Page 6 of Evidence of Truth

Anne picked up her to-go coffee cup. She sniffed the smoky aroma before savoring the last sip and welcoming the jolt of caffeine giving her a shot of energy, then got up to rinse the cup. Every morning, she stopped at her favorite coffee shop to get their special brew. There wouldn’t be time for another cup until lunchtime, and even then, she sure wasn’t getting a cup from the cafeteria. She did that once, and that was enough—no more sludge for her.

The kids would soon burst into the classroom, most acting silly and some dragging their feet, their chatter filling the air. Kindergarten at her school was all day, unlike other schools which were only half-days. She enjoyed having more time to get to fully know her kids.

A familiar voice broke her concentration. “Hey.”

Anne glanced over at the door. Her best friend, Sam, stood in the doorway with Mark’s niece Alexis, or Alex, as she liked to be called, holding her hand.

“What’s up?” Anne asked.

Sam gazed down at the little girl and then at Anne. “Alex has show-and-tell today, so she asked me to drive her.”

“Is that so?” Anne asked and leaned over to talk to Alex.

Alex nodded enthusiastically.

The little girl was wearing a brightly colored crayon dress with sparkly red sneakers. It looked adorable on her, with her red hair and green eyes.

Sam’s fiancé, Mark Stone, had lost his sister a year ago. Since his parents could not take care of Alex, he brought her back to Black Pointe to raise. It had been a period of adjustment for Sam and Mark, but they made it work. Alex was a loved and well-adjusted child.

However, she definitely had Sam’s personality—act first, talk later, and take no prisoners. Not only that, but she had the same red hair as Sam, so she looked like a mini-Sam. Anne remembered Sam telling her that red hair ran in Mark’s family, although his immediate family had dark hair.

Alex had been in Anne’s kindergarten class last year.

She was a delight. Unfortunately, Alex spent a lot of time in the principal’s office for hitting bullies who were harassing her friends. Sam and Mark were teaching Alex that standing up for what was right was commendable, but violence wasn’t the answer. It was working—kind of.

Oh, crap.

A painful memory from last year flashed before Anne’s eyes. Last year, Alex was almost kidnapped from the playground by someone who had a beef with Sam. Anne had taken her eyes off Alex for just a minute. Long enough for a crazed woman to entice Alex to her car. Anne had thwarted the kidnapping, but only because Alex bit the woman hard enough to draw blood and the woman released her.

Anne exhaled. Mark had been so angry with her but finally forgave her. Anne hoped she’d never have to go through that again. The good thing that came out of the horrible experience was security at the school was increased and a fence was placed around the playground.

Alex held up a weird green figurine that looked familiar. It was a popular figure from a while ago. Dang, what were they called?

Oh, right. Ninja Turtles.

“This is Leonardo.” Alex held up the doll. “He’s the bravest of the brave. He was Sam’s when she was little like me. She told me how Leonardo stood up to bullies.” Alex leaned in closer and said, “But he didn’t hit them.”

Sam chuckled. That must be why she had the Ninja Turtle and what show-and-tell was about.

“It’s true,” said Anne. “You can stand up to bullies without hitting them. Bullies are cowards.”

The little girl’s eyes got big. She leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, “Sometimes you have to hit them.”

Sam rolled her eyes. “No, we don’t hit, remember?” Sam gently reminded Alex.

“Right,” said the little girl, nodding, her ponytail swishing her shoulder. “I didn’t forget.”

Anne chuckled to herself.

Grace had told her stories of Sam’s childhood. How she spent many a lunch hour in the principal’s office for protecting other kids who were being picked on. Sam was still protecting the vulnerable.

Sam leaned over and hugged Anne. “We’ve got to go, but let’s get together soon. Okay?”

“Sounds good.”

As Sam and Alex walked away, Anne returned to her classroom. She sat at her desk and looked around. Maybe one lesson today could focus on how to deal with bullying.

She stared at one wall where she hung the students’ art from a previous project. It was filled with self-portraits the kids drew. They were a hoot. None resembled the kids, but the portraits were so creative and fun. That was another reason she went into teaching—to bolster self-confidence in kids.

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