Chapter Eight – Tell Her Who You Are

The annoying sound of chirping birds woke Jeanette from a deep slumber. Five a.m. had no business showing up this early. Eyes closed, she groped for the digital clock on the nightstand. Her hand slapped the snooze button before snuggling further under the covers.

After taking her shower last night Jeanette texted Alonzo her number. He immediately responded. For the next hour they’d texted back and forth. In the quietness of her apartment, she found the freedom to be sassy and flirty, which Alonzo seemed to enjoy by his saucy responses. Before ending their playful bantering, Alonzo asked her out on a real date Saturday night. When she declined because she had to work, Alonzo smoothly suggested bringing dinner to her place after she finished her shift.

The alarm sounded again signaling her five minutes of snoozing was up. Pushing back the covers, Jeanette sat up slowly, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. She should’ve taken her behind to sleep after she showered and waited to text Alonzo her number in the morning.

Stretching her arms above her head, Jeanette smiled. Most mornings she woke up drained from a lack of sleep, never having a reason for giddiness. Today was different. A fine Afro-Cuban was the reason for her first smile of the day. She closed her eyes, remembering Alonzo’s sexy grin. A delicious shiver ran down her spine giving her the jolt she needed to get her day started.

By six fifteen a.m., Jeanette was downstairs in the school setting cereal bowls on the table for the children’s breakfast. Once that was done, she placed two mugs on the counter and filled the electric tea kettle with water. Gloria would be arriving in another thirty minutes or so. Each morning the women enjoyed a cup of tea while they briefly discussed the day’s lessons before the bulk of the students arrived.

The rickety intercom on the wall buzzed. Upgrading to a speaker-monitor system was one more thing added to the long wish list of items not wanted but needed. Jeanette rolled her eyes when she pressed the button and heard nothing but static.

“Hello, who’s there?”

“It’s me, Nathan, Miss Jeanette.”

Her second smile of the day warmed her heart. She adored the four-year-old boy, but could do without his hound dog of a father. The fact that he was engaged to Nathan’s mother didn’t stop him from coming on to Jeanette. And when she called him out on it, the creep had the nerve to laugh.

“Baby, I’m still a single man,” he boasted.

“Who’s engaged to a really nice woman. With a kid who happens to be my student,” Jeanette politely reminded the parent.

She was tempted to rat him out to his fiancée but feared they would pull the child out of the school. Jeanette kept her mouth shut and kept her distance. Only dealing with him when necessary. His fiancée would find out sooner or later what she was dealing with… if she didn’t already know.

Jeanette focused on Nathan as she stood on the other side of the glass door. She gave him a big smile as he excitedly waved, waiting for her to let him inside.

“Hey there, Nathan. Give me a hug.” She stooped down for the child to wrap his arms around her neck. Thank goodness Nathan’s father didn’t say anything. Not even a hello that made her skin crawl. Instead, his attention was straight ahead.

“See you later, little man,” was all he said before heading out.

Curious, Jeanette’s gaze sought to see what was keeping him on a tight leash. In the passenger seat of the silver Acura sat Nathan’s mother. The women shared a friendly wave as the vehicle pulled off.

Jeanette stifled a snicker. Hound dog must’ve gotten caught with his nose sniffing where it didn’t belong.

Nathan’s mom never accompanied his father for drop off. She usually picked the child up in the evenings. Whether he was caught or not, Jeanette was glad for the reprieve from his constant sly remarks.

“Are you hungry, Nathan?”

“Yes, Miss Jeanette.”

“Hang your things in your cubby hole.”

Obediently, Nathan did as he was told while Jeanette went into the kitchen. A few seconds later the toddler joined her and took a seat at the table. Jeanette reached for the Honey Bunches of Oats, Nathan’s favorite. Her attention was drawn to her cell phone buzzing on the counter.

“Can I open the box?” When Jeanette smiled at the child, he grinned at her, correcting himself. “May I open the box?”

“Great job. Yes, you may.”

She handed Nathan the miniature cereal box before heading to the refrigerator for milk. Nathan quickly, but neatly opened the box. His little fingers swooped up the three pieces that missed the bowl, falling on the table. He shoved them in his mouth and crunched loudly.

