Allie glanced up at Mr. Tailor, who was now frowning like his daughter had been a moment ago.
“It’s a great idea,” he said suddenly. “You should do it.”
“Thank you,” Allie said, feeling seen. “I wanted the kids to have a chance to get their hands dirty and know where their food comes from. But it’s obviously too expensive, so we can’t really move forward with it.”
There was a defiant flash in his eyes that suddenly reminded her of Maya when she told the adults that Eloise had cut in line in front of Timmy.
“Miss Lawrence, I liked our new games today,” Maya said, tugging shyly at Allie’s coat before Mr. Tailor had a chance to voice whatever he was thinking.
“Thank you, Maya,” Allie said, warmth spreading in her chest.
“It’s nice to play sometimes,” Maya said.
“I have a hard time being still all day at school too,” Allie told her honestly. “It’s nice to move around a little between our lessons.”
Maya’s eyes widened with wonder, as if she couldn’t imagine that her teacher also wanted to get up and work off some excess energy.
Allie couldn’t help smiling down at the sweet little girl who reminded her so muchof herself.
Maya smiled back, then suddenly her eyes went to something behind Allie.
Before Allie could even turn to look, Maya took off down the sidewalk that bordered the parking lot.
“Eloise, Eloise,”Maya shouted as she ran.
Allie’s breath caught in her throat and she jogged after the little girl. She could sense Mr. Tailor’s presence right behind her.
She knew she shouldn’t worry about this interaction after the positive parent meeting, but she couldn’t help being half-worried anyway. At the speed Maya was going, a push would send the other little girl flying.
“I’m sorry, Eloise,” Maya said, stopping right beside the girl with the blonde ponytails. “I won’t ever do that again, notever.”
“Okay,” Eloise said. “Want to play?”
“We have to get home for dinner, Eloise,” her mother said. “But maybe you can find Maya on the playground tomorrow.”
“Five minutes, Mom?” Eloise asked.“Pleeeease?”
“All right,” her mother relented.
The two little girls took off in the direction of the big tree at the corner of the school property. It was a maple, but the groundskeeper had wound a string of white lights around the trunk, making it look like something out of a fairytale.
Eloise’s parents trailed the girls, but Mr. Tailor hung back.
“Thank you,” he said, his deep voice quiet and gentle. “She loves you, you know?”
“I loved my kindergarten teacher too,” Allie laughed. “It’s one of the job perks. But Maya is very special to me. She’s all heart.”
Mr. Tailor smiled down at her, but his eyes were still serious.
“She’s had a hard time,” he said. “At her old school, they said she was a disruption.”
Allie could tell that those words had cost him.
She wondered if her parents had felt that kind of frustration back when she first started school and had her own troubles adjusting to so much time behind a desk. Allie remembered feeling like a caged tiger, chained to that desk while the meadows and barns and creek were out there begging to be explored.
She knew most of her brothers had been the same way, and Tripp had certainly been even worse, but teachers seemed to hold girls to a different standard when it came to having a little too much energy.
“Maya is smart and kind,” Allie said firmly. “She just needs extra opportunities to stretch her legs so she can settle down and focus. She’s only five, Mr. Tailor.”
