A Sister's Promise (Promises)

by Lenfestey, Karen

  “Let me know if there’s anything I can do,” Rhonda said, still holding her hand.

  Kate didn’t want her to let go. She looked away, resisting the stinging in her eyes. No time for that now. In fact, she saw Lily, one of her students in foster care, peering in the glass inset on her door. Kate took a deep breath, allowing herself to be soothed by Rhonda’s subtle vanilla scent. “Thanks.”

  Rhonda stood up. “Oh, I almost forgot. Mr. Mohr wants to see you. He stopped by yesterday.”

  The tidal wave of stress started building again. Rhonda may have been Kate’s direct supervisor, but Mr. Mohr, the militant principal, was the one who evaluated her.

  Rhonda left and in walked one of Kate’s greatest challenges.

  “My English teacher sent me,” Lily said. She plopped down in the chair across from Kate, replacing Rhonda’s sweet smell with the rankness of day-old sweat. Trying to be discreet, Kate started breathing only through her mouth. Lily’s red hair hung in her face, wild and matted. Kate could see the edges of what she knew was the word “Hate” tattooed across the back of Lily’s neck. Most of the teachers and all of the students kept their distance from her, which Kate suspected was exactly how Lily liked it.

  “Now, why would she do that?” Kate asked, even though she already had a pretty good idea.

  “I don’t know.” She popped her gum while staring down a paper clip on Kate’s desk.

  Kate knew Lily was taking the easy way out with this answer. If creative writing was like any of her other classes, she probably wasn’t doing her homework. “Why don’t you take a guess?”

  Lily narrowed her mud-colored eyes at her as if she were trying to decide if Kate was playing with her. Kate was fortunate because unlike the teachers, she had access to Lily’s confidential file. She knew about the abuse—no, that wasn’t the right word—the torture Lily had endured as a young child. Kate knew how Lily was locked in the closet for days without food while her mom went on drinking binges. She knew Lily’s mom poured water over her to wake her up in the morning, and she knew about the cigarette burns on her genitalia—probably from her mom’s boyfriend, according to the Child Protective Services report. Kate knew these things and she understood Lily’s antisocial behavior, as much as someone with a “normal” childhood could. She knew these things and they made her want to reach across the giant abyss to connect with her. After three years of failed attempts, she was still trying.

  Lily sat mute, challenge and defiance all around her.

  Part of Kate wanted to take Lily home and wash her hair, clip her dirty fingernails and put her in some cute Gap clothes. She would be beautiful. But Kate thought that was what Lily feared.

  “How many assignments have you turned in this semester?” Kate asked.

  Lily grunted and shrugged her shoulders.

  This was how she used to communicate with Kate. In fact, Lily used to turn the other way when she saw her in the hallway because Kate would always make a point to talk with her. Last spring, though, Lily stopped avoiding her and would tolerate brief hallway conversations. Even though it was only primitive communication, Kate felt that they had reached a huge milestone in their relationship.

  “I’m guessing not very many.” Kate sighed, unsure of what to say. “Lily, you are so smart. I wish you wouldn’t hide it.”

  She saw surprise and—what? Was that a flash of pride in her eyes? It was already gone before Lily looked down at the floor. Kate had never seen her smile. But she suspected, just for a minute, that Lily felt something. It was enough for Kate.

  “The truth is you could go to college if you would just start trying.”

  Lily stopped chewing her gum, raising Kate’s hopes that she was listening.

  “Well, I’ll tell your creative writing teacher that I raked you over the coals and you have agreed to turn in every assignment from now on,” Kate teased.

  Nothing.

  Kate sent her back to class.

  When the next student walked in, he picked up a paperback novel off the floor. “Someone left this.”

  She looked at the tattered cover. It was Dreamcatcher by Stephen King. Now she had a topic of conversation the next time she saw Lily in the hall. Kate smiled.

  Her day progressed without any breaks as she saw student after student. When the lunch bell rang, she stood up, anxious to talk to Trish. Unfortunately, two freshmen walked in, begging her to let them drop a class they were failing. The discussion lasted the whole period.

