
“It’s not that bad, Aunt Susan,” Susie grinned. “I needed a semester to establish myself socially in Chicago and this is it.’ She shifted herself on the couch and straightened her shoulders. “Every football player on the varsity AND junior varsity team know who I am and I am not even a cheerleader. I am going to audition for the Drama Club next week. They’re going to do ’Anne Frank’ this winter and I really want a part in that. And I might try to see if I can get on the school newspaper.”
“Every player?’ Susan choked. Susie grinned.
“I eat at their lunch table so we can go through their Math homework,” she said. “You should just see the looks I get from the kids. Definitely adding to the popularity component.” Susan studied Susie’s face again.
“Okay,” she said finally. “I’ll let this slide for this semester but if they don’t get you in at least three AP classes next semester…..” She shook her head. Susie grinned and stood up. She leaned over to kiss Susan’s cheek and carried her books toward the stairs to her bedroom.
“You’ll probably be tutoring the hockey team by then,” Susan sighed. Susie stopped on the steps and turned.
“Well, actually…” she said to the back of Susan’s head. “Three hockey players also play football so I guess I‘ve already started that.”
“Oh….” Susan said in feigned brightness. “That’s just great…..” Susie giggled and hurried up the stairs. Susan listened for her steps and smiled. She was a good kid. Damn good, as Chuck would say. Susan had been lucky. Given the early start in life her niece had had, she could be a much different person than she was. She reached for the remote control and turned on the television. She flipped through channels aimlessly for a moment and then turned the television off. Her thoughts took her through the events of the night and rested on a certain gentleman who had invited her for coffee. She shook her head. If only the timing were different.
“Sorry," she murmured and looked up into the face of the man she had met at Cosmo’s school. His PE teacher, wasn’t it? David Burns. He reached out a hand to touch her shoulder and steady her.
“My fault entirely,” he said. “I saw you headed this way and you look like you are ready to duke it out with a dragon.”
“I might have to,” Susan sighed. “How long does it take to get someone’s attention around here?”
“Depends on who you are talking about,” David drawled playfully. “A plate of homemade cookies in the lounge will get most everyone’s attention. But you’ve already got mine.” Susan rolled her eyes.
“You are really not very good at this,” she said.
“At what?” His dark eyebrows raised innocently. “Tell me what the problem is. I’ll try to help.” Susan grimaced and shook her head as she tried to move past him.
“How about talking about it over a cup of coffee?” he asked as he stepped in front of her again.
“I don’t think so,” she said. “I’ve got to get home.”
“Aw, come on,” he wheedled. “I know a little place right down the street from here. I stop by for dinner on the way home from practice sometimes and…..”
“Look,” Susan interrupted. “I lost my husband last spring after a very short and very difficult winter. I am dealing with my son and my niece who were left reeling from that event let alone the fact that I moved them lock, stock and barrel away from their friends and their activities and their….damn…good schools in Iowa to come here because I thought it was what we all needed and now I am not so sure about that. I know that you are a very nice man but I am just not ready to deal with anything else.”
“It’s just coffee,” David said quietly. “”And maybe banana cream pie. You like banana cream, right? Everybody likes banana cream……or maybe lyou are a lemon meringue fan?” Susan sighed heavily and forced a smile to her lips.
“I’m sorry…..but no,” she said. She turned around and started down the steps.
“Everyone thinks the first year is the hardest.” Susan stopped and turned her head to glance back at the man standing at the school door. David eyes met her’s and he shrugged.
“It’s actually the second,” he said. “By the second year everyone else has moved on and they expect that you have too. They forget. So, the second year is actually the hardest.” He slipped the baseball cap back on his head and shrugged.
“Just my two cents…” He turned around and went back inside the school. Susan stared after him thoughtfully for a long moment and then headed toward the school’s parking lot and her car.
Susie was waiting up for her when she walked in the front door.
“Pretty lame, huh?” she said. Susan dropped her coat and purse on the staircase steps and sat on the couch and gazed at her niece thoughtfully.
“What are we going to do about this?” she asked. Susie’s brow wrinkled and she pulled her strawberry blonde curls loose from the pony tail on the back of her head. She ran her fingers through the thick hair she shared with Susan and shrugged.
“Celebrate the fact that I will have the highest grade point average in my class?” she mused. Susan rolled her eyes.
“It’s not that bad, Aunt Susan,” Susie grinned. “I needed a semester to establish myself socially in Chicago and this is it.’ She shifted herself on the couch and straightened her shoulders. “Every football player on the varsity AND junior varsity team know who I am and I am not even a cheerleader. I am going to audition for the Drama Club next week. They’re going to do ’Anne Frank’ this winter and I really want a part in that. And I might try to see if I can get on the school newspaper.”
“Every player?’ Susan choked. Susie grinned.
“I eat at their lunch table so we can go through their Math homework,” she said. “You should just see the looks I get from the kids. Definitely adding to the popularity component.” Susan studied Susie’s face again.
“Okay,” she said finally. “I’ll let this slide for this semester but if they don’t get you in at least three AP classes next semester…..” She shook her head. Susie grinned and stood up. She leaned over to kiss Susan’s cheek and carried her books toward the stairs to her bedroom.
“You’ll probably be tutoring the hockey team by then,” Susan sighed. Susie stopped on the steps and turned.
“Well, actually…” she said to the back of Susan’s head. “Three hockey players also play football so I guess I‘ve already started that.”
“Oh….” Susan said in feigned brightness. “That’s just great…..” Susie giggled and hurried up the stairs. Susan listened for her steps and smiled. She was a good kid. Damn good, as Chuck would say. Susan had been lucky. Given the early start in life her niece had had, she could be a much different person than she was. She reached for the remote control and turned on the television. She flipped through channels aimlessly for a moment and then turned the television off. Her thoughts took her through the events of the night and rested on a certain gentleman who had invited her for coffee. She shook her head. If only the timing were different.