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That was new. Finally, Silas felt comfortable enough to drop the Miss. One of these days, she hoped to have him call her Mom.
“Yes?”
“Are we going to be able to go out for recess?” asked Silas when they finally got inside after only stepping into three big puddles that were really potholes. The school needed to fill in the holes before someone got hurt. Maybe she’d see if the janitor could do something temporarily.
“Afraid not, sweetie,” she replied. “But we’ll do some fun activities and maybe play games in the gym.” Anne looked down into sad eyes. “How does that sound?”
Silas thought about it for a moment and shrugged. “Good. I guess.”
They walked into the classroom, and Anne busied herself with her plans for the day while Silas read a book.
Soon, the chatter of children echoed through the halls. Anne stood at the door to welcome them. The morning went well. Even though the kids were disappointed they couldn’t play outside, the games and running around the gym took some of their excess energy.
Anne left her aide in charge of the kids at lunch while she returned to her classroom for some headache pills.
The smell of tacos, coupled with the musty scent of wet shoes, turned her stomach, and she couldn’t wait to get to get some fresher air. She yawned several times on the way and wished she could take a nap. She hadn’t slept enough, and it was catching up. Anne spotted a janitor cleaning near her room. Perfect timing. She thought she knew all the janitors, but this one had brown hair and a medium build, while the other two had darker hair and were taller.
“Oh, hi…” She looked at his name tag. “Martin.”
Martin looked over at her. His brown eyes held a hint of amusement. Curious, since she’d never met him. Anne shrugged. Maybe he was just thinking of something funny.
Anne was taken aback by the scar that ran from top to bottom on the outside of his cheek. Don’t stare.
“Are you new?”
“Yes, ma’am. I just started this week. How can I help you?”
“Oh, I was wondering if the school had anything to fill in a couple of potholes until they could be fixed permanently?”
“Hmmm.” He scratched his head and furrowed his brow. “I believe there is sand in the back I could use.”
“That would be great. I’d hate for anyone to get hurt.”
“Can you show me where the potholes are?” He looked through the windows. “We don’t have to go outside; just show me the general vicinity, and I’ll find them.”
“Sure. Let me first grab something for my headache.”
Anne walked over to her desk and got the pills and some water. She went back to meet Martin.
“We can see them from the back door,” she said. Their footsteps echoed as they walked the quiet halls. Most of the kids were at lunch at this end of the building. A couple of overhead lights were flickering, and the hallway was darkened. Anne’s stomach flip-flopped. This was a scene that would be perfect in a scary movie.
“So, how long have you worked here?” Martin asked, breaking the silence.
“About six years,” she replied.
“What grade do you teach?”
“Kindergarten.”
“You must really love kids.” He laughed. “Those little ones have so much energy.”
“Yeah, that’s for sure.”
“Any little ones of your own?” Martin glanced over at her and smiled.
“Yes, I have a five-year-old.”
“Ah. That’s why you have the patience to deal with them.”