“Thanks, Miss Jeanette,” he said after she poured milk over the cereal.

“You’re welcome.”

Gloria entered and made her way to the closet. “Good morning, Jeanette and Nathan,” she greeted while hanging up her coat.

“Good morning, Auntie,” they responded in unison.

Jeanette picked up her phone from the counter. “Auntie, I’ll be right back. I have to get something.”

Heading to Classroom B, Jeanette tapped the screen on the cellphone with her thumb. Her heart did a double beat.

            Good morning, sweetheart. I hope you slept well.

            Morning, I slept ok. Why are you up so early?

            I’m an early riser. Sorry I kept you so late.

Jeanette sat in the blue, plastic chair behind her tabletop desk. Last night she sensed Alonzo was keeping her somewhat at arm’s length, especially when she asked certain questions. His responses were vague when he talked about his parents. If he hadn’t revealed his softer side as the night progressed Jeanette wouldn’t have given him her number or a second thought. No matter how fine he was she could do without the moody-brooding type.

Alonzo was showing his gentler side again with his apology. Her thumb hovered over the phone before she texted her response.

            Don’t be sorry. I liked being with you.

            Same here, sweetheart. Can I come by after work?

            Why?

            I want to see you.

            You’ll see me Saturday.

            I want to see you tonight.

            LOL, you’re spoiled!

            Yeah…may I see you?

            Ok. I have to get back to work.

            See you, sweetheart.

            Bye, Alonzo.

At the sound of the buzzing doorbell, Jeanette stood and hurriedly looked through the stickers in the red basket on her desk. Nathan loved dinosaurs. She tore an orange one off the roll to reward him for correcting his grammar. Plucking up the phone from the desk she put the device on silent mode. Children had to be taught. And Alonzo was a decadent distraction. If he texted her again, she didn’t know if she’d be able to resist the temptation to respond. The students deserved her full attention. With that thought, Jeanette went on about her day.

The morning routine was peacefully easing along until the class bully decided to shake things up. During reading circle time the children were sitting like little angels listening to Jeanette read them a fascinating book on how ants stored food for the winter.

Handyman Skip rapped on the classroom door signaling he was done re-caulking the drafty windows in the kitchen. In the fraction of the few seconds Jeanette had glanced up to acknowledge Skip, Stormy Marshall pinched Mya on the arm. The injured child let out a blood-curdling scream, scaring the daylights out of Jeanette. Dropping the book on the worn carpeted floor she rushed over to the child.

 “What happened?”

Nathan scrunched up his face and pointed to the girl sitting next to Mya. “Stormy did it.”

Stormy’s nostrils flared, resembling an angry bull. “I did not! You better shut up, Nathan! Before I punch you in the nose!”

Poor little Nathan withered, his accusing hand falling in his lap.

Another child came to Nathan’s defense. He too pointed at the bully. “You did too, Stormy. I saw you!”

Gloria rushed inside the room. Peering over the top of her glasses she demanded, “What’s going on in here?”

Jeanette pulled the hurt child onto her lap and gently rolled up her sleeve. The skin where Mya had been pinched was already beginning to bruise. 

“The children are saying Stormy pinched Mya.”

Gloria leveled Stormy with a stern gaze. “Stormy, come with me.”

“I didn’t do it!”

When Gloria glared at the child again the little girl stood. Stormy deliberately elbowed any child not quick enough to get out of her charging path. Jeanette sent up a silent prayer, glad the child was out of her hair for now.

With the children down for their naps Jeanette and Gloria sat at the bistro table in the kitchen corner. Jeanette lifted a steaming cup of blueberry tea to her lips. It was too hot to drink so she set the mug back on the table.

“Auntie, what are we going to do about Stormy? This is the fifth time she’s deliberately hurt a child. Mya’s mother was upset. And I can’t blame her.”

It had taken Jeanette twenty minutes, time she should’ve been teaching, to calm the parent down. She was too afraid to tell her aunt that Mya’s mother had threatened to withdraw the child. Jeanette hated that she had to beg her not to take her daughter out of the school for fear of the financial repercussions it would cost to lose a student.

