12
Thursday morning at the day-care center was an eye-opener. After all the positive notes she’d made the night before, Carrie found herself questioning whether she was truly cut out for this. Every child at the center seemed to be having a very bad day. Even the unflappable Julie and Lucy seemed to be at their wit’s end. And even at their worst, the children who passed through Carrie’s house on a regular basis had never been this out of control. Or maybe it was just that here, there were so many more of them, all needing attention and discipline at once.
As Lucy tried to calm two sobbing children and Alicia took charge of three more who’d been throwing food at each other just seconds before, Julie and Carrie took the instigators of the trouble to Julie’s office for a supervised time-out.
“I am so disappointed in you,” Julie said, looking into each little face as they sat across from her at her tiny desk with its overflowing piles of folders. Jaws wobbled and eyes filled with tears.
Carrie knew they deserved Julie’s harsh words, but she felt so bad for the three of them. It was hard to believe that just minutes ago they’d been hurling fruit and taunts at children even younger than they were.
Though she knew she ought to let Julie handle it, she couldn’t seem to stop herself from asking, “Reed, you started it. Can you tell us why?”
Big blue eyes met hers. “Bailey was being mean to Javier. He said bad things about his mom. Bailey said Javier’s mom didn’t even know who his dad is. And that they weren’t real Americans.”
Carrie heard Julie’s sharp intake of breath and barely managed not to visibly react herself.
“Javier, is that true? Is that what Bailey said?” Julie asked gently.
Julie had filled Carrie in on the story. Javier’s mother had come here legally from El Salvador years earlier with Javier’s two older siblings to join his father. After Javier’s father had brought them here and before Javier was even born, the man abandoned them. His mother worked two jobs to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. She pitched in at the center whenever she had the time to help pay Javier’s fees. And, though legally documented to remain, she was studying hard and working through the process to become a citizen.
With Julie holding his gaze, Javier finally nodded, his expression sad.
“It is not true, what he said. I know who my father is and I am American,” he said with a touch of proud defiance.
Julie came around the desk and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. “I know, sweetie. I’ll deal with this.” She turned to Reed. “I appreciate your wanting to stand up for your friend, but next time, just tell me and let me handle it, okay? You saw how quickly things got out of control. Someone could have gotten hurt.”
“I promise,” Reed said solemnly.
“You’ve been coming here a long time,” Julie continued. “I count on you to look out for the littler kids, but not like this.”
“Okay,” Reed said. “I just knew it was wrong and I didn’t like it. Bailey shouldn’t have said something like that.”
“No, he shouldn’t have,” Julie agreed. “I’ll deal with Bailey. Carrie, you want to take these troublemakers out onto the playground and shoot some baskets with them while I have a word with Bailey.”
“Absolutely,” Carrie said.
“I can watch everybody,” Reed protested.
“You probably can,” Julie agreed. “But rules are rules. Nobody’s on the playground without an adult present.”
With the chaos now under control and its cause determined, Carrie felt better. Being outside in the fresh air and working off some of their aggression in a more positive way was just what they needed. She couldn’t help wondering, though, if she’d have been as quick as Julie to recognize that. Or if she would have been so incensed by the racial profiling by a child too young to even know what that meant, she would have been on the phone telling off the parents.
“What if I’m no good at this, after all,” she murmured to herself as she followed the three boys outside.
“Hey, Carrie, do you want to play, too?” Reed called out with a grin that reminded her of Davey.
She recognized a challenge when she heard one. “You’re on,” she said at once, then stole the basketball from his grasp and made a quick shot.
The three boys stared at her in amazement.
“Still want me to play?” she asked.
“You bet,” Javier said, his tone heartfelt. “You can be on my team.”
“How come?” Reed demanded. “I’m the one who asked her.”
“Yes, but I’m the shortest,” Javier replied reasonably. “I need the help.”