Chapter 1 #2
His mother, a woman in her thirties with a clipped smile and a stern expression, feels the need to explain his behavior.
“You are still his favorite teacher,” the woman says before grabbing my elbow and pulling me to the side, tossing a glance at Kailey as in ‘she better give us some privacy.’
Elisa leans closer to me, her hair and clothes bearing the sweet-sour scent of ripe tangerines.
“What just happened?” she asks, perfectly within her right to do so.
She made this party possible by speaking to someone in her family and booking this exquisite event place.
“I think you’ve heard most of it,” I say. “None of that is our fault.”
She stops me with a swiftly lifted finger.
“What are you going to do about that?”
I wish I had the perfect answer, but for the next few moments, I just express my frustration while reassuring her that things will be taken care of.
Neither of us realizes that her son has long left the bathroom and has become the quiet witness of my personal struggle.
The woman offers a few suggestions, but none of them seem to work. It’s too late, too far, or not the right person to put that Santa costume on and get in the character.
Not to say, we don’t have a costume on the premises.
The guy who was supposed to play Santa was also responsible for bringing his Santa costume to the party.
Ugh.
“What about Ezra?” A little voice drifts to our ears.
Both Elisa and I move our focus to her son while Kailey looks like a statue a couple of feet away from us.
“Who is Ezra?” I ask as Elisa seems frozen in thought, contemplating that option.
The woman squares her shoulders and starts digging into her purse, and my hand lands on her arm.
“Who is Ezra?” I ask before looking at Colley.
He answers before she does.
“He’s my cousin.”
I shift my gaze to his mother.
“Is that an option?”
Elisa’s cheeks seem carved in stone as she finally fishes out her phone and flicks her shoulders in a quiet ‘I don’t know.’
“We’ll see,” she murmurs.
Before she has the chance to use her phone, I squeeze her arm again.
“Please, tell me.”
I need to know either way. If that man is an option, I need to be able to take a relaxed breath. If he is not, I also need to stop holding my hopes high.
“We haven’t been in touch for some time. He’s family,” she says, ignoring my grip and swiping the screen with her finger.
“How old is he?”
“Nineteen.”
“Nineteen??”
She looks at me without a smile on her face.
“He’ll be perfect,” Colley says, and I shift my attention to the boy.
He seems more helpful than his mother.
“What makes you say that?”
His mother’s fingers freeze on her phone as she seemscurious to hear his answer as well.
“He’s a good guy.”
“How do you know if you haven’t been in touch with him for a while?” I ask, and the added pressure of my question makes him move his eyes to his mother as if asking for permission to speak.
“Tell her,” she says again, as intrigued as I am.
“I just know. I always liked Ezra.”
I move my focus to the mother.
“Is something wrong with Ezra?” I ask.
“No. There’s nothing wrong with him. He’s just been a rebellious teen. They all are at some point,” she says, not flinching. “The only positive is that he lives not far from here.”
That sounds great, I say to myself in my mind. Why couldn’t we hire him in the first place?
The woman just said it.
They hadn’t kept in touch much.
Overall, I have mixed feelings about this, but it’s an option, isn’t it?
Now, let’s see if he’s answering his phone.
Elisa calls someone else to get Ezra’s most current phone number before calling him.
My heart pitter-patters until someone answers the call at the other end of the phone line.
Without the slightest shift in her expression, Elisa moves a couple of steps away, seeking privacy before talking to the man in question.
I look at Kailey, who, like me, seems hopeful that things might work out in the end.
Colley touches my hand and gives me a reassuring nod.
I like this little guy.
“He’ll be down for it. Trust me.”
I smile at his choice of words.
I like his grown-up man talk.
“I trust you,” I say with a smile, and his admiring stare lingers on me.
Colley was one of my quieter students at the beginning of this year, and his mother didn’t expect much from him spending time in a community, but after a few weeks, he became more open and social.
And he truly enjoyed the time he spent in class.
His mother, as abrupt as she can be sometimes, has been grateful for my paying extra attention to him.
A few words travel our way.
“Can you do that?” Elisa asks, and hope flickers in my soul. “You can get a costume?” she goes on. “Okay. You know where to find us. We’re at Bradley’s.”
They hang up, and she turns to us with the narrowest smile on her lips.
“He’s on his way,” she says, and I search her eyes when she sets her hand on my forearm. “That’s all we can do tonight. Don’t worry. Things will be fine,” she adds in a warmer voice. “Now let’s go and greet the guests.”
Moments later, we all walk to the main room.
Crisis averted.