by Rob Buyea
“It’s his fault for asking us to act like adults when we’re just kids,” I said, restating Mom’s argument. “Whereas, if he had taken the responsibility out of our hands by making us stop playing rough, then there probably never would have been a snowball thrown.” I looked at Mom.
“That’s right, exactly,” she said.
“Well, I think that makes about as much sense as Dad and his airheaded bimbo.” Our car swerved. Mom was in shock. We hadn’t spoken about Dad in a while, but he and his stupid girlfriend boiled to the surface of my upset feelings. Plus, I have a strong vocabulary and could have probably selected a nicer word for her, though I doubt I could have chosen a more accurate one. “So now if Mr. Terupt gets better, he’s going to get in trouble. Is that right, too?”
“Not necessarily,” Mom said. “And watch your language. Besides, to say airheaded and bimbo is a bit redundant, though I’ll agree, the new woman in your dad’s life is a real floozy.” The car slowed and Mom pulled into our driveway. She put the car in park and turned it off. I undid my seat belt. “Jessica, I’ve spoken to Mrs. Williams and to some of the other parents and adults at school on several different occasions. We’ve been talking because we’re worried about how you’re all dealing with this. Nobody wants to see Mr. Terupt get in trouble, including Mrs. Williams and the school. Everyone knows he’s a great teacher. We all just want him to get better.”
Mom leaned over and gave me a hug. I hugged her back.
“You know, Terri told me the other day that Anna asked her if their situation is her fault.”
“Anna’s fault?” I said. “Of course it isn’t.”
“Exactly,” Mom said. “And I hope you know what happened between your father and me is not at all your fault, either.”
I needed to hear that. I hugged her again, but I didn’t say anything because talking would have made me cry. And Mom was quiet, too—I think for the same reason. Quiet love filled our car.
june
Jessica
Final act, Scene 1
Welcome to the last day of school, where there’s music and movies and games, singing and laughing and smiles all around, cakes and cookies and fun for everyone. At least, this is what the last day of school is supposed to encompass. Ours didn’t. Crying wasn’t anything I had ever experienced on any last day of school, but crying was what I felt like doing, and I know I wasn’t the only one. We had held tremendous hope for our teacher to be with us by the end of the school year—but he wasn’t.
I keep wondering about the Mr. Terupt I don’t know. I’ve thought a lot about it since that day in the waiting room. Everyone likes Mr. Terupt, but nobody is that close to him, except for Ms. Newberry. But even she hopes to get closer. Part of me thinks that it’s not just him they’re all concerned about, but us, too—because they know we’re the ones who are really close to him. But how can I even say that, or think that, when I don’t truly know him? Maybe it’s because it doesn’t matter how well we know him. We love him.
I haven’t talked to anyone else about this, not even my mom. I want to, but what’s the point—he’s not here. Mr. Terupt didn’t make it.
Alexia
I went to see Teach last week and like, the nurses said they were doing something and that I had to come back. I was mad, but I didn’t really think anything was up.
Now I’m beginning to wonder if maybe something’s going on. Mrs. Williams and Ms. Newberry are definitely acting strange. Like, Mrs. Williams is way too perky—humming to herself and talking with silent nods to Ms. Newberry, who’s been poking her head into our room one too many times today. I’m beginning to wonder if Teach woke up. And like, they’ve been keeping it a secret so that they can surprise us. I’m telling ya, something’s up.
Danielle
Dear God,
I don’t want to be mad at you, but I am. You haven’t listened to my prayers. If you had, Mr. Terupt would be here. We need him. Why didn’t you give him back to us?
anna
Mrs. Williams makes me mad. Our whole class is feeling terrible, except for her. She seems happy—walking around with that bounce in her step. I even heard her humming at one point, but she quickly stopped when she realized I had noticed. Is she really that happy to get this year over with? Then the thought hit me: Does she know something that we don’t?
