She Never Knew by CJ Simpson Page A

hour and a half later. Daniel listened with great interest and by the
time Kat was finished, she felt he was ready. Her remaining two helpers had
arrived by then and introductions were exchanged.
    When the
children entered the classroom, Daniel led them to their seats and made sure
each child had a craft kit.
    The first class
consisted of first and second graders. Most of them already knew how to write
their names and seemed capable of following simple directions. When a little
boy raised his hand, Daniel quickly went to the child and offered assistance.
    During the
second class, Kat and her teammates were impressed with the ease at which
Daniel seemed to have when working with children. When the kindergarteners
became a bit rambunctious, Daniel expertly shifted their focus to the crafts in
front of them. When class ended, Kat praised him on a job well done.
    “Ready to go
home yet?” she joked.
    “No way!” Daniel
chortled. “I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun!”
    “Come on,” said
Kat, “join us at Midtown for snacks. We have thirty minutes before our last two
classes begin.”
    Daniel followed
Kat to the kitchen where her fellow parishioners were busy serving plates to
the volunteers. After they received their plates, they joined their teammates,
Janice and Betty Jean, at a table near the New York Harbor backdrop.
    “So what do you
think of it?” Betty Jean asked Daniel.
    “I’m enjoying
myself so far. I can’t believe how fast time goes by here. We’ve been busy
nonstop, it seems.”
    Everyone
laughed. Janice chimed, “We’ve got the older ones next so it should be somewhat
less chaotic.”
    Daniel smiled
and turned to Kat. “How long have you been doing this?” He was referring to Kat
being a leader.
    “This is my
third year. All crafts. I really enjoy it and so does Tyler.” When he looked at
her questioningly, she said, “Oh, Tyler is my son.”
    The foursome
chatted throughout the break, sharing stories and past experiences with
vacation bible school. It was obvious to Kat that Daniel was sincerely enjoying
himself as he took a liking to everyone he came in contact with. When Betty Jean
asked Daniel how he came to volunteer here, Daniel stated that he was attending
a Baptist church before he moved. He found Piney Grove through the Internet.
    When break
ended, the Crafts team went back into their classroom to prepare for their next
group of students. Third, fourth, and fifth grade students worked on a craft that
was entirely different from the first two groups. It was an advanced craft, one
that involved painting. They had to glue together a church birdhouse.
    The last class
of the evening was Tyler’s class. He was in the pre-K group and it was a large
class. Their activity focused on singing one of three songs that they would
later perform for the congregation on Sunday services.
    When Daniel met
Tyler, he stared at him in awe. At first, Kat thought his behavior was a bit
odd, but she dismissed this as nothing more than someone who genuinely liked
kids. This was confirmed after class when Daniel had a wide grin on his face.
    “When I was a
teenager, I used to sing like this with the kids in summer camp.” Daniel said
proudly.
    “Ah, that
explains it, then.” Kat said. “I wondered how you knew what to do with all of
the kids we had tonight. You’re really good with them.”
    Daniel seemed
embarrassed by Kat’s admiration. “Nah, they’re really good kids. Besides, I’ve
had a lot of practice.”
     “Yeah? You have
kids of your own?” Kat inquired.
    “No, I don’t,
but I would love to have them someday.” He smiled at her.
    When Daniel left
with the promise of returning the following evening, Kat reflected on the way they
initially met. She felt very foolish now at the way she had acted in front of
him. He was just trying to be a gentleman and I acted like a coward, she
thought. Fortunately, he didn’t seem like the kind of person to hold a
grudge. He really is