"She did what?" Jon tried to stay focused on the road, but the sudden call had distracted him. He adjusted the bluetooth headset in his ear so he could hear better.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Stone. I guess Roger doesn't know her own strength." That was Lynn Matthews, the kindergarten teacher. "One of the boys pulled her hair, and she pushed him down. He had a pretty bad scrape on his elbow. I'm afraid you'll have to come down here to pick Roger up."
"I'm on my way," Jon said. He cursed as he hung up the phone, then pulled his BMW into a nearby parking lot to turn around. He was just a couple miles from his old house... his old life. It seemed as though every time he saw an opportunity to get close to it, his current life popped up and got in the way. He knew it was such a cliche, but he had to admit: being a mom was a full time job.
If the clack-clack of his pumps wasn't a constant reminder of his endless predicament, the spring air against his nylon-clad legs certainly was. And it was times like this, when he was stressed out, that he noticed even more. He entered the school and found his way to the main office. Ms. Matthews was waiting inside, along with Jon's pouting father. Jon didn't bat an eye at the purple leggings and Hello Kitty tunic the man was wearing; he'd seen the outfit before.
"Ah, Mrs. Stone. Thank you for coming," Ms. Matthews said. Jon looked at Roger, who averted his eyes and kept pouting.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Matthews," Jon said. "Roger's never done something like this." He looked at his sullen father. "What to you say?" Jon asked sternly.
"I'm sorry," he said plaintively.
Jon took his father's hand and led him down the hall and out the door, his head hanging the entire time. Roger hopped into the back seat of Jon's car, and they started off towards home. Moments later, the silence was shattered when Roger began sobbing, out of the blue. Jon slowed down and looked at his bawling father in the rear view mirror.
"What's wrong, sweetie?" Jon asked. He may have gotten used to the outfits, but he still never adjusted to seeing his father cry like a little girl.
"It's not fair! I was jus' tryin' to give Tommy a pretty flower I picked and then he pulled my hair and it really hurt and I pushed him 'cause it hurt. Then he started to cry and bleed. I didn't mean to hurt him, mommy, but he hurt me first an' he didn't even get in trouble!"
Jon tried his best to be comforting. "I know honey. Boys can be mean sometimes. And sometimes it seems like they get away with too much. And you shouldn't let them push you around." Actually, now that Jon thought about it, he was kind of proud of Roger for defending herself. "Just try not to be violent. Next time, get a grownup to help."
"Okay mommy." Roger's outburst ended almost as quickly as it had started. He sniffled a few times, then added, "By the way, Mommy, I think you look really pretty today."
Jon sighed. He had to find a way back to the stone.
