Page 44 of Office Affairs

“Stop talking.” I pointed at him, letting him see the full strength of a mama bear coming out in me. “Keith, what happened?”

The dark sullenness that had been shrouding my son lifted. He heaved a breath, his chin quivering. “Lucas has been picking on me for weeks. He stole my lunch money and hit me with a basketball during recess.”

“They’re boys,” Principal Chandler cut in.

“Shut it.” I snapped my fingers in his face. “Did my son report these incidents?”

“I told Mrs. Ross, my science teacher. She said she’d take care of it, but the next day, Lucas pushed me into the wall and told me to stop being a tattletale or I’d be sorry.”

The rushing need to protect Keith blocked out everything else. “You let this boy harass my son?” I shot a look at the principal so full of venom that his face bleached white as snow.

“Now, Miss Roberts, the reports were unsubstantiated. No one saw Lucas do anything.” A wheedling note made his words whistle in a nasally pitch.

Drawing up his courage, Keith sat forward. “Today, he locked me inside a bathroom stall, and when I crawled under the door, he pushed me and tried to shove my head in the toilet. That’s when I hit him.”

I couldn’t help the surge of pride welling up. My son, my precious boy, had been faced with one of life’s great injustices, and he fought back. Did I approve of his violence? Not exactly. “Will this Lucas be punished for what he’s put Keith through?”

Principal Chandler tugged at his collar. “Well, you see …” He cleared his throat. “The bathroom incident was not recorded or documented. The boys were in there alone.”

“I suggest you correct that. My son will not be afraid to come to school for fear of what will happen to him every time a teacher turns away.” I stood and looked down at the sorry excuse for a principal, letting him see my disappointment before I held out a hand to Keith and pulled him to his feet. “It’s not right to hurt people. You understand that, right?” I waited for his nod before I continued. “But I am proud of you for defending yourself.”

“Miss Roberts.” Principal Chandler gasped. “How can you promote violence?”

“I’m not.” The heat of my stare found his wide eyes. “You are. You are perpetuating violence by not listening to your students. I’m sorry my son felt the need to defend himself. That fault lies with you, not him. If you had done your job properly, none of this would have happened.” I held Keith’s hand, offering us both comfort. “And if anything like this ever happens again, you can rest assured I’ll notify every parent in the school that you are incapable of protecting their children from a common, everyday bully.”

White rimmed the man’s mouth from the pressure he exerted on his lips. He took a noisy breath through his nose. “If you’re quite finished, I should inform you that Keith is suspended from school for three days.”

My stomach plummeted, but I kept my expression firmly in check. “He did nothing wrong.”

“Not according to school rules.”

“So, according to you, my son should have let this other boy shove his head into a nasty toilet where he might catch any manner of disease?” The innocent tone belied everything happening inside my body.

“That’s beside the point. No one can prove that is what happened. I can assure you that if Keith’s story is true?—”

“Why would he lie?” I interjected.

He held up a hand. “If his story is true, then Lucas will be dealt with as well. Now, please leave the building. Keith may return on Wednesday.”

What was I supposed to do now? Keith’s hand still firm in mine, we walked from the room, our steps quiet on the thin carpet. The woman at the receptionist’s desk watched us from the side until we reached the front door and stepped out beneath the metal roof.

Keith’s hand trembled in mine. “Sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.” I squeezed his hand. “You did the right thing, even though he says it’s the wrong thing. I wish you’d never been put in that position. It wasn’t fair and you’re far too young for this kind of nonsense.”

“I didn’t hit him hard.” He glanced up at me, a tiny smile edging his lips upward. “Just a little one. Right here.” He made a fist and tapped his shoulder. “He was so surprised that he fell down.” The smile fell. “That’s when he started crying. That made me feel bad.”

“Remorse is good, Keith. It means that you really didn’t want to hurt him.” I led him to the car and we settled in for the drive to our new home. Keith continued to chatter for the entirety of the drive, giving my mind time to wander. What was I going to do? Three days without work. I couldn’t ask Miranda to watch him this time, not after how she reacted today, and especially not if it meant her having to miss work for me. This was why I’d tried to institute a backup plan when Keith started school. Tried and failed. Year after year.

Once I had Keith playing in his room, I backed toward the kitchen. “I need to make a call.” The nauseous rolling intensified even as I blew out a breath and tapped Chase’s contact button.

He answered before the end of the first ring. “Sabrina?”

“I … I need a three-day leave from work.” Better to say it all and once and get it over with so he could fire me and be done with the whole thing.

“Okay. I need a little clarification, please. What’s wrong?” No hesitation or uncertainty in his voice. Nothing but concern that cinched it for me once and for all.

I could fall in love with him. With all of them. As scary as the thought was, I welcomed it even as part of me tried to reject the emotions for fear of what I’d lose in the long run.

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