CHAPTER SEVEN
Never had Mandy been so relieved to reach her prep hour. The first day after spring break was enough to make every high school teacher wish the holiday had never happened. One student swiped a crutch and used it to mimic a machine gun, prompting Mandy to lock them in the supply closet. She scooted herself around the room on her rolling chair. Her third-hour class was more rambunctious than usual, if that were possible. She confiscated two of Roderigo’s cartoons depicting other students in terms the school board would call bullying. Writing up the incident took her most of the students’ drawing time. Too bad the kid had talent. If he’d use it productively, he could go far. She watched the clock as if it were the last day of school. Finally, the bell rang, and the students filed out of the room to inflict their exuberance on another teacher.
Somehow Mandy kept her cheering silent. Caught up on her grading, she pulled up the pictures she’d taken on Saturday at the Crawford place with Daniel.
The fourth was perfect. Immediately she opened the photo manipulation program and started to correct the image. Magnified, the roof displayed more damage than she noticed through the viewfinder. Probably from the same tornado that had destroyed Grandma Mae’s house three and a half years ago. Why hadn’t Daniel repaired it? It wasn’t as if he lacked the funds for a new roof and insurance would pick up most of the tab. Were all those trunks still stored in the attic? The treasures carefully packed away almost a century ago were no doubt moldering. They had only ever opened a few of the trunks, but the yellow Jackie O-style ball gown still called to her. Anger flashed. How could Danny be so irresponsible?
The digital repairs to her photo brought the house in line with the well-maintained building of her memories. Summers spent with Grandma Mae shone as the brightest spots in her young life. Each year, she spent two glorious months alone with Grandma Mae while her parents traveled to some foreign location on a dig. At the time, she hadn’t understood the need to go make holes in the ground. Grandma Mae’s garden provided more than enough opportunity to dig to her heart’s delight, gorge herself on peas straight from the pod, and peer over the fence at the huge house next door with its sixty rooms to Grandma Mae’s six.
Despite Grandma’s warnings, Mandy had slipped through the fence in search of the lone boy who dressed far too nice to be throwing rocks in the pond. She hadn’t found him, but Grandma Mae had found her and marched her down the long drive to the house, the following day.
Grandma Mae knocked on the massive door. A uniformed maid ushered them into an office where an old man sat hunched over a desk, surrounded by piles of paper.
He stared down her grandma. “Miss Mae, what is this about my grandson needing to have a friend?”
“Now, Dan, you can’t keep the boy locked up with whatever computer game you gave him all summer. It isn’t healthy for him. You have some of the best climbing trees on this side of the state. Let him go out and play.”
The old man stared at Grandma Mae for what seemed like an eternity but didn’t move.
Grandma took a firm grip on Mandy’s shoulder and pushed her forward. “This is my Mandy. She will do him a world of good. Even teach him to fish. What do you say?”
“He doesn’t want to fish. Doesn’t want to do anything.”
“What he needs is a friend. I recall my Peter telling me tales of you needing one once.”
“That was a very long time ago.”
“I think you will find the needs of little boys haven’t changed much in seven decades.”
The old man grunted. “If it stops him from crying every night, they can play together, but if he gets worse, she goes.”
Mandy had prayed every night that Danny wouldn’t cry.
Sitting back and pulling herself out of her reminiscing, she surveyed her work. A start, but then this was the easy one.
The noise level increased outside of her door. She checked the clock —lunch, with a chaser of ibuprofen.
After retrieving her crutches from the supply closet, she went to the teachers’ lounge and popped her leftover lasagna into the microwave.
“How did you earn crutches?” The school’s football coach leaned on the counter, studying more than her foot. She had spent most of the semester dodging his advances. Didn’t spring training start soon? Or was that baseball?
“Just a lucky break.” The microwave bell dinged, and Mandy slid her food out. The room was uncommonly empty. Now she had a real dilemma—hot lasagna and crutches. “Would you mind putting this on a table?”
Coach Robb lumbered over to the table near the window. She should have been more specific as to which table. He put her food down and held out a chair for her, then took the seat next to her.
“I think the trainer has one of those scooters in the athletic room.” He reached over and touched her hand. “I am sure I can arrange for you to borrow it.”
Mandy slid her hand out from under his and picked up her fork. “Thanks, Coach.” She emphasized his title. “Do you think I could keep the kids from running off with it?”
This time he touched her shoulder. “How many times have I asked you to call me Dirk?”
Dirk the jerk. Hoping to dislodge his hand, Mandy shrugged her shoulder.
Dirk shook his head. “I doubt the kids will leave it alone. I have enough problems with the football players who need it.”
“I seem to be getting along well enough with my crutches, but if I decide I need your scooter, I’ll be sure and ask.” Mandy shoveled a too-large bite into her mouth.
“Careful there, darling. You don’t want to choke.” This time his hand found her knee.
She brushed it off and tried to scoot back but was penned in by the window and the wall. Where were the other teachers? “I need to finish something before my next class. Will you dump this for me?” At least she had an apple in her room. His fingers returned to rubbing lightly above her knee. Mandy picked his hand up and moved it back to the top of the table as one of the math teachers walked in.
The teacher raised her brows and turned to the fridge. Mandy fumbled with her crutches and stood, looking for a speedy exit, but Dirk caught her by the wrist, causing her crutch to wobble. “No reason to rush off. You barely got three bites in.”
“I really need to go. Thanks for the offer of the scooter.” Mandy hobbled out of the lounge as fast as she could. She would have felt bad about leaving Mrs. Bradly alone with Coach Robb, but Mr. Bradly was the wrestling coach, so she would be safe enough.