“I told Stormy’s mother after today she couldn’t bring her back. It’s like she doesn’t care that her child is a holy terror. She called herself trying to tell me off when I told her Stormy needs to see a child psychologist.”

Jeanette laughed. Gloria was no nonsense and not afraid to tell parents what was on her mind.

“What did you tell her, Auntie?”

“I told that woman she needed to worry about her child being dismissed from three schools in the last year because of her aggressive behavior toward other children. And not how cute she dresses her in those fancy clothes.”

Gloria picked up her mug, bringing it to her thin lips. She shook her head before taking a sip.

“That woman is in denial. She kept trying to convince me it must be the other children picking on Stormy because she doesn’t act that way at home.”

Jeanette’s mouth dropped open in disbelief. “Isn’t Stormy an only child?”

“I told you the woman was in denial. She can’t bring that child back here.”

For the first time, Jeanette didn’t fret about losing a child. “Auntie, bless you.”

“Don’t bless me just yet.”

Oh no, Auntie. Jeanette let out a whiny groan, her eyes pleading with her aunt.

“I did tell Ms. Marshall if she sought professional help for Stormy, we would consider reinstating her.”

“Auntie…please…” Jeanette would lose her mind if that child was allowed back in her classroom.

Gloria didn’t say a word. All she did was smile before sipping her tea again. Jeanette knew that meant Auntie’s word was final.

“So how was your date with that handsome young man?”

For the third time that day Jeanette found a reason to smile.

***

Jeanette placed her lesson plans for the upcoming week in the green folder before sliding it to the upper right corner of the desk at the sound of the chiming doorbell. She checked her reflection in the heart-shaped mirror on her desk a student had given her last Valentine’s Day. A tinge of the mauve lip gloss she’d put on earlier was still in place. She was good to go.

Alonzo stood outside looking sexy as ever in a deep-brown leather jacket with a matching baseball cap pulled down, concealing as much of his face as he could. He nodded in the what’s up gesture to two guys headed down the street toward the barbershop on the corner. One of the guys elbowed the other before he looked over his shoulder. Alonzo breathed a sigh of relief when his friend nonchalantly shrugged, not impressed.

The mid-fall evening chill rushed inside, sending shivers through Jeanette when she opened the door. It felt like the temperature had dropped ten or so degrees cooler than earlier in the day.

She grabbed his hand and tugged him forward. “Get inside. It’s freezing out there.”

“It’s not cold. It feels good out there. We should go for a walk,” he teased, bringing himself so close he could smell the soft scent of her perfume. She smelled of magnolia, sandalwood, and lavender.

Alonzo laughed when Jeanette scrunched up her face.

“No, thank you. I detest the cold. I’d rather be somewhere on a beach in the sun.”

“Ditch work this weekend and let’s catch a flight to the Bahamas.”

Jeanette sucked her teeth. “Boy, you play too much.”

There wasn’t much room between them and the door. Jeanette moved cautiously to avoid brushing against him as she locked up.

“So why did you want to see me?”

Alonzo slid his hands into his jacket pockets. He didn’t know how to tell her she fascinated him. Not necessarily her pretty looks… Well…that was part of it. He was intrigued by her passion for what she did for a living. Most women who crossed his path were trying to make it in the modeling or film industries. Or the “let me see if I can marry a professional baller” industry. Yes, there was an industry for that too.

Over dinner the night before he took pleasure in seeing her eyes light up when she talked about her students. Alonzo also noticed how they dimmed when she spoke about not having adequate resources for the children. Introducing the young minds to computer technology was accomplished by her spending fifteen to twenty-minute sessions with two students on her laptop at a time. Whereas other schools were able to provide tablets for each child to enhance the learning experience.

He understood how a passion for something you loved doing day in and day out could consume you. There was a time when baseball was his everything. Lucky for him, his career choice had been lucrative. A sense of guilt tormented him. He had amassed millions playing ball, meanwhile she and her aunt were struggling to educate young minds. Again, he asked himself where was the justice in that?

