As he opened his car door, Sara stepped out of the house, followed by Janna and Brand who ran ahead to take his hands.
“Thanks again for doing this,” she said, walking down the steps to join him. “I know this must be taking time from your regular work.”
Ezreal opened his mouth to speak, but even before any sound came out, the words caught in his throat. He turned to Janna.
“Please tell your mother it’s fine.” The little girl just shook her head. At least she’d given up on the eye rolls. He said, “It’s good for me to get a break, and I had a break this afternoon anyway.”
“I feel like I'm taking advantage of your generosity,” Sara said. “What if I were to move and sell the house?”
“Maybe I’d buy it then.” Ezreal stared off in the distance but kept her in his peripheral vision. “It’s a good program. That large meadow behind the music room has potential for other things. Maybe a summer music camp or something.”
“Would you really continue it even if I were to leave?” Sara watched him like she was assessing him, and he didn’t quite know how to take it.
Ezreal looked at Janna. “I wouldn’t have time to run it myself, so I’d have to hire someone else to do it. Like I said, it’s a good program, something that’s needed. I already have a foundation that bought the equipment and is paying for the remodel.”
“For the tax write off?” This time Sara’s tone carried with it an edge of jaded sarcasm.
Ezreal looked directly at her, hurt at the jibe. “I d-d-don't d-d-do ch-ch-ch-charity—” He heaved out a breath and shifted his gaze to Janna who was glancing between him and her mother. Ezreal said, “Janna, I don’t do charity work for the tax write off, but my accountant does use it for that.”
The little girl must have gotten bored because she dropped his hand and ran after her brother who had clambered onto the slide. Ezreal would have to manage this on his own. He tried to focus on forming the words.
“W-w-what h-h-happened to m-m-make y-you so b-b-bitter, Sara?”
Her shoes seemed to fascinate her for a few seconds before she looked up.
“I don’t know what to think of you. You’re different from any man I’ve ever met. It seems to me that everybody I’ve known only does things for what they can get out of it.”
He’d known enough people who were like that, but he didn’t know if he could convince her that he wasn’t one of them. Watching the children, he imagined he was talking to Janna.
“I’m sorry about that. I was raised in a house of philanthropists, for lack of a better word. My father’s a successful contractor, but he didn’t start out that way. He remembered what it was like to grow up poor. Not that we were rich, definitely not like I am now. Dad was careful to give us everything weneededwith him deciding what that was. Sometimes, he’d let us have what wewanted. We complained about it at the time, but looking back I guess it’s not a bad approach to raising kids. It helped us understand the difference between needs and wants. But the most important thing he taught us was to give back to the community.” Ezreal’s voice dropped. “It was hard for me, growing up. School wasn’t exactly a welcoming place.”
“Because of your stutter?”
He nodded.
“That’s what I worry about for Brand. I’m afraid the kids are going to make fun of him once he starts school. Children can be amazingly forgiving but brutal too. I’m just grateful that Nik and Lessa have been so welcoming. He’s had a good experience here so far.” Sara’s expression darkened. “He starts school next year, and it scares me to death.”
“Do you teach in the same district he’ll attend?”
“Yes. I’ll have to talk to the teacher, once I know who that’ll be.”
Ezreal remembered too well what little good it had made when his mother had spoken to the school officials. Sara must have read something into his expression.
“You don’t believe it will help?”
“M-m—” It was so irritating having to pretend he was talking to Janna. “Maybe it’s different now or maybe your school will listen.”
“So much goes back to the culture in the classroom.” Sara’s gaze shifted to the children. “Sometimes the kids are taught to be more sensitive, and some of it’s just their personalities. But there’s a lot to be said for an environment where the teacher acknowledges when somebody’s different, and they try to find ways to accommodate them. It can be a good experience for everyone if it’s handled right.”
“I wonder if that would have helped me.” Ezreal shook his head. “It didn’t turn brutal for me until junior high.”
“Everything’s horrible in junior high.” Sara sighed. “It’s like a school of Piranhas.”
“High school was only a little better. That’s when I refused to go.”
“Did your mother home school you?”
“I did online school.” Ezreal watched the children play. “It’d be nice if we could help mold a healthy culture, find a way to build team players. We need individuality, but we also need people who can work as a team. The kids in this community will be potential employees, so it’s not just for society but for business.”
