Homecoming Day

Laura tore some lettuce and put it into a huge wooden bowl. “There’s something about her, isn’t there?”

“She reminds me of me,” he admitted.

“Really?” She seemed surprised at the comparison.

Seth remembered what it felt like to think no one cared, to believe he had no future. “She’s in pain. I’m no psychiatrist, and I don’t know why, but I can see it. And I understand it, too. Every day since Allie died, I’ve hurt. It’s like this gaping wound that scabs over, but the scab keeps getting ripped off. It’s stupid things. Like holidays.” Christmas was less than a month away. That was one of the most excruciating holidays. But all of them were hard.

“A certain song,” Laura added. “The smell of his cologne as you walk through a store.”

Seth nodded. “Going out on a starlit night…Allie loved the stars. She could name all kinds of constellations and would point them out to me and tell me their stories. I’ve never been able to see them like she could. When the scab comes off, it leaves me bleeding again. Makes me feel so alone. I see that in JT.”

“Jay and I used to fight about the remote. Not really fight. It was one of those couple’s mock-battles. We’d laugh as we jockeyed for control. Now, every time I pick it up, I wish he was here. I’d…”

She didn’t need to finish the sentence because Seth got it. “Both of us understand pain and loneliness. Maybe that’s why we’re so drawn to JT and her problems.”

“I hadn’t thought of it that way.” Laura looked thoughtful.

“I know why we hurt…we’ve both lost people we love. I’m not sure why she maybe feels this way. But I think when we figure that out, we’ll be able to figure out how to reach her.”

“So, we’re allies?”

Seth liked the term. “That’s a perfect way to describe us. Allies. For JT’s sake.”

“I’ll talk to her teachers on Monday and maybe we’ll have some clue.”

“Maybe the school’s counselor?” he suggested.

“I can give it a try.” She paused. “Thanks for this.” She waved her hands between them. “Defining us as allies. It makes me feel better.”

He must have looked confused, because Laura continued, “I’ll confess, I haven’t let myself really think about it, but in the back of my mind, I thought maybe you were here because of Jay’s dad.”

“He’s not the reason. He did ask me to let him know if you needed anything, but was actually very specific about not wanting me to feel like I was in the middle. He didn’t want me spying on you. We’re allies. He’s my boss. They’re two different and distinct relationships.”

Laura seemed relieved. “Good. Thanks. You can tell him that I don’t need anything from him or his wife. You can assure him of that.”

Whatever was between the chief and Laura, it was clear that it ran deep. “Pain and anger. You, me and JT—the three of us seem to have it in spades. Hopefully, we’ll figure out what caused JT’s and help her get past it.”

Was there hope for them, as well?

THE BABY’S ROOM WASN’T completely done, but, with Seth and JT’s help, it was close. Laura went into school on Monday with some of her old optimism. She would find a way to help JT. She got a copy of JT’s schedule in the office, and one-by-one, tracked down her teachers.

JT’s science teacher handed her a stack of worksheets that JT could do for extra credit. JT’s math teacher, while not offering up glowing comments did say that she did well with the pre-algebra questions in class, but she struggled with word problems.

Her French teacher said her spoken vocabulary was above average, but her written knowledge of the language was almost nonexistent and she gave Laura some flashcards to work with.

Laura found JT’s English teacher at her desk during the her lunch break. She didn’t know Debbie Lutz well. Debbie was older and had a different clique of teacher friends than Laura did, but they’d always been on good terms. She knocked softly on the open door to draw her colleague’s attention. “Hey, Deb.”

Debbie set her sandwich down and motioned Laura in. “Laura. Did you need something?”

Laura took the chair next to Debbie’s desk, grateful to be off her feet. “I’m here to talk to you about JT Thomas.”

Debbie grimaced. “What did she do now?”

“Nothing. She’s serving detention with me and I wanted to get a feel for her schoolwork, and thought we could sort through a few of her problem areas.”

“Well, I’m glad you only intend to work on a few of them, because if you intended to work on all of them, it would be a full-time job. The girl is one of the most uninspired students I’ve ever had—she’s belligerent, insufferable, rude…”

Laura felt herself bristle at Debbie’s obvious dislike of JT. “Fine. You don’t like her. But my question is, what can I do to help her succeed in English?”

Debbie shrugged. “Nothing. She’s hopeless.”

“So, that’s it? That’s your teaching plan? Write her off before she’s even reached the end of her first term of her freshman year?”

Debbie nodded. “Exactly. You’re young and still idealistic, but take it from someone who’s been teaching longer than you—sometimes there’s nothing you can do for a student. Then the best thing to do is to cut them loose and concentrate on the students you can help.”

Laura rose to her feet with more ease than she had in months. Her anger-induced adrenaline fueled her mobility. “I am not that young or that idealistic. Any idealism I once had died six months ago with my fiancé. And even now, at my most jaded, I would never write off a student. It’s lazy, Debbie. If that’s truly how you feel about teaching, maybe you should consider retiring before you do any further damage to the students.”

Debbie stood as well and looked as if she was winding up for a response, but Laura didn’t wait to hear it. She was too angry. Too…

She stormed out of the room.

Her adrenaline, though, could only take her so far. Still, she made her way to the teacher’s lounge and found a dark-haired stranger pouring herself a cup of coffee. “Bad day?” she asked.

“No,” Laura snapped and realized this poor stranger had nothing to do with Debbie Lutz’s lack of professionalism. “Sorry. It’s actually been a productive day. Fine, even. The last few minutes, not so much.”

Laura sank into a vacant chair and forced herself to take a deep breath and calm down.

The woman nodded and joined Laura at her table. “Trouble with a student?”

“Sort of. It led to talking to a particular teacher whose attitude was far more troubling.” She extended a hand. “I’m Laura Watson.”

“Eli Keller.”

“Eli?” The name niggled at her. “Possibly related to Lieutenant Seth Keller? He mentioned an Eli.”

“He’s my brother-in-law. You know him? He mentioned me?”

Laura felt it was probably better for Seth if she didn’t repeat his comment comparing his pregnant sister-in-law Eli to the equivalent of a house.

“He’d mentioned you’d had a baby.” Laura patted her own huge stomach. There, that was diplomatic. “But he didn’t say anything about you taking a job here.”

“I’m not. I run the teen parenting program in Whedon. I’m here for a meeting with the other directors. They’re in the next room talking. I’m supposed to be on a bathroom break, but stopped in for this.” And she waved her cup. “I’m surprised that Seth even mentioned me at all.” She shook her head as if realizing she was talking out of turn and changed the subject. “So, what teacher had you so annoyed?”

The fact that Eli didn’t work here made Laura feel more comfortable asking advice from her. “I have a student, a freshman. She’s been in nonstop trouble since September. I went to ask her English teacher about her and…” Remembering the conversation made Laura’s blood boil. “She told me the girl’s a lost cause and I should let it go. Well, I won’t.”

Eli frowned. “I work with pregnant girls and teen moms. Their parents, teachers and classmates think of them as lost causes. I won’t. I’m there to help them stay in school, find whatever resources they need to make that happen. After they graduate, I try to encourage them to continue their education at colleges, or tech schools. That’s our job. To teach. To prod. To do whatever it takes so our kids succeed. Never mind this teacher. Be there for your student. Be ready to lend an ear, a hug, or to kick butt if need be.”

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