  When the final bell rang, Kate’s neglected belly rumbled. Although no students had stayed after to talk to her, she felt the pressure of her workload. A plethora of e-mails still waited for her response and her desk was a mess. She slid open her center drawer. Rubber bands, tacks, pens from the Navy recruiter and yes, four quarters and a dime. After a visit to the vending machine, she decided to track down Trish and tell her about her no-win situation.

  At the top of the stairs Kate saw Linda Cochran. The teacher had a gray streak through her black hair, which reminded Kate of Cruella De Vil. “Hi,” Kate offered. Linda looked her dead in the eyes, but did not respond. That was why Kate called her Mrs. B behind her back. The “B” stood for B-I-T-C-H. At least that was the way she acted around Kate. Kate had racked her brain trying to figure out why since she had always been nice to her. She was nice to everybody. Too nice sometimes.

  Kate walked into her friend’s classroom. Trish’s auburn hair covered her cheek as she hunched over a student at a desk, explaining a math problem. What was that girl’s name? Kate knew they had talked last spring about her best friend blowing her off to be with her boyfriend. Kate could remember her face and their discussion, so why couldn’t she remember her name? Was it a sign?

  Kate bit into her candy bar. A moment later, Trish told the student to keep working and led Kate to her adjoining office for more privacy. Stacks of papers and algebra textbooks rose up from the floor, teetering like Leaning Towers of Pisa. The desk was littered with graded tests and bridal magazines.

  The gown on the cover of June Bride had a lacy off-the-shoulder neckline and a fitted mermaid skirt, similar to the one Kate wore to her own wedding. Unlike Trish who had been imagining a big wedding ever since she heard the phrase “and they lived happily ever after”, Kate had planned on eloping—probably because she didn’t have anyone to give her away. But apparently deep down inside of Kate lived a little girl who longed to be a princess for one day. Fortunately, Joely had helped her realize that.

  As Kate’s maid of honor, Joely gracefully planned the wedding using the knowledge and resources she had gained from her own aborted ceremony. For her wedding and so many other things, Kate owed her sister. Kate’s eyes started to water.

  Now that she finally had the opportunity to talk about Joely’s illness, Kate realized she didn’t want to. She certainly didn’t want to risk a pupil seeing her lose control.

  The wedding magazines reminded Kate how desperately Trish wanted to be married. “How did your blind date go?”

  “Perfect.” Like Kate, Trish’s petite frame precluded her from wearing jeans to chaperone field trips, unless she risk being mistaken for a student. Now that a smile reached her eyes, Trish looked even more like a teenager—a teenager in love. “He just graduated from law school and is studying to pass the bar.”

  “Sounds good. But tell me what really matters—is he cute?”

  “Oh, yeah. He has sandy-colored hair that I can’t wait to run my hands through and this perpetual look on his face like he’s discovered the secret to happiness.”

  “Mmm.”

  “He asked me all kinds of questions about where I grew up, how long I’ve been a teacher, what my ultimate vacation would be. Kate, he is everything I ever wanted.”

  “That’s great. Mrs. B fixed you up, right?”

  Trish sighed. Mrs. B had been Trish’s social studies teacher when she was a Foxworth High student. Kate wished she could vent to her friend about Mrs. B’s rudeness in the hallway just now, but
Trish always felt compelled to defend her.

  “Yes, he’s her nephew,” Trish said. “Speaking of nephews, did I show you the latest addition to the clan?” Kate shook her head as Trish opened her wallet and thrust an image of a sleeping infant at her. “My sister’s new baby.”

  Kate wrestled with a smile. “And you already have two nieces, right?”

  Trish nodded. “I need to hurry up and get married so the cousins will be close together in age.”

  Sadness surged inside of Kate and her face crumpled.

  Trish put her hand on her friend’s shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

  “Joely. . . just found out. . . she probably can’t ever have kids.”

  “Oh. I’m sorry.”

