Page 66 of Here and Now
Instead of badgering anything out of her, I want her to choose to tell me. To trust me because she knows I won’t hurt her.
So I let this drop and don’t push any more about Chicago.
“Help would be great,” I say, getting to my feet.
We head into the kitchen, and I start getting things out to make my gran’s famous baked ziti.
To be honest, I’m not a great cook.
I can hold my own, but it’s not gourmet in my house. I cook what I know I can make and time my visits to Gran and Eloise’s for dinners at least three times a week. Regardless of what they say, I think they like my stopping by.
“How did you learn to cook?” Penny asks.
“Gran is one of those who thought kids learn best by doing, so Eloise and I were always hands-on in the kitchen.”
She grins. “I love that. I taught myself off the internet. My mother was the opposite and wouldn’t let us in the kitchen if she was working.”
“After being in the education system for as long as I have, I think Gran had the right idea.”
“I’d agree. It’s why I have Kai in the kitchen with me a lot.”
“Kai and Ethan both loved helping with breakfast,” I say, after setting the pot on the stove to boil the water for the pasta.
“Kai just likes to help with anything. He really likes you.”
“He’s a great kid,” I tell her. “He’s kind and polite. I’m glad he and Ethan formed a friendship. I know Eloise thinks Ethan is a handful, and he can be, but he’s a good kid. I know that my life is infinitely better sincehe came around.”
Penelope pulls her lower lip between her teeth. “You really like kids.”
It’s partially a question and yet it feels like a statement. “This is going to make me sound stupid, but ... I do. I think that kids are the most important humans on this planet. We have a responsibility to them in so many ways. They’ll be the ones to take care of us and this earth as we grow older. They’re going to be the ones who will come up with cures to diseases and fix problems we haven’t even thought of. They’re smart, and their naivety feeds curiosity that adults often tamp down. I think that kids are underrated, and while some days I’d like to walk out of my job and never see another kid again, most days I just want to be around them because they make me a better adult.”
“I—I don’t even”—she stutters—“wow. That was probably the most amazing thing I’ve ever heard.”
I shrug because it’s all true. “Kids are pretty amazing.”
“Well, not everyone agrees with you.”
“It’s their loss.”
Penelope comes around the island closer to where I am. “I guess it is. What can I help with?”
I have something I need help with, but I’m pretty sure she’s not talking about the desire to lay her on the counter and kiss every inch of her.
So I go with the appropriate answer. “Can you grate the cheese?”
“Of course.”
The two of us fall into a comfortable working environment. We talk about my job and what it’s like to be a younger principal. The challenges I face with being both cool and also being respected. I tell her some stories about former kids, and she laughs at the one about the kid who tried to convince me that the drugs we found weren’t really drugs, they were herbs.
She’s sitting on top of the counter, long legs swaying as we eat the rest of the cheese we didn’t use. “Did he think that was some new tactic?” she asks through her laughter.
“Apparently. When I said that I didn’t believe it was oregano, he said I clearly didn’t know my weed from a weed.”
Penelope snorts, and I swear it’s the cutest sound I’ve heard. “Pathetic.”
“Agreed. I honestly didn’t want to suspend him because I worried missing school would be more of a crime.”
“Clearly he needs to be taught better.”
