Chapter 12
“I just feel like the lunch period isn’t long enough,” Ashlyn is saying.
“As soon as Jax gets his food, the period is practically over. Then he has only five minutes to shovel as much as he can into his mouth before he has to go back to class, but he never gets to finish. By the time I pick him up, he’s starving! ”
Cheryl and I nod in unison. The short length of the lunch period has been a major source of grievance among the parents. Considering how much we are paying for this gourmet meal, it seems like the children should have time to actually eat it.
Mostly though, it’s just nice to talk about something as mundane as school lunch. It was two nights ago now that I discovered my husband was leaving me for a much younger woman. I’ve spent the time wondering how I am going to salvage my family.
I don’t have any bright ideas, but on the other hand, I haven’t heard from Jeremy’s lawyer again. That gives me hope. The longer I draw this out, the more time he has to realize what a terrible mistake he is making.
“Perhaps we should meet with the principal?” I suggest. “I bet if a few of us go in to discuss the situation, she’ll listen to us.”
The truth is I couldn’t care less about the lunch situation. But there’s nothing like a good school petition to take your mind off your marital problems.
“You think so?” Ashlyn’s mascara-lined eyes light up. She loves a good confrontation. “I’ve been wanting to talk to her, but I didn’t want to do it by myself.”
“There are a bunch of other mothers who are concerned about this,” I say. “I can see at least three or four people right now.”
I scan the yard for potential allies in our battle to extend the school lunch period.
I quickly tick off a few names, and then my gaze falls on Cora Janzen, who is in her usual spot all alone at the other end of the yard.
Nobody seems to talk to her anymore, which makes me especially glad that I never told Cheryl and Ashlyn what was going on between me and Jeremy.
I don’t need to be a pariah on top of everything else.
While the three of us are coming up with a game plan, I notice an unfamiliar man walking onto the school grounds.
At this point, most of the parents look at least vaguely familiar to me, even if I don’t know their names, but this guy isn’t someone I’ve ever seen before.
He’s wearing a dress shirt and tie, and he is striding toward the school with a strangely purposeful expression on his face.
Cheryl has been talking about the school lunch dilemma, but she stops mid-sentence as the man draws closer.
Everyone is suddenly watching him. The most likely explanation is that he is a father who doesn’t usually come for pickup, but something about him makes me think that he’s not a parent—that he’s here for some other purpose.
Oh my God, what if he is a school shooter? He has a satchel hanging off his right shoulder, and although it’s fairly small, what if it is filled with semiautomatic weapons? What if he walks up to the school, forces his way inside, and starts shooting?
Well, we won’t let that happen! If he has any intention of harming our children, this group of mothers is going to show him what we’re made of.
Except the man isn’t heading for the school building. He makes a turn, and now he’s striding in the direction of the waiting parents. In fact, he is coming right toward us.
Ashlyn and Cheryl tense up beside me. “Who is that man?” Cheryl wonders out loud.
“I have no idea,” I murmur.
The man walks past Cora and all the other parents, although everyone’s eyes are following him at this point. He finally comes to a stop in front of the three of us, and by now, my heart is practically beating out of my chest.
He looks straight at me, his hand on his satchel. “Are you Naomi Roth?”
My legs have turned to liquid. What does this man want with me? Cheryl and Ashlyn are gawking at me as I squeak out, “Yes?”
The man reaches into his satchel. For a split second, I am certain he’s going to whip out a gun. But instead, he pulls out a manila envelope and holds it out to me. “You’ve been served,” he tells me.
What?
I take the envelope from him because I’m too stunned not to.
Now that he has done his job, the man turns around and walks off school grounds.
He wasn’t here to harm our children. He’s not a school shooter.
He is a process server, and I just got served with my divorce paperwork. In front of the entire school.
I almost wish he had shot me.
“Naomi?” Ashlyn says. “Is everything okay?”
“Uh-huh,” I manage, although everything is very clearly not okay.
Thankfully, the school dismissal bell rings, and it’s time to get the kids. Cheryl and Ashlyn are only too happy for an excuse to get away from me. They are my closest friends, but they clearly don’t want to be associated with whatever drama went down today.
I am still clutching that envelope as I walk over to the front of the school to get Teddy. I want to toss it in the garbage, but it’s clear at this point that Jeremy has no intention of abandoning his plans. I have to take this seriously.
Except I genuinely don’t know what to do next.
Teddy comes racing out of the school, slightly off-balance from the weight of his monstrous backpack.
I wonder how many rocks he has in his bag today.
I remember complaining about all the rocks when I was talking to Jeremy a few weeks ago.
This is a big problem, I told him. He just shrugged, which makes sense, because he knew that very soon we were going to have much worse problems.
“Mommy, Mommy!” Teddy pipes up. “Can I go play at the playground with Jax?”
After the way Ashlyn was looking at me a minute ago, the last thing I want to endure is a playdate with her and her son. “We’re sort of busy today.”
“No, we’re not,” he protests. “Today is the only day that I don’t have any lessons or sports, and you said I could have a playdate!”
“Right, well.” I clear my throat. “We’re busy.”
“Doing what?”
I look over at Ashlyn and Jax. Jax seems to have the same idea as Teddy, and he is pointing frantically in our direction. But Ashlyn is shaking her head and pulling him away.
“I think Jax is busy,” I say instead.
“No, he’s not.”
“His mother told me they have to do something.”
“What?”
“I don’t know,” I say through my teeth. I still have fond memories of the time before Teddy was able to speak.
“But I want a playdate,” he whines. “You said I could!”
That’s true. After I was unable to obtain the Legos or the fun bedspread for his room, I have been desperate to do anything to show Teddy that I am fun and worth spending time with.
But right now, I would give anything to just be able to go home, have a glass of cheap wine, and sob over the contents of this manila envelope.
Just as I am trying to figure out how to explain this to Teddy, I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn around, and Cora Janzen is standing behind me, holding her son’s hand. She tucks a strand of her platinum-blond chin-length hair behind her ear as her eyes bore into me.
“Hi, Naomi,” she says. “I was just wondering if Teddy would like to come to the playground with Zack.”
“Yes,” I say gratefully. “He definitely would.”