Brynna felt strangely at ease as Jan navigated the twisty highway toward the Oregon Coast the following Saturday morning. Surprising since she’d had a full-blown panic attack just last night. After a full week of trying to concoct a viable excuse for bailing on this odd camping experience, while getting her classroom packed away, she’d been unable to come up with anything convincing. In fact, each time Brynna had raised the subject—only when other teachers weren’t within listening distance—Jan would quickly derail her with packing suggestions, dietary questions, and details on arranging where to meet up on Saturday to avoid getting her vehicle and trailer stuck in Brynna’s parking lot—apparently Jan wasn’t too confident about her backing-up skills yet. Finally the day arrived and Brynna realized she didn’t want to disappoint her friend.
So when Jan had pulled up with her red SUV and matching trailer at eight o’clock this morning, Brynna had been groggily waiting next to the street and, feeling like a sleepy transient with her overly stuffed duffel bag, she climbed in. After a brief greeting, the morning had passed quietly. With Jan intent on driving, Brynna—still suffering from her sleepless night—took a nice, longnap. When they reached the coast, Jan found a cute little coffeehouse right on the water.
Sitting outside on a wooden deck overlooking the sea, Brynna removed the lid from her steaming latte, taking in a delightful sniff. Suddenly she felt inexplicably happy she hadn’t pulled the plug on this trip. “The ocean looks so beautiful,” she told Jan. “I’m really glad I came. Thanks for inviting me.”
“Well, I know you had some doubts.” Jan seemed overly focused on her blueberry muffin, meticulously breaking off a small piece.
“Really? What made you think that?” Brynna spread cream cheese on her bagel.
“Well...” She looked at Brynna. “I realized this trip would be way out of your comfort zone.”
Brynna nodded. “That’s true.”
“And I’m aware that I’m not the most popular faculty member at our school.”
“But you’re respected,” Brynna said quickly. “Maybe that’s more important.”
“Maybe.” Jan sipped her coffee. “And besides that, you have to admit we make a pretty funny pair.”
“Why’s that?”
“Well, I’m sure most people would see us as complete opposites. You’re usually cheerful and sweet. The children love you. The teachers too. I’m sure you could win the Miss Congeniality award at school.”
Brynna rolled her eyes. “I’ve always been a people pleaser. I’m sure I try too hard. But I’m working on it. I want to get tougher.”
“You shouldn’t. Being thoughtful and kind makes you a good teacher. I hope I can learn some of that from you on this trip.” Jan chuckled. “Wouldn’t it be funny if I showed up at school in the fall, all goodness and light? The staff would be stunned.”
“Or suspicious.”
Jan nodded. “They’d probably assume I was up to something. Might be funny.”
“We could make it even funnier—what if I showed up acting like you? It would be like that movieFreaky Friday. We could really get everyone confused.”
Jan’s eyes twinkled as she chuckled, and in that moment she looked about ten years younger.
“I actually don’t think we’re all that different,” Brynna said. “We probably have more commonalities than we realize.” She took a bite of her bagel.
“Maybe, but you have to admit we make a pretty funny-looking pair.”
Brynna considered their appearances as she chewed. In a way, Jan’s baggy jeans, oversized red sweatshirt, and white athletic shoes weren’t all that different from what Brynna had on. Yet Brynna knew her faded skinny jeans, navy hoodie, and sleek Nikes looked more stylish. But who really cared? “I don’t think we’re a funny-looking pair. We’re just campers, out on the road, enjoying the day.”
“We look like Mutt and Jeff.”
“Mutt and Jeff—what’s that mean?” Brynna watched a line of seabirds gracefully flying over the rolling blue waves.
“They were old cartoon characters. My grandma used to tease me and my best friend. She called me Mutt and my friend, Grace, was Jeff. Grace was about your size and I was, well, as tall as I am now.” Jan shrugged. “It wasn’t easy being six feet tall in junior high. I wasn’t just bigger than all the girls, but the boys too. I hated being such an amazon.”
“I used to hate being only five feet tall. Always the shortest.”
“But being small is cute and sweet. For a girl, anyway. Some of the kids used to call me Moose. That was fun.” She rolled her eyes and sipped her coffee.
“Kids can be mean. And being short was like an invitation for them to treat me like a baby. It didn’t help that I was perennially cheerful. I got so sick of being patted on the head or called a ‘good little girl.’ Even Dirk did that.”
“Yeah, I’ve noticed some of the teachers at our school do too. Men particularly. But I don’t think they’re putting you down. More likely they’re flirting. Like Rick Reynolds. I know he’s had his eye on you.”
“And that’s another thing. I hate it when guys think that I need someone to take care of me. Like,Let’s help the little woman. It’s infuriating. Even if I get mad, some guys think I’m just trying to be cute. I get so sick of it!”
“So maybe being petite has shortcomings too.” Jan grinned. “Sorry for the pun. I can see how your height might be a challenge, after all.”
