the thirtieth systemwide percentile today in no small part because of your disobedience?â
âWeâre sorry,â they said in unison.
âSay it to yourselves, not to me,â said Ms. Span.
Time crawled by. Ms. Span worked at her computer up front, putting together her materials for the following day. Once the buses had left, Gary gave Henrietta a significant look. Then he turned to the front of the room and said, loudly, âMom?â
Henriettaâs eyes widened. Ms. Span looked up, but didnât remove her glassesâobviously surprised. She squinted at Gary, and then at Henrietta, and then at Gary again.
âYes, Gary?â she said evenly.
âCan we give Henrietta a ride home? Because she missed her bus, and, you know, we live right across the street from her.â
Ms. Span removed her glasses. âAbsolutely not,â she said. âI donât know her parents at all. I donât want there to be any misunderstandings.â
Henrietta was dumbstruck, observing for the first time that Gary and Ms. Span had the exact same thick, black eyebrows that met in the middle.
âWe could call her parents and ask,â said Gary.
This, then, was it: Garyâs plan. Henrietta saw that for it to succeed, sheâd have to help.
âMy mom would appreciate it,â she said. âSheâs probably working on dinnerright now. I can give you my number.â Henrietta reached into her pocket for her phone.
âItâs already in the school network,â said Ms. Span. Without another word, she dialed Henriettaâs house. âHello. Is this Mrs. Gad-Fly?â she said. âYes, thatâs right. Henriettaâs teacher. My son and your daughter are both here for detention today due to some regretful misbehavior,â here she paused to glare out across the room at the two of them, âand theyâve missed their bus. Would it be convenient for you if I gave Henrietta a ride home? Gary has just pointed out that we live across the street from you.â There was a long pause. âTwenty minutes. It will be nice to meet you, too.â Ms. Span pocketed the phone and stood from her terminal. âWeâd best get going.â
âGreat!â said Gary. He looked at Henrietta and waggled his eyebrows. The two of them stepped into the hall while Ms. Span gathered her things.
âSheâs your
mom
?â Henrietta whispered.
âYeah,â said Gary. âNo one knows, so donât tell.â Their whispered voices echoed in the empty hallway, bouncing off the giant mural image of happy children below the words âS ENSIBLE , E FFICIENT , E DUCATION (S.E.E!)â
âI wonât,â said Henrietta. She shook her head. âItâs so weird.â
âTo you, maybe,â said Gary.
Ms. Span emerged from the room and the three of them proceeded down the hall, following a yellow line on the floor through a set of doors and down a flight of stairs to the parking garage. âHenrietta, it will be interesting to meet your parents,â said Ms. Span. âI didnât know Gary had told you I was his mother. You two must be good friends.â
âWe are,â said Henrietta.
âBecause we sit together,â said Gary. âIâve been helping Henrietta bring up her scores. Weâre best friends now.â
As they approached Ms. Spanâs car, a blue station wagon, a recorded voice issued from a speaker on the cement floor of the garage.
âT HE SCHOOL DISTRICT IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY INJURY RECEIVED WHILE ENTERING, LEAVING, OR TRAVELING THROUGH THE PREMISES .â
âCan Henrietta and I sit in the back?â said Gary, as Ms. Span unlocked the doors.
âBuckle all of your seat belts,â said Ms. Span. They fastened themselves into the rear seats. The engine started and the carâs computer came online.
âWHERE ARE YOU GOING?â it asked.
âHome for Henrietta
Kent Flannery, Joyce Marcus