Left In Good Spirits by Anne Pleydon

Author:Anne Pleydon [Pleydon, Anne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781999173708
Publisher: Anne Pleydon
Published: 2019-07-11T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

IT IS MID-DAY AND Kenny stops in the Rotunda. She nods to the staff at School Control then pauses by the furniture. She stands with arms folded facing the yard. The Unit 2 boys are on the field. Tiny flurries of snow are in the air and a thin layer of frost on the ground. The air is cooler now but half of the boys have peeled off their institutional sweatshirts to play in short-sleeved t-shirts to distinguish teams. One staff supervises on the sidelines. Another is playing on the short-sleeved team. There is more passing than rushing. The football is lobbed great distances at each play. These boys can catch well and some run very quickly, losing their footing sometimes on the slippery grass.

Mr. Baird enters the Rotunda from the cottage wing. He stops by School Control to chat for a bit, leaning on the desk. He then makes his way to Kenny’s side. Kenny is aware of him from the moment the fob was swiped. Her lungs have to work harder to push her breath in and out when he is around. It is as though her body is sensitive to molecules of air disturbed by his presence in her vicinity. Baird stands with arms folded beside her. It is an institutional stance to stand and stare. Anything moving is everyone’s business in a jail and it is always tracked by someone or something. It is not rude to stare here. It is what’s done. The boys on the field know they are being watched. Bodies standing with arms folded and eyes watching them from the Rotunda is so common the boys would not think twice about it.

“Whoa, who is that? Is that Michelin? He’s got an arm,” Kenny says, to break the silence.

“He’s alright,” Baird says.

“Are you kidding? He threw all the way to the other end of the field.”

Baird does not respond. She knows he is disinterested in what the boys do on outdoor rec. She has spoken to him about it in the past and he simply says that when there is something organized, there is less chance for a fight, and that’s all he cares about. He has told her that vigorous physical activity during rec increased the chance of more quiet time on the unit for him to do paperwork.

“I love watching them play football in the snow.”

“Some of the staff are good and do things with the kids out there and get a game going,” he says.

“It’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.”

He looks at her. “You really need to get out more.”

“Shut up.” She smiles and pushes his arm. She wonders if Baird is as aware as she is in that moment that she has never touched him before. For once, it appears he is at a loss of words. He turns to walk away and she calls after him, “Bye. People say, bye.”

Kenny watches Baird disappear toward the hall to Front Control. She steps up to the OIC office and sees McDonough on the computer.

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