  After she filled Trish in on Joely’s condition, Kate closed her eyes, trying to smother the raw emotion inside her. Joely was younger, stronger, and should’ve been healthier than Kate. She was supposed to out-live Kate. Why did everyone she love die?

  Overwhelming pain threatened to spill out of her. And then Trish’s arms were around her, providing comfort and signaling to her subconscious that it was safe to let go. She felt sobs coming and feared that once they started, they might never end.

  She pulled away. As she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, she insisted she needed to get back to work. She took some deep breaths, trying to center herself, then hurried out of the room with her face down.

  When Kate returned to her office, she was surprised to find a couple with a baby waiting for her.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “Boy or girl?” Kate feigned interest, looking at the infant in the girl’s arms. Kate never knew how to treat teenage mothers. She didn’t want to encourage them by “oohing” and “aahing” over their babies. They got plenty of that everywhere they went, she figured.

  “Girl,” she said, snuggling the baby. “Her name’s Graciella Maria. I’m Michelle and I want to enroll here.”

  Kate took her place behind her desk. “Have a seat.”

  What a shame Graciella hadn’t inherited her mom’s eyes. Michelle had short, curly brown hair framing her plump face and instead of eyes to match her hair, she possessed the most striking emerald green eyes.

  “Do you have day care arrangements?” Kate asked.

  “Yes.” Michelle pointed at the man sitting next to her, whom Kate assumed was the baby’s father. His hair sported a crew cut, making Kate wonder if he had just finished up time in the military. “He works nights, so he can watch Gracie while I’m in school. Then I’ll be home with her in the evening.”

  Crew Cut Man eyed Kate coldly as if he knew she thought he was too old for Michelle. Turning to Michelle’s sweet face, Kate tried to remember which career center classes still had room—cosmetology, auto mechanics, floral design? “What are you interested in?”

  “I like science.”

  Science? Maybe the certified nursing assistant class had an opening.

  Michelle handed her a battered folder. “I want to go to college.”

  Of course she did. A few years ago Kate wouldn’t have hesitated to put her in whatever class she said she wanted—calculus, anatomy & physiology, astronomy. But Kate had seen too many teen mothers with lofty ambitions get overwhelmed with the college-prep curriculum and quit school altogether.

  When Kate opened the folder, she was impressed to find all of Michelle’s school records. Most students that transferred in (usually kids bouncing between divorced parents) didn’t bring the proper documents with them.

  Kate examined Michelle’s transcript. “What happened last year?” She only had a few classes listed—all with dismal grades.

  “The doctor put me on bed rest and I missed a lot of school.”

  She flipped to Michelle’s marks from the previous year and was shocked. They were all A’s and B’s. How did a girl doing all of the right things end up so wrong? “Where are your parents?”

  “My mom is still in Detroit. She’s not a part of my life. Let’s just say, she was more than happy to sign the marriage consent form and get me out of the house.” She said it matter-of-factly and without a hint of bitterness.

  “Here’s what I recommend. I’ll sign you up for CNA, certified nursing assistant, training. That way when you graduate, you’ll have a marketable skill.”

  “But will that prepare me for college?”

  Kate considered her answer. “You could go to a technical school if you wanted. But the point is, you won’t have to. You’ll be ready to enter the workforce and won’t have to spend any money on tuition.”

  “I want to go to a real college. I’m not sure exactly what I want to do yet. Maybe be a veterinarian.”

  Most of the new moms Kate had worked with had no idea of the time and energy a baby required. They thought they could drop them off in daycare and go back to being normal teenagers. When convenient, they carried the babies like dolls—proudly, as if they really accomplished something by getting pregnant.

  Opening her filing cabinet, Kate pulled out registration forms for the career center. “I understand. But juggling parenthood and school is harder than you think.”

  Crew Cut Man straightened up in his chair. “Maybe she’s right. It makes sense to bypass college if you can get a great job right away.”

  Well, she wouldn’t say it was a great job. And the fact that he was on her side brought her absolutely no comfort whatsoever.