LUKE
No Mr. Terupt. Suddenly things changed drastically for me. I’d kept believing that he was badly hurt and would recover, but now that the year is over, the thought of him not making it seems very real. I’m scared.
Jeffrey
I don’t know what’s going on with Mrs. Williams, but I want to punch her. This is the worst day of the year, and I see her wink at Anna. “What’s the matter with you?” I want to scream at her. I don’t care if she’s the principal. “In case you didn’t notice, Terupt’s gonna die!” I want to yell that at her, too. But I keep all my anger inside. Don’t you dare wink at me, lady.
Jessica
Final act, Scene 2
All day long I fought back tears, and now tears streamed down my face. I couldn’t believe it. Mr. Terupt made it. He was here. He was okay.
We rushed out of our seats. Our bodies pressed together in a giant class hug.
“I missed you,” he said.
“We missed you, too,” we shouted.
“I love you guys,” he said, bending down to our level. He looked at each one of us and hugged us one by one. He hugged me.
“I love you, Mr. Terupt,” I said. The words danced out of my mouth.
“I love you, too, Jessica.”
We hugged some more, and then Mr. Terupt spotted Peter. Peter hadn’t been part of the hug. He was still sitting in his seat—probably too scared to move, too frightened to think what Mr. Terupt might do or say to him.
Mr. Terupt stood up and walked over to Peter. We watched, and he taught us like he did every day we were with him. He showed us how to forgive.
LUKE
Mrs. Williams spoke up. “Boys and girls. I do have one announcement before I leave you with your teacher.” She smiled. “The school board has decided that next year will be an experimental year. We’re going to try looping in one classroom.”
“What’s that?” Anna asked.
“Looping is when a class and the teacher move on to the next grade together,” Mrs. Williams said.
It got quiet fast. Real quiet. Hold-your-breath quiet. Was everybody wondering the same thing? I looked around. Jessica smiled and nodded at me.
“Boys and girls, next year your class will be looping,” Mrs. Williams said.
“With Mr. Terupt?” Anna asked.
“Yes,” Mr. Terupt answered.
We jumped and screamed and hooted and hollered. I saw Mrs. Williams heading toward the door. I ran over to her.
“Mrs. Williams,” I said as she was about to leave.
She turned around. “Yes, Luke?”
“Thank you,” I said. Then I felt a sudden quietness behind me. The rest of my class stopped and took notice of Mrs. Williams.
“Thank you, Mrs. Williams,” voices called.
She looked at Mr. Terupt. I was close enough to hear her say, “There’s magic in this room with you here, Mr. Terupt. Magic.” She hugged him and left.
Alexia
Teach made it. He like, showed up on the last day with no warning. It was the biggest surprise ever. Everyone ran over and hugged him. Then Teach went over and hugged Peter.
I liked Teach so much when he did that. It made me think of the day he took me out in the hall. Teach knew how to be nice. He didn’t, like, say one thing and do another. Not Teach. After things calmed down, I went up to him.
“I’ve, like, been being nice now, Teach,” I said. “You’d be proud.”
“You’ve always been nice, Lex,” he said. “You’ve just figured out how to show it. But you’re right, I’m very proud of you.”
“I can’t wait till next year,” I said.
“I can’t wait,
either. I missed you.”
Then I hugged Teach again. “I love you, Teach,” I said.
“I love you, too.”
So now it’s like, wait till next year. And I can’t.
Jeffrey
Sometimes school can actually be great—and next year’s gonna be just that, ’cause Terupt’s back.
I didn’t think he was gonna make it. I thought he was gonna die, like Michael did. I tried to help Michael and it didn’t work. I don’t know if I helped Terupt at all, but he made it. I ran and got help when he fell down in the snow. I ran inside and got the nurse and made them call 911 and got Mrs. Williams. I did that. Was that enough?
I watched Terupt hug Peter. He didn’t blame anyone. Jessica told me that it wasn’t my fault that Michael died. Maybe you just do the best you can, ’cause you can’t control what happens in the end. I guess it’s okay to hope for things. Sometimes it works out.
