Clasping her hands over the center of her chest, she says, “I just…I wasn’t ever able to have kids, so sometimes I come down to the school and watch them play…”
She keeps talking, but her words hit me harder than they should. Reaching through the fence, I grasp her hand as her eyes dip down to the sight. “I get it.”
When she lifts her head, there’s a hint of hope lurking in her gaze. “You do?”
I nod. “Yes, but I’m going to warn you, this sort of thing could be received the wrong way.”
We share a laugh. “God, I’m sorry. Usually, I just go to the park and sit on a bench and watch the moms chase their kids around to torture myself, but…”
My heart twists in my chest. “It’s all right.” But before I can say another word, the hair on the back of my neck stands up as the energy around us shifts. Dropping her hand, I take a step back from the fence. “Are you going to be okay?”
“Yes. Thank you for being so kind.”
“Of course. We never know what demons someone else is battling on a daily basis.” I dart my eyes across the street, searching for the source of this uneasiness building in my gut, but then turn my attention back to the woman. “I hope you find some peace.”
“Thank you.”
The bell rings, signaling the end of recess and forcing me to put my teacher cap back on so I can gather my class and head back inside. But in the back of my mind, I’m wondering what happened while I was standing there to make my sixth sense perk up.
Luckily, Ellis runs over to me, crouching down to pick up the pile of rocks she collected that I forgot I was supposed to be looking after, bringing me back to the present. “My rocks are still here!”
“I told you I would look out for them.”
“Thank you, Ms. Lewis. You’re the best.” With her arms full, she steps in line and I lead my class back inside, checking over my shoulder to see if the woman is still standing there.
She’s gone.
You must just be imagining things, Vienna. Besides, it’s not like anyone knows that you’re here or would bother showing up if they did.
Well, maybe just one person would.
Once the kids and I are back in the classroom, Ellis walks over to her backpack and deposits her collection of rocks inside.
“What are you doing with those rocks?” Caleb, one of the little boys in the class, asks Ellis.
“I’m putting them away so I can give them to my dad when I get home.”
“You give your dad rocks?”
Ellis nods. “Yup.” She zips up her backpack and then leads Caleb over to the carpet for story time, plopping down cross-legged in her usual spot.
I settle into my chair and open the book in my lap. “Okay, class. Now, we’re going to jump back into our book we started yesterday.”
Ellis’s hand shoots up.
“Yes, Ellis?”
“Ms. Lewis, when we get home today, do you wanna come over and see my dad’s rock collection?”
Johnny snickers from his spot in the back of the carpet. “Ms. Lewis can’t go to your house, Ellis. She’s the teacher.”
Ellis turns around to face him, a look of annoyance on her face. “Yes, she can, Johnny.”
“No, she can’t. She has her own house.”
Ellis sits up taller. “I know that. Her house is next to mine.”
Caleb nearly shrieks. “You live next to Ms. Lewis? Lucky!”