  She shuffled through Michelle’s vaccination records to see her birth certificate. The girl was only fifteen. Finding Michelle’s old schedule, Kate blurted, “Wow.” Advanced English 11, physics, U.S. History—AP.

  “I took chemistry last year but didn’t finish because of the pregnancy. The counselor at my other school put me in physics even though chemistry was a pre-requisite. It was a little hard, but the teacher worked with me during study hall.” Michelle was transferring in with an A-.

  Here was Kate’s dilemma: if Michelle took the college-prep curriculum but didn’t go to college, she would be worse off than if she had taken the career center class. If she took the CNA training, there was no way she would be prepared for vet school. “How will you pay for college?”

  “Through scholarships and loans mostly.”

  Perfect come-back. After all, that’s what Kate told students all of the time. If you’re willing to take out a loan on a car whose value depreciates over time, why not take out a loan for your own education, an investment that never loses its value?

  Her insides twisted. Finally she decided to create a schedule that would impress college admissions officers, but might be too challenging for a young mother. She hoped Michelle would prove her wrong. That a baby didn’t always derail one’s life.

  # # #

  Friday after school Mr. Mohr walked into Kate’s office, which made her stomach twist even tighter than it already was. As a new principal anxious to assert his authority, he probably objected to the amount of time Kate had taken off.

  “Feeling better?” he asked, as if he were trained to say such pleasantries, but didn’t really mean them.

  I’m not the one who’s sick, she thought, but the words would not come out of her mouth. “I’m fine, sir.” He didn’t make them call him ‘sir’, but Kate felt compelled to do so. He reminded her of Uncle Burt, who after retiring from the army, still woke at five a.m., ran several miles each day and demanded the utmost respect from Kate and Joely at all times.

  Still standing, he towered over her. “We have a couple of issues to deal with. First, Linda Cochran came to see me about you.”

  Oh, no. Mrs. B. “Really? What about?”

  “She said she e-mailed you over a week ago asking you to remove a student from her class and you still haven’t done it.”

  Kate racked her brain trying to remember. This was an example of why she nicknamed her Mrs. B. Why did she have to go complain about Kate to the principal? Any other teacher would’ve stopped by her office to see what was going on. But Mrs. B refused to speak to her. What was her problem? �
��I will get right on it, sir.”

  “Don’t forget this year’s evaluation determines whether you get tenure,” he said.

  Kate worried that he would hold Mrs. B’s complaint against her. “I remember.”

  “I expect to see you really step up to the plate. Put in extra hours. Impress me.”

  She nodded. “I will, sir.” Even though she wasn’t sure how. As soon as he left her sight, she turned off the lights and locked her office door, anxious to be somewhere else.

  CHAPTER SIX

  No warning could’ve prepared Kate for the scene that greeted her as she stood in the doorway of Joely’s apartment. Fruit flies hovered around blackened bananas on the kitchen counter and a week’s worth of unopened mail lay scattered across the linoleum. Except for the sunlight from the open door behind her, the place was as dark as a movie theater.

  “How dare you,” Joely accused, her hair wild and knotted.

  Kate’s jaw dropped. “What?”

  “What did you say to my neighbor?” Joely must have watched through the peephole as Kate chatted with the thin woman in the parking lot. “Just get in here.” She stepped aside to let Kate past.

  Joely’s hostility caught Kate off guard. Then Kate remembered how just that morning she had yelled at her poor cat when he hacked up a hairball on the bedroom carpet. Kate wanted to rage at the world and she wasn’t even the one who was sick. “I was just asking her to check-in on you every once in a while.”

  Kate leaned forward to give Joely a hug, noting that she was wearing sweatpants and a wrinkled T-shirt with no bra. She smelled like an old person—of Ben-Gay’s minty menthol.

  Joely pulled away. “She doesn’t need to know.”

  Kate decided to ignore Joely’s attitude and flipped on a light. “I brought you some books from the library.” She held up two paperbacks about living with lupus. She had left the ones with older copyright dates and more dismal overtones at home.