“I think what you’re doing here is incredible. My sister Teresa was labeled a slow child. She didn’t have teachers like you and Tía who were patient with her. Instead of helping her, they pushed her along. She wasn’t diagnosed with dyslexia until she was in the fourth grade. Once my parents learned what the problem was, they were able to get her the help she needed …”

Alonzo readjusted the baseball cap on his head, letting his words trail off.  He wanted to help. Wanted to jump in his truck and head to the nearest electronic store to buy tablets for every child. But he knew Jeanette’s pride would not allow her to accept anything from him if he pulled out his checkbook.

“Are you okay, Alonzo?”

“Yes, my mind wandered for a minute thinking about my sister,” he smoothly lied.

“I’m sorry. How’s Teresa now?”

Though he smiled, it wasn’t cheerful. What a loaded question. With extra help and hard work, Teresa had done well academically, graduating high school and college with honors. It was her personal life in turmoil that had him worried about his baby sister.

“She has degrees in business and fashion design.”

Jeanette wouldn’t pry because she didn’t know him well enough. There was something else about Teresa he was holding back.

“That’s wonderful, Alonzo. With early intervention children diagnosed with dyslexia can do well. I’m glad for her.”

“I’d like you to meet Teresa one day. I think you two would get along. Do you mind giving me a tour?”

She tried not to put much thought into him wanting her to meet his sister. Did that mean he was interested in her? Wanted to date her? Why else would he want her to meet a family member?

And he wanted to take a tour of the school. She gazed at Alonzo through a new lens. She thought he was only being polite listening to her chatter on and on about the school and her students.

“Are you serious?”

Her knees buckled when he grinned at her. “About meeting Teresa or giving me a tour?”

Meeting your sister! “Taking the tour, of course,” she said, trying to regain her balance. “Most guys steer far away from the idea of children.”

“I’m not most guys.”

Alonzo didn’t know what came over him when he stepped forward, closing the gap between them. The heat radiating between their bodies was sure to spark a flame. He reached out and grasped one of her twists close to her scalp between his fingers. As he slid the cord of silky, textured hair between his fingers, stretching it to its full length, he locked eyes with her. “I happen to love children.”

Oh, Lord. Jeanette felt lightheaded when his knuckles almost grazed her nipple while pulling on her twist. She wanted to weep when he let go of her hair and took a step back. Wanted to scream for him to get back here!

Still holding his gaze, she agreed in a soft whisper, “No, you’re not like most.”

Reluctantly, she retreated another step, needing to break their heated connection. Shaking off whatever that was, Jeanette snapped back to her senses. Spreading her arms wide as if the clean, but shabby area was a grand entryway she launched into tour guide mode.

“As you can see this is our reception area where we receive our students bright and early each morning.”

Alonzo chuckled.

She gave him the side eye playfully demanding, “What’s so funny?”

 Alonzo shook his head, reminding Jeanette of Kenneth. An adorable, yet one of her most mischievous students who was constantly getting caught sliding his carrots onto Penny’s plate.

“Uh, nothing. Continue on.”

 Imitating Gloria peeping over the top of imaginary glasses, Jeanette glared at Alonzo. “Very well. Please try to behave yourself, Mr. Castro.”

The playful command made him laugh again.

She pointed to a pair of tattered, cloth-covered gray chairs against the wall. “Our lovely lounge is where parents wait in comfort to receive their children after a splendid day of learning.”

Jeanette beckoned him with a curl of her finger. The gesture was playful and flirty.

“Follow me, Mr. Castro.”

Alonzo grinned as he trailed behind her—his eyes glued to her swaying hips—into the first room on the right. He was getting a kick out of seeing this playful side of Jeanette. He could tell her students adored her, especially if she was this much fun while she taught them. If things worked out between them, he would love to visit the school while the students were in attendance.

The room was bathed in light when she flicked on the switch. “This is my classroom.”

Though her classroom wasn’t fancy it was neat, clean, and colorful. She and her students took pride in their learning space. On the open spaces on the walls the girls decorated the area with multi-colored butterflies, balloons, and flowers. Spaceships, planets, and rockets were the boys’ contribution.

Each season Jeanette encouraged the children to come up with a theme for their wall art. She never stifled their creativeness. If their art didn’t go along with the season, no big deal. As long as there was an opportunity for learning. Though the curriculum was structured she allowed flexibility, so the children could take part in the learning experience. She found when she gave them the freedom to select a topic they did exceptionally well when tested.

