“What’s wrong with Dad?” Dana responded.
Dana heard the clicking of the lock and stepped back, and Jennifer opened up the stall door. She was a tall girl, already going through puberty, with long brown hair and round eyes the color of chocolate.
They were reddened from crying, and she rubbed at them like a much younger person.
“He’s dead!” she bellowed.
Her voice echoed through the bathroom, startling Dana slightly. Jennifer ran into Dana’s arms and hugged her at the waist. She pressed her face in Dana’s stomach and began to shudder with grief.
“What happened, Jennifer?” Dana asked in her singsong tone, which made a lot of kids comfortable.
Jennifer spoke into Dana’s blouse, some of the words muffled.
“They said there was an accident,” Jennifer said through tears. “They said I have to stay with Rebecca forever! Forever!”
Jennifer howled inside the bathroom. Dana stroked her hair, trying to comprehend exactly what was going on.
“Okay, sweetie,” Dana said. “How about we go talk to the counselor? Hmm? Ms. Hanson is very kind and can help you sort out how you’re feeling …”
Jennifer abruptly pulled away, her face swollen with anger and hours of crying.
“I don’t believe them!” she bellowed.
Dana held her head in her hands, continuing to stroke her hair. Her voice was high-pitched, making Dana cringe instinctively as the sound boomed through the tiled walls.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“When accidents happen, the police come, don’t they?” Jennifer said, wiping snot from her nose with her shirt sleeve. “My aunt said it was an accident, but no police came to talk to me!”
Dana felt like she was in way over her head but maintained composure despite everything.
“I don’t know, honey,” Dana said.
She stepped away and crouched slightly even though Jennifer was almost at her bust line. The little girl looked like a child due to her loud weeping, but also like a girl much older because of her logic and rage.
Dana began to rub her arms as she continued to shake.
“Let’s head over to the counselor; we can help you feel better,” Dana said.
Jennifer ignored her by beginning to scream through tears.
“Rebecca is a liar! She just wants my dad's money! She just lied because she wants his pension and life insurance!”
Dana didn’t remember knowing anything about a pension or life assurance at twelve, but Jennifer was mature for her age. Being alone can age a person in ways they never wanted to.
“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Dana said, standing.
She wanted to ask Jennifer why she was thinking those things, but she thought it was just the cloud of teenage hood hovering over her eyes.
Plus, she would unconsciously look for someone to blame for her father's death.
Dana led her by the hand down the hall to the main office. They met with Ms. Hanson, and before Dana left to return to her class, she touched Jennifer’s shoulders again, which still shook with anger and sadness.
“Everything is going to be okay, all right, Jennifer? Talk to Ms. Hanson, and we can talk later. We will figure this out together.”
Jennifer gave Dana the look of a much older woman. It reminded Dana of herself as she turned without a word and walked into Ms. Hanson’s office, already on the edge of another cry fest.
Dana felt a gross, oily sensation in her stomach. It wasn’t just the empathic sadness for her student but something else entirely. Her intuition was kicking in, and it made her feel ill for the rest of the day.