Aspire Magazine: Inspiration for a Woman's Soul.(TM) Oct/Nov 2018 Aspire Mag Full Issue | Page 37
“Hello,” he said, listening to the voice on the
other end. “Yes, she’s here.” He replaced
the receiver and looked at me. “Your mother
is in the office to take you to your dentist
appointment.”
Confused, I gathered my books and headed
to the school office. It couldn’t be my mother;
she was in Florida. I didn’t correct Mr. Kulick
because I didn’t ever draw attention to the
fact that I was motherless. My grandmother
hadn’t mentioned an appointment, or, if she
had, I’d forgotten.
To my shock, it was my mother in the office.
She stood on one side of a high counter,
chatting with the school secretary seated
behind it.
My heart thum-thumped. “Mom?” My voice
came out in a squeak.
My mother moved like lightning, grabbing my
arm and pushing me toward the exit. “We’re
going to be late. Hurry!”
My mind raced with questions. Why had my
mother come to school? Did my dad know
she was here? Could she take me? Silently,
I slid into a rental car. I’d barely closed the
door when she accelerated and raced out of
the school lot.
When we arrived at the elementary school
that my brother attended, my mother finally
spoke, “Wait here. I’ll get Johnny.” Shortly,
she returned, gripping his arm as she’d done
CONFUSED, I
GATHERED MY BOOKS
AND HEADED TO THE
SCHOOL OFFICE. IT
COULDN’T BE MY
MOTHER; SHE WAS
IN FLORIDA. I DIDN’T
CORRECT MR. KULICK
BECAUSE I DIDN’T EVER
DRAW ATTENTION TO
THE FACT THAT I WAS
MOTHERLESS.
I sat in Mr. Kulick’s algebra class, struggling
to understand the formula scrawled on the
blackboard. The black phone hanging on the
wall rang, interrupting my teacher’s instruction.
A look of annoyance creased his face.
mine and steering him toward me. “I’m taking
you to live with me in Florida.”
Johnny wrenched his thin arm away from
her. “No! I don’t want to go.” He looked at me,
his blue eyes flashing unasked questions.
He spun on his heels and scampered back
to the building.
My mother paused for a beat, shocked by my
brother’s refusal. By the time he reached the
school entrance, she had gunned the engine
and sped away, driving pell-mell toward the
Philadelphia Airport. As she maneuvered the
car down I-95, she chattered away. “I have
an apartment. There’s only one bedroom,
but we’ll move to a larger place so you can
have your own room. Tomorrow, we’ll go
shopping to get you some clothes and get
you registered at the local school.”
I sat in silence, worrying the fraying cloth
on my three-ring binder. Did I want to
go back to Florida? Would my dad and
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