School Tales by Sharon Myrick

Author:Sharon Myrick
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: She Writes Press
Published: 2018-10-22T16:00:00+00:00

I am restless all afternoon after finishing my homework, waiting to hear from Sean. I drift out to the backyard to practice my golf swing with whiffle balls. I have to first unlearn those swings from yesterday, propelled by tension. That requires immense focus on breathing, relaxing muscles, body alignment, and seeing the ball from hit through flight. Gradually, the in-sync feel of driving returns to me.

Mom hollers out the back door, “Cora, your cell has been ringing for the last hour. I didn’t want to interrupt you, but it may be important.”

I run inside and pick up my phone. “Sean. Sorry I missed your calls. I was outside. How is Daniel?”

“Really shook. He’s not so much worried about himself, but he’s all wound up with guilt about adding to his mom’s burdens. He looks awful—all washed out, red eyes, doing the bouncy leg thing he does, and he seems to only hear about half what you say. And oh, the answer to your question is, he started smoking weed this past summer—not all the time, but when he feels anxious. He says it helps. He wouldn’t talk about the details of what he did, or the arrest. His attorney told him not to talk with anyone but her about the situation. She says the first thing is to get him out of juvenile detention. There will be a court hearing tomorrow. The attorney will call Chief today to ask if he will come and support Daniel.” All this comes out in one big rush.

“Take a breath, Sean,” I say calmly. “Seeing him there obviously freaked you out. Not that a guy would admit to that.”

Sean responds to this with a half-hearted chuckle.

“Seriously, though, can we do anything to help Daniel right now?” I ask. “Can I do anything to help you?”

“I don’t know. I think he’s really ashamed and worried what everyone will think of him. I realized this afternoon that despite his Mr. Mayor role and everyone liking him, he doesn’t have any real close friends besides you and me. And I don’t even know him all that well, yet. But I’m definitely going to stick with him through this. I guess just acting normal toward him will be a relief for him. I don’t know if this will become public. That would be harder on him, I think.”

He knows Daniel better than he thinks. “Okay, so let’s make a pact. We’re going to be there for Daniel, no matter what. You’re already being a great friend, Sean, in the support you’ve given him. It sounds like today has taken a toll on you too. Call me later if you want to talk more.”

“Thanks, Cora. Thank goodness I can share this responsibility with you.”

When we hang up, I compose a short text to Daniel: “You are a dynamite person and will get through this bump in the road. I’m here for you. Cora.”

I wanted to say “Love, Cora,” but people are so weird about that word. To me, it means I care deeply about your welfare.

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