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Authors: Fiona Wilde
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you.”
Finally, Walt had had enough. “Keep that up, young man, and you’ll find yourself taking a trip to the woodshed before school. Got it?”
“Yes, sir,” Aidan promptly replied, and Polly felt her face flush. She completely understood the child’s fear of getting spanked by his father. She had the same fear, and still couldn’t get her mind around the fact that she was subject to the same correction as his children.
Aidan and Kerry were bundled up now, and she did the same. It had stopped snowing, but the sky was still dark with pregnant clouds, and when she stepped outside, the snow came up nearly to her knees. Walt carried Kerry, who would have floundered in the drifts.
Someone had already lit a fire in the school’s potbelly stove. The one-room building was warm when Polly walked in with Walt and the kids. Several other adults were dropping off their children. The parents filed out as she walked in, lingering just long enough to make sure she had taken note of their icy stares.
“This isn’t going to work, Mr. Springer,” she said.
“It will,” he said. “Let them have their moment of indignation. It won’t last. This is overall a very forgiving community. You’ll see.”
Polly sighed heavily. She wasn’t really sure. If she’d just broken the radio, it would have been bad enough. But she’d almost cost one of the members and her baby their lives. If she were part of a community as close as Pepper’s Hollow, how easy would it be to forgive a stranger who had done something so reckless?
But she couldn’t think about it, at least not while she was teaching her students.
“All right, everyone, let’s take our seats!”
“Everyone’s not here yet!” Aidan protested.
“Doesn’t matter,” Polly said. “School starts at 8:30. It’s 8:30 now. Pull out your primers and pick up where we last left off with reading. I may be giving a pop quiz today, so pay attention to your material.”
Aidan and the boy beside him groaned but obeyed. Polly wondered if it was because Walt was still in the room, no doubt lingering close by to diffuse any tension that may arise between her and the parents. She walked over to him.
“Hey, I appreciate your walking over here but I’m sure you’ve got better things to do.”
He shook his head. “It may be easier–”
“No,” she said, cutting him off. “The only thing that will make this easier is for me to do what you said I had to do, which is to just let things take their course. I’m going to have to take my lumps on this, and on my own. If you stick around to run interference, that’s just going to make the people here resent me more.”
Walt nodded and reluctantly pulled on his cap. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll be by after school to pick up the kids.”
“Or I could just walk them home,” she offered. “We’re going the same way.”
He looked past her. “Aidan has asked me to come.”
She glanced over her shoulder. The boy was her first lump, obviously.
“Very well,” she said. “See you at three.” As he opened the door to leave, Polly saw Benjamin and Willow Criner come in with young Peter in tow. Walt looked back at her, his expression silently asking if she really wanted him to go. She motioned for him to keep going as Peter and his family walked in.
“Ms. Perkins.” Ben Criner’s tone was formal and cold. Willow’s mouth was a tight line as she helped her son out of his coat and admonished him to behave himself that day.
“I’m almost always good, mama,” he said. “I try to tell you but nobody believes me!”
“Peter.” She walked over and the boy hid behind his mother’s skirt. Polly knelt down. Come here, please.”
The boy looked up at his mother, who hesitated a moment before indicating with a curt nod that he should approach his teacher. Peter walked over, his eyes uncertain.
“Peter,” she said, taking his hands. “The other day, I did something really bad and really stupid. I almost let you
Finally, Walt had had enough. “Keep that up, young man, and you’ll find yourself taking a trip to the woodshed before school. Got it?”
“Yes, sir,” Aidan promptly replied, and Polly felt her face flush. She completely understood the child’s fear of getting spanked by his father. She had the same fear, and still couldn’t get her mind around the fact that she was subject to the same correction as his children.
Aidan and Kerry were bundled up now, and she did the same. It had stopped snowing, but the sky was still dark with pregnant clouds, and when she stepped outside, the snow came up nearly to her knees. Walt carried Kerry, who would have floundered in the drifts.
Someone had already lit a fire in the school’s potbelly stove. The one-room building was warm when Polly walked in with Walt and the kids. Several other adults were dropping off their children. The parents filed out as she walked in, lingering just long enough to make sure she had taken note of their icy stares.
“This isn’t going to work, Mr. Springer,” she said.
“It will,” he said. “Let them have their moment of indignation. It won’t last. This is overall a very forgiving community. You’ll see.”
Polly sighed heavily. She wasn’t really sure. If she’d just broken the radio, it would have been bad enough. But she’d almost cost one of the members and her baby their lives. If she were part of a community as close as Pepper’s Hollow, how easy would it be to forgive a stranger who had done something so reckless?
But she couldn’t think about it, at least not while she was teaching her students.
“All right, everyone, let’s take our seats!”
“Everyone’s not here yet!” Aidan protested.
“Doesn’t matter,” Polly said. “School starts at 8:30. It’s 8:30 now. Pull out your primers and pick up where we last left off with reading. I may be giving a pop quiz today, so pay attention to your material.”
Aidan and the boy beside him groaned but obeyed. Polly wondered if it was because Walt was still in the room, no doubt lingering close by to diffuse any tension that may arise between her and the parents. She walked over to him.
“Hey, I appreciate your walking over here but I’m sure you’ve got better things to do.”
He shook his head. “It may be easier–”
“No,” she said, cutting him off. “The only thing that will make this easier is for me to do what you said I had to do, which is to just let things take their course. I’m going to have to take my lumps on this, and on my own. If you stick around to run interference, that’s just going to make the people here resent me more.”
Walt nodded and reluctantly pulled on his cap. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll be by after school to pick up the kids.”
“Or I could just walk them home,” she offered. “We’re going the same way.”
He looked past her. “Aidan has asked me to come.”
She glanced over her shoulder. The boy was her first lump, obviously.
“Very well,” she said. “See you at three.” As he opened the door to leave, Polly saw Benjamin and Willow Criner come in with young Peter in tow. Walt looked back at her, his expression silently asking if she really wanted him to go. She motioned for him to keep going as Peter and his family walked in.
“Ms. Perkins.” Ben Criner’s tone was formal and cold. Willow’s mouth was a tight line as she helped her son out of his coat and admonished him to behave himself that day.
“I’m almost always good, mama,” he said. “I try to tell you but nobody believes me!”
“Peter.” She walked over and the boy hid behind his mother’s skirt. Polly knelt down. Come here, please.”
The boy looked up at his mother, who hesitated a moment before indicating with a curt nod that he should approach his teacher. Peter walked over, his eyes uncertain.
“Peter,” she said, taking his hands. “The other day, I did something really bad and really stupid. I almost let you
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