I can’t help but laugh at his panic, but I shake my head and put him out of his misery. “Nah man, don’t worry. I’ve agreed to do this talk at my old school so I thought I’d dress the part.”
Des breathes a sigh of relief and then that shit-eating grin returns to his face. “How old are these kids? Because if I recall correctly, you fucking hate kids!”
“I don’t hate kids!” I protest. “They just creep me out, that’s all. It’s like they’re looking into your soul with their beady little eyes.” I can’t help the shudder that ripples through me.
Des begins to laugh hysterically, and I’m about to end the call when he calms down and brings the phone close to his face.
“Do you want my advice, brother?” he asks, suddenly deadly serious.
“Fuck, yes,” I reply.
“Okay. Number one, show no fear. Kids are like dogs, they can smell fear. If you go in there sweating bullets and looking like you’ve shit your shorts, they’ll eat you alive.”
“Thanks, man. That’s not very fucking helpful,” I grumble.
“Number two, no F-bombs. Lock that shit down because if one of those bad boys slips out, you’re in big trouble with the teacher,” Des advises, wagging his finger at me.
“Well, I certainly don’t want that,” I growl under my breath, thinking about how pissed Livi would be if I swore in front of her little angels.
“And Number three, if all else fails, show them your diver’s knife. They’ll go bonkers for that shit.”
I finally feel a little more at ease and let a nervous laugh rumble through my chest.
“They’ll be so amazed by you that you’ll have them wrapped around your little finger,” Des says, finally sounding sincere. “And if the teacher is cute, just flirt with her, and she’ll keep them under control.”
“Ha, that’s a plan,” I reply, wiping my sweaty palms on the blanket so I don’t stain my pants. “Look, I’ve gotta be in there by ten, so I’m gonna go.”
“Go get ‘em, tiger,” Des laughs, giving me a thumbs up.
“Fuck you,” I laugh good naturedly and end the call.
With one last deep breath, I grab my phone and my backpack and head into enemy territory.
Chapter 8
Olivia
“Miss Olivia, when is the Army man coming?” Bethany asks for the millionth time.
I reach down and smooth down her frizzy orange hair. “He’s not from the Army, honey. He’s in the Navy, and he’ll be here after recess. Can you go and finish your picture so it’s ready for when he gets here?”
“Yeah, okay,” she replies in a sulky voice, stomping back to her little table and plopping down into her chair.
Since I announced Jake would be coming in, the kids have been so excited, they ask me at least every three minutes when he’s arriving. They’ve worked so hard drawing pictures of ships and what they think a Navy SEAL looks like. And yes I’ve been asked countless times if he is a real seal and whether they need to fill the wading pool with water and get some fish for him. I figure I’ll leave Jake to explain what SEAL stands for, but the evil part of me has done little to manage their expectations that a real seal will be coming to class.
“Okay everyone! One, two, three, eyes on me!” I clap my hands three times to get their attention, and all the children stop to look at me. “We need to wash our hands and get our snack ready, so put away your pictures and markers, and let’s go.”
The children clear away quickly, excited for snack and recess. When I’ve helped them find their apples and bananas and tied countless pairs of sneakers, I send them outside and rush to the teacher’s lounge for a well-earned cup of green tea.
The kindergarten class has their recess a little earlier than the rest of the school, so the lounge is empty except from Principal Vega, who’s pinning a sign-up sheet for the charity car wash to the notice board.
“Hey Livi,” she says cheerily when I enter. “The children are so excited for their visitor today. How did you manage to bag a Navy SEAL?”
I laugh self-consciously and dip my tea bag into the hot water in my favorite cup. “Oh he’s a family friend. He served with my brother and is home on leave.”
Jess reaches over and squeezes my arm reassuringly. Even though she’s relatively new to town, she knows about my brother and how hard it is for me to talk about him.
“Well, it’s a fantastic experience for the children, and I swear I’ve never seen the faculty so excited,” Jess chuckles.