Slowly, I’m getting my mom and dad back. There isn’t silence between us anymore, though they still don’t talk to each other very much. Mom is out of her pajamas, but never out of the house. That’s okay for now. She’s starting to try to get better, like me and Dad. I hope things get better between them.
I miss my brother but I’m real glad we got Terupt back. And I think I’ve found some reason for all of this. I never woulda been the one to break the silence between me and Mom, and me and Dad, if it weren’t for Terupt’s accident. I wanted so bad to tell him how much I loved him, and I didn’t know if I was gonna get the chance when he was in that coma. And that was when I knew I didn’t want to miss the chance with my parents, so I broke the silence. I’m glad, too. I’m happy.
anna
The last day turned out to be a great day. Mr. Terupt made it! I’ve never felt so happy. My throat, my heart, my belly—they all burned with happiness, and probably relief, too. And then we found out about this looping thing, and I felt the good hurt inside all over again.
“Bus nine. Bus nine is now loading,” the call came over the speakers.
“See you soon, Mr. Terupt,” I said. I ran over and gave him another quick hug. “Have a good summer.”
“You too, Anna,” he said.
“And Mr. Terupt.” I looked up at him and he looked down at me. “I think Ms. Newberry might have the hots for you, in case you’re interested.” I smiled.
He smiled back. “Matchmaker Anna. Thanks for the tip.”
“Bus nine. Last call for bus nine,” the loudspeaker announced.
I hurried out of room 202 with my head held high. I never made it to bus 9, though. I got downstairs to the lobby and ran into Mom and Charlie.
“Hey, kiddo,” Charlie said.
“Hi, guys,” I said. “Are you here to pick up Danielle, too? She’s still upstairs.” I barely got those words out of my mouth before I saw the answer to my question. Danielle’s mother walked into the lobby. She spotted us right away. “Hi, Mrs. Roberts,” I said, finding no small amount of courage. “Would you like me to go upstairs and get Danielle for you?”
Not needed. Danielle came through the stairwell door and entered the lobby. She took a second to look at everyone. Then she and I exchanged a knowing glance, bracing ourselves for whatever came next.
There would be no disappointments on this day. It was a day of happiness and celebration. “Hi, Mrs. Roberts,” Mom said, offering her hand to shake. “I’m Terri Adams, and this is my daughter, Anna. We didn’t meet properly at the hospital. We’d love to have you and Danielle come over this afternoon. Maybe for a cup of coffee or tea, and some hangout time for the girls.”
The ball lay in Mrs. Roberts’s court now. I let my breath out when I saw her shake my mom’s hand. “Please, call me Susan,” she said. “Danielle and I would be happy to come over.” She glanced at Danielle, who nodded excitedly, but without hiding the shock on her face. Then Mrs. Roberts looked at Charlie.
Mr. Terupt came into the lobby at some point during all this and gave Danielle and me a thumbs-up sign. It was as if he knew the whole story. Did he?
We waved good-bye to the best teacher in the whole wide world.
Danielle
It started with an old friend (Alexia), who wasn’t really a friend. In came this new girl (Jessica), whom I liked but was told not to like. Somewhere in between I became friends with Anna. We worked with the Collaborative Classroom and had this huge Ramadan project. And that old friend, who I had figured out wasn’t a friend at all, was kind of on her own. I had Jessica and Anna.
Then the accident happened. While Jeffrey ran for help, I held Mr. Terupt’s head, putting my hat and coat under it so that it wasn’t lying on the cold snow. I went to visit Mr. Terupt in the hospital with Jessica and Anna, and found an old friend there. Alexia was Lexie again, except new and improved. James left, but he made us see Peter again. And then we played the wait-and-see game until today.
