AllFreeNovel
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The teacher, Miss Leonard, comes to me, all smiles.
“It’s the first time we have a celebrity here,” she says in a whispered tone full of awe. “How long can you stay?”
I look from her to the boy sitting next to us, whose father seems to work for the power company.
“I have training at 2 pm, otherwise I’m good.”
“Do you want to go first?” Miss Leonard asks.
“No. I mean…” Alissa giggles at the face I make. “Let me watch a few people first. It’s my first time doing this.”
“Alright.” She smiles and squeezes my shoulder over the pad.
I’m dressed in my full gear. I even brought the skates, blades contained inside their guards. I thought I was going to look ridiculous, but everybody came wearing the attire of their occupation. There’s a security guard, a chef, a plumber, and a few people in suits.
The kid by my side whispers something in his dad’s ear, receives a thumbs up from him, and then reaches over to tug on my sleeve.
“My dad says you rock, and I agree with him,” he blurts out, his face very serious until it turns into an adorable huge grin.
“What’s your name, buddy?” I ask him, offering my closed fist for a bump.
“Timothy,” he says, timidly replying to the bump.
“I brought an extra jersey and I’ll get it signed for you before I go, okay Timothy?”
“Okay.” The kid beams.
“Alright, silence. Let’s get started,” Miss Leonard says, writing ‘CAREER DAY’ in big letters on the whiteboard. “Who knows what a career is?”
A girl with ginger hair and pigtails raises her hand high.
“It’s what grown-ups do to make money,” the girl answers.
“Stephanie, that’s a good start! A career is what grown-ups do for work, but it's more than just a job. It's something they do for a long time and can lead to new opportunities and learning,” explains Miss Leonard. “For example, my career is teaching.”
“Did you always want to be a teacher, Miss Leonard?” a little boy with stylish hair and clothes asks. Sitting by his side is a man who I assume is a tattoo artist just from the number of tattoos covering his body.
“Yes.” Now it’s the teacher who beams. “Ever since I was little. But I’m not the one here to answer questions today. Those you can direct to the grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, and friends that are here. Who wants to go first?”
Several kids offer their companions to go first, including Alissa, but I hold her down playfully and tell her I’ll go after the first.
The first one to go is boy tagging along with his older sister, who is a biochemist. With a subject way too advanced for their ages, the kids didn’t really get interested and the discussion is cut short.
I avoid going next, and instead, the tattoo artist takes my place. He shares his drawings, displays the tattoos on his arms, and the kids bombard him with questions until Miss Leonard interrupts to bring in the next guest.
The security officer follows the traffic cop, who follows the electrician, who follows the plumber, who follows a sales representative so good that he convinces us that PVC pipes are interesting.
Finally, Alissa stands from her desk and pleads desperately to the teacher, “Please, Miss Leonard!”
Miss Leonard smiles. “Are you ready?” she turns to me.
I nod yes, and Alissa notices it, kissing me on the cheek.
“Then come on up, Alissa and her friend Andrew.”
I stand and Alissa takes my hand and guides me to the front of the class, and then poses proudly in front of me.
“My name is Alissa Mitchell, and this is my friend Andrew Connoly.”
