“Did your Hacky Sack get wet?”
He reached into the pocket of his cargo shorts and pulled out a Ziploc bag.“Nope.I’m prepared.”He opened the bag and triumphantly revealed a completely dry Hacky Sack.Then he immediately started bouncing it on his knees and ankles.
“I want to try that,” Griffin said, releasing my hand and stepping closer to Austin.“Can I try?”
“Sure.”
Griffin wasn’t particularly coordinated, but Austin was patient with him.
Students dispersed back to their classrooms.Aya let go of my hand and followed her teacher, but Austin, Griffin, and I remained on the gravel, bouncing the sack between each other.
“Okay, you two, back to class now,” I said after five minutes.
“I want one of these,” Griffin said.“What’s it called?A hippy sack?”
Austin and I both chuckled.“HackySack,” Austin said.
“But popular among hippies,” I added.
Griffin’s damp shaggy head bobbed.“My dad said the island is made up almost entirely of hippies.That it’s a hippy-dippy island with a few of us normies sprinkled in for good measure.”
That made me burst out laughing.“Who is your dad?”
Griffin’s little chest puffed up with pride.“Wyatt McEvoy.He’s the head chef at Sound Bites Pub.We own the land, the pub, and the brewery.”
“Your dad sounds like a funny guy.”While Austin had headed back to his class on his own, Griffin seemed to need an escort.So while we were talking, I guided him through the school, with the drips and drops all over the floor, toward his classroom.
“He’s the funniest person on the planet.”
“All right, Master McEvoy.You go get changed and enjoy the rest of our day, okay?”
He held up his fist.“Catch you on the flip side, principal man.”
We fist bumped and then he made his hand explode open when he pulled it away, before retreating into his open classroom.I waved at his teacher, then headed to my office where I also had a spare change of clothes waiting for me.
My phone vibrated in my pocket as I opened my office door.It was Mabel.
“Hey, Mabes,” I said, putting her on speakerphone as I locked my door so I could change.“How’s your day so far?”
“Some weird woman came by the house.”
Goosebumps raced across my skin, and not because I was soaking wet.
“Weird woman?What did she look like?”
“Older, maybe seventies.Black and gray hair.Brown eyes.She knocked and knocked and knocked.Rang the bell, walked around the entire house, peering into the windows.It was weird.Who is she?”
“You didn’t answer the door?”
“No.I don’t like people.Why do I want to meet someone who shows up uninvited and knocks on my door so aggressively?Take a hint, lady.I don’t want to speak with you.”She paused for a moment.“Maybe she’s autistic and doesn’t understand social cues the way I don’t understand social cues.Should I feel bad about ignoring her?”
“No.Don’t feel bad.I don’t think she’s autistic.I think she’s entitled, bored, nosy, and incapable of respecting boundaries.”
“So you know her then?”
“Unfortunately.”
“Was I supposed to open the door?”