Today Mr. Terupt came back! And then we found out that we’re looping and will get to be with him again next year. I can’t wait to tell Grandma the news. She’s the one who helped me when things got tough, and she said a lot of prayers for us. I don’t think I’ll tell Grandma about the end-of-the-day news, though. I’ll leave that up to Mom.
I’d just wished Anna a great summer and watched her head out of the classroom to catch her bus when Mr. Terupt said, “Danielle, I see your mother walking across the parking lot.” He was looking out our window. “She must be here to pick you up.”
“Okay. Thanks,” I said. I grabbed my stuff. “Have a great summer. I can’t wait for the fall.”
“Bye, Danielle,” he said.
I ran over and hugged him once more. “I’m so glad you’re back,” I told him. I let go, looked in his face, then hurried downstairs.
I got down to the lobby and saw everyone—Mom, Charlie, Anna, and Terri. Was Charlie with Mom or Terri? Oh boy, I thought. But things worked out. Mom shook Terri’s hand and accepted her invitation for coffee. Mom looked at Charlie after, but didn’t say anything or make any sort of face. She was going to try really hard for us.
As we were leaving, Mr. Terupt gave us a thumbs-up sign. How long had he been watching? How much did he know?
Dear God,
It’s Danielle down here, full of love. Thanks for giving me my teacher back, and again for next year. And thanks for helping my mom give Terri and Anna a chance. Maybe now you can start to work on Grandma—she’s going to be a lot tougher to persuade. Amen.
P.S. I’m sorry I got mad at you.
Peter
Out of nowhere, I heard the screams. “Mr. Terupt!” Everyone around me jumped up and ran toward the door. I couldn’t believe it. Mr. T was back.
I started crying. Mr. T was alive. And he was here. I stayed in my seat, trying to look small. But he spotted me. The room grew quiet as Mr. T walked toward me. I was scared again.
Mr. T got down on his knees and looked directly into my eyes. Then came the best hug I’ve ever felt. Mr. T wrapped his arms around me and gave me a huge squeeze. I squeezed him back as tight as I could. My body shook and I sniffed my snotty nose.
“It’s okay, Peter,” he whispered in my ear. “I forgive you.”
Suddenly I felt lighter. A lot lighter.
Jessica
Final act, Final scene
I’ve realized something. It’s not California I long for anymore, or even Dad—it’s sixth grade and another year with Mr. Terupt. I want to ask him about his family, and tell him to let Ms. Newberry get close because she truly cares about him, but now isn’t the time. There will be lots of opportunity for that when school starts up again. I need to enjoy this curtain call.
I’ve read a lot of books, but I think ours is a great story, and I know Mr. Terupt would agree. It’s a happy ending.
LUKE
I remember thinking, sixth grade. We’re going to be sixth graders. And Mr. Terupt is going to be my teacher. Our teacher. I thought of Mrs. Williams’s word, magic. I looked at Mr. Terupt sitting with some of my classmates. And
I thought, she’s right, there will be magic.
He’s my teacher. The Dollar-Word Man.
Terupt (dollar word)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I want to express my heartfelt thanks to the following people:
To an inspiring and fun group of women: Meg, Thea, Martha, Betsy, Debbie, and Leigh Ann, who first listened to the voices in Because of Mr. Terupt and who gave me the courage to keep going.
To John Irving, truly one of the most generous people I’ve ever met. Your encouragement and wisdom have given me something I can never repay. I am forever grateful.
To Paul Fedorko for stepping in and helping my novel find a home.
To my editor, Françoise Bui, for her patience and persistence, listening, and careful work with the manuscript.
And lastly, to my wife, Beth, who encouraged and supported my pursuit of my new writing passion several years ago. Behind this good man, there is a one-of-a-kind woman.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ROB BUYEA taught third and fourth graders in Bethany, Connecticut, for six years before moving to Massachusetts, where he now lives with his wife and three daughters. He teaches biology and coaches wrestling at Northfield Mount Hermon School. Because of Mr. Terupt is his first novel.