Another requirement for her students was that they have fun while learning. Laughter from her little ones kept Jeanette motivated, loving every minute of what she did.

In the center of the room were three square tables large enough to accommodate four chairs at each table. A chalkboard hung on one wall and a bulletin board on the opposite wall. Alonzo smiled.  Handwritten on the chalkboard was rojo in red chalk, blanco in white chalk, and azul in blue chalk on the left side of the board. And on the right side “uno, dos, tres” was written. Next to each number were circles equivalent to their value.

“Look at you, teaching the babies Spanish. Good thing you met me ’cause sweetheart, you’re crusty-rusty,” he teased.

 Jeanette laughed because he was telling the truth. Even if things didn’t go beyond a friendship, hopefully, he would still be willing to help her improve her Spanish.

“Shut up, Alonzo. I started teaching them a couple weeks ago. My goal is to get them counting up to at least ten, all the primary and secondary colors, and proper greetings by the end of the school year.”

 Although he was joking with her, she could tell Alonzo was impressed by the slight nod of his head. She walked over to the opposite side of the room. “And this is our color theme board. I let the children take turns picking a color.”

This month’s color was orange selected by Andre. Oranges, pumpkins, carrots, flowers, yarn and a cat were scattered and overlapping on the board. It was obvious the toddlers had expressed their ingenuity. Alonzo chuckled at the cat with a missing tail.

He walked over to the bookshelf. The book he reached for was old and looked to have been read a thousand times. He gingerly put it back in its place before heading to the back of the room. The pale cream wall held photos of the children in hand-painted popsicle stick frames with their names underneath. His eyes slowly scanned each child. That uncomfortable pull in his chest happened again when his eyes landed on the photo of Jeanette sitting on the floor Indian style with the children gathered around her.

“Cute kids.”

The way Jeanette blushed, Alonzo would have thought all six of the smiling faces biologically belonged to her.

“They are cute,” she said over her shoulder on her way over to her desk to get the folder with next week’s lesson plans. Her day wasn’t over just yet. Once done down here she was going to get out of her clothes, take a shower, make a cup of mint tea, and get started on the plans she should’ve done the night before.

Folder tucked under her arm, Jeanette walked over to the picture wall where her eyes landed on Stormy’s photo. She was a beautiful child. Too bad her mother ignored the troubled road the child was headed down, refusing to get Stormy the professional help she needed. Sending the child from school to school was putting a band-aid on the problem.

“As cute as they are, they can sometimes be a handful.”

Alonzo squinted at the pictures. “Let me guess.” He pointed to Joey who had an impish grin on his handsome little face.

“No!” Jeanette playfully swatted Alonzo’s hand from the picture. “Joey is a good little guy.”

She wanted to rat Stormy out but knew that wouldn’t be the professional thing to do. “I’m not telling which one of these darling angels gave me a few gray hairs today. Come on. I’ll show you the rest.”

Alonzo followed her to the classroom next door where Gloria taught kindergarten. And then she showed him the quiet room. Pint-sized cots were neatly arranged resembling a miniature army barracks.

“This is where the children have nap time. Or if they’re not feeling well, we let them rest in here until a parent comes to pick them up. Check this out.”

Jeanette turned off the lights. Stars and a large quarter moon glowed bright yellow in the dark on the ceiling.

“That’s cool.”

She turned the lights back on. “Twice a year we have a Sleep Beneath the Stars sleepover for the students.”

“You stay here all night by yourself with the babies?”

His concern was heartwarming. Each time he referred to the students as babies, Alonzo proved himself to be date worthy.

Jeanette shook her head. “No. Two friends I went to college with are teachers too. They volunteer to help. Another friend I went to grade school with is a cop in our district. Whenever we host a sleepover, he and his partner patrol the area.”

Satisfied with her answer, Alonzo nodded. It bothered him that she might be there alone with the children. “That’s good. I’ll volunteer the next time you have one.”

Jeanette’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Are you serious? Don’t play with my emotions, boy.”

He grinned. And she melted.

