“Mollie, how about you?”
She looked at me a little bit like a deer with its eyes caught in the headlights.
I nodded. “Can you show us your picture?”
She stood and came to stand next to me holding her picture up, but not saying anything.
“What’s this?” I asked pointing to a couple on the paper.
“Gammy and Poppy.” Again, she spoke so softly, I barely heard her.
“That’s your grandma and grandpa?” I asked.
She nodded.
“And this person?”
“My daddy.”
“Mollie doesn’t have a mommy,” a child called out. It seemed like it was said more as a matter of fact than out of meanness. Still, Mollie stiffened next to me.
“What’s he doing?” I asked, ignoring the comment.
“He works on the ‘puter.”
I remembered Angela asking him about his work and his response that he worked from home in marketing. It seemed like the ideal situation so he could be available for Mollie.
“And this?” I pointed to a picture of a round item.
“Pie.” Mollie leaned against me. “I made pie with my gammy.”
I smiled. “I like pie. What kind is it?”
“Cherry.”
Inwardly, I snorted and wondered if cherries would now forever make me think of Will and the weekend he popped mine.
“This is the pool where I live.” Mollie surprised me by speaking without being asked.
“Do you like the pool?”
“I want to be a mermaid.”
I smiled.
“Mermaids live in the ocean.” Another child called out.
Mollie looked at me. “I don’t like the ocean.”
“I don’t see why mermaids can’t live in a pool. It’s water, isn’t it?”
Mollie’s lips quirked up slightly.
The rest of the day I worked to stick to the students’ regular schedule, but I knew I’d probably change it up, even if it took a while.
By the end of the day, I was exhausted, but very pleased and happy. After I got my group of kids on the bus and Mrs. Hatcher got her group to the parent pick up loop after school, we cleaned up the classroom for tomorrow.
“Thank you so much for your help today, Ms. Hatcher. I feel like it went well, but perhaps you have some insight for me?”
Her eyes narrowed as if I was speaking a foreign language. “It went just fine.” She paused for a moment. “I am paid. I’m not a volunteer. You don’t need to thank me.”
That took me off guard. “Just because someone is paid doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be appreciated.”
“No one has ever included me in activities. Or thanked me,” Ms. Hatcher said as she got ready to leave.
“As I see it, we’re in this together.”
She smiled, the first real one I’d seen from her all day. “It’s nice to feel appreciated. And you did a wonderful job. I’ve never seen Mollie Mathers smile before. And Joey Wallace has never been so well-behaved.”
“Thank you.”
She nodded and headed out the door. I was packing my bag getting ready to leave myself when Mrs. Snyder came into the classroom.
“How did everything go today?”
“Very well,” I said.
“I noticed you talking to Mr. Mathers this morning. What was that about?”
Oh god, could she tell that I’d been naked most of the weekend with him? “He was sharing some concerns he had about Mollie.”
“Yes. He’s an attentive father, but a little overprotective.”
“Mollie does seem withdrawn in class.”
“Sometimes children carry the fears and worries of their parents. He’s a good parent considering—”
“Considering?” What the heck did that mean?
“Well, he was quite young when he became a single father. He’s built his life around her, which is admirable. But perhaps it’s too much? He’s still young and hopefully, he’ll find a better woman and marry her.”
I frowned. Did she really think Will needed to marry for Mollie to have a better life? What did she mean by ‘better’? What was Mollie’s mother like? “I don’t know their family history.”
“Mollie’s parents were never married, but I believe her father would have married her mother if she hadn’t run off. Apparently, she relinquished her rights, wanting nothing to do with either of them.”
Ouch. No wonder Will was so against commitment.
“But a little girl needs a mother. Maybe not at this age, but as she gets older.”
“It sounded like she’s close to her grandmother.”
Mrs. Snyder nodded. “Yes, but that’s not really a mother, is it?”
It sounded old fashioned to me, but I nodded.
“Well, I’m glad it went well.”
“Yes. It was a great day.”
When Mrs. Snyder left, I finished packing up my things and headed home. I wondered what Mollie told Will about her day at school. While she probably wouldn’t gush about her day, I did get the sense that she enjoyed it.
As I approached my condo door, I saw a paper hanging on it. I studied it and laughed. On it was a picture of a man, a little girl, the ocean, and cherries. There was also a note, “We’re having mac and cheese. Want to join us?”
He was inviting me over for dinner. I didn’t know what to make of that. Because he’d made a picture similar to the one I’d had Mollie make, I decided he just wanted to thank me that she’d had a good day. That’s all it could be, because, for one, Will was clear he wasn’t into relationships, and two, the school policy was that I could be fired for seeing a student’s parent. It’s possible a friendly dinner was out of bounds too.