Terrence was always early for school, and today was no exception. His mother dropped him off 10 minutes early every day so that she wouldn’t be late for her job. Olivia, Terrence’s mother, had just obtained the position of legal secretary at a law firm in town.
Little did Terrence know that his early arrival would result in him coming face to face with his fourth grade teacher, bawling his eyes out at a wooden desk that was ridiculously too small for his adult body.
Terrence tried with all his might to make no sound while he tip toed to the coat closet to hang up his jacket. Unfortunately, he banged his tow on the door, and that was that. Urie was startled by the loud thump; he suddenly lifted his head up from sobbing and stared at Terrence, who was stunned by his teacher’s tear stained face. Now it was Terrence’s turn to look like a radish, it was certainly a fine day for radish impersonations.
“Well, hello Terrence. I didn’t see you there.” Urie said as he hastily wiped the tears from his face. “And how are you this morning?” He asked trying his hardest to put a lighthearted tone into his voice.
“I’m fine, um…I…” Terrence began, and then he realized that he had nothing to say. Well, that wasn’t exactly the case. He could have said I’ve never seen a man cry before, which was true. The fact was, Terrence hadn’t been around many adult men in his short life. Terrence’s mother was a single mom. The only males Terrence had regular contact with were the mailman, and his long haired cat, Garfunkel. The mailman didn’t get too emotional about the mail one way or the other, and Garfunkel hardly ever blinked, so it seemed highly unlikely that tears would flow from his furry face.
“I um…forgot something outside. I’ll be right back.” Terrence said slowly, and with that he crept out of the classroom door and exited as if he were trying not to wake a sleeping child.
As he closed the door behind him, he stepped out into the hallway and came face to face with Harry. Harry’s wide eyes stared at Terrence with fear. There was something about this boy that made Harry a little uneasy, and it was an exceedingly difficult task to make Harry uneasy. It was Terrence’s calm that made Harry’s stomach twirl. Unlike most children who interacted with Harry, Terrence was not afraid. He peered into Harry’s black eyes with curiosity, not fear. All at once Harry knew that Terrence knew that Harry wasn’t crazy.
“Thank you!” Harry said to Terrence after he had this realization.
Terrence raised his eyebrows in confusion and said:
“Um…you’re welcome?” And then let out a little giggle. Harry let out a chuckle. They both sighed a sigh of relief. And Harry said:
“Come here, I’d like to show you something.”
***
This is part 10 of my story, A Taste of Wool. I will be posting a new part each Wednesday, as a part of Wool Wednesdays. To read part 9, click here.