“I’m not playing. Name the date and time of the next one and I’ll be here.”

Before she could stop herself, Jeanette flung herself into his arms. Alonzo picked her up so they were eye to eye and their lips mere inches apart.

“Thank you, Alonzo.”

He didn’t answer her with words. He leaned in until their lips met. The kiss was slow and sweet. Jeanette released a soft moan of regret when the kiss ended. Alonzo didn’t disappoint as he leaned in again, coaxing her mouth open with the tip of his tongue, bringing heat with the next kiss. This time when the kiss ended, Jeanette let out a soft satisfied sigh.

Alonzo rested his forehead against hers. “You’re welcome.”

His tongue stung from the bite that kept him from uttering, “Anything for you, sweetheart.”

“I think we should get back to the tour,” Jeanette murmured, not meaning a word of it. Another kiss would’ve been far better than showing him the rest of the school.

Alonzo wanted to protest as he released her. She felt that good in his arms. He followed her, maintaining a slight distance between them to keep himself from dragging her back into his arms.

She showed him a storage area that once was a classroom room for the three-year-old students when the school was thriving. The kitchen and dining area where the children ate and meals were prepared was tidy and clean, but in desperate need of new appliances.

Alonzo worried for the children’s, Tía’s, and Jeanette’s safety when he asked how the building was secured and Jeanette pointed to the ancient intercom system hanging on the wall.

“You’re joking. How’s that old thing going to keep you safe?”

The location of the school wasn’t in the worst area of the city. Nor was it in the best area. The neighborhood had its share of low-level crime.

Jeanette bristled, she could feel her face growing warm. His tone hadn’t been malicious, just direct. Too direct for her liking. Why did he have to open his big mouth? The easygoing vibe between them shattered like icicles on asphalt. 

“Excuse me?”

Alonzo removed his baseball cap to rub his hands over his close-cropped head before putting it back on. He had to get his thoughts together before speaking again. She and her aunt were doing the best they could with what little they had. Without thinking, he had hurt her feelings with his blunt criticism.

His keen eyes had picked up on the areas of the building that needed work. Anyone who paid attention would notice the constant dripping of the kitchen faucet, the water stain on the ceiling from an old leak, the draft coming through the original windows, and the faded paint on the walls. He wouldn’t allow his mind to dwell on the outdated books and toys. To top it off a dangling intercom on the wall was responsible for their safe keeping.

Alonzo took her hands in his. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude, sweetheart.”

Jeanette slid her hands from the warmth of his touch. She crossed her arms over her chest, turning her head from his gaze to hide tears of frustration and embarrassment. Although she was angry with Alonzo, it wasn’t his fault. Here she was parading around like a proud peacock with the school literally crumbling around them.

His reaction to the raggedy, sometime-working, sometime-not-working intercom had stung. She wondered what else he was disgusted with? There certainly was enough for him to pick from. The whole rickety building needed bulldozing. Auntie was always talking about God will make a way. When? Didn’t He see the harder they tried to keep their heads above water the faster they were sinking? God, where are you?

“You don’t have to be sorry. It’s true. Everything around here is falling down, falling apart. I don’t know why we keep trying so hard to keep this dump open.”

Alonzo pulled Jeanette into his arms. He was pleased she didn’t resist like he thought she might.

“Sweetheart, you work hard because you love what you do. You work hard because you love those babies that come here every day.” He kissed her forehead. “Let me help you and Tía fix this place up.”

The fact that he hadn’t known Jeanette for more than a week wasn’t lost on Alonzo. His offer to invest thousands of dollars to renovate the school was something he wanted to do simply because he had the means. And because the children would benefit the most. He refused to believe it was because he was madly attracted to their sexy teacher.

“But I don’t—”

He gently held her away. The light touch of his finger against her lips prevented whatever protest she was gearing up to present.

“I know you don’t have the money. I know some people who would be willing to donate their time and materials.”

“Are you sure?” Jeanette asked, praying this wasn’t a dream and that God had finally heard her prayers.

Tell her who you are. Ignoring his inner voice, Alonzo held her in a tight embrace.

“Yes. I’m sure, sweetheart.”

Later. I’ll tell her later.

Can’t wait until next episode?