Page 16 of O Goalie Night
Beth: Nice game! You didn’t let any pucks in! Good job!
Man, she is such a teacher. I type a quick response.
Foster: Thanks. It’s called a shutout
Her response comes in moments later.
Beth: It’s got a special name? That’s so neat!
I frown at the phone, surprised that she doesn’t know basic terminology with a brother who plays professionally.
Beth: I’m screwing with you, btw. I know what a shutout is.
I snort with laughter before responding.
Foster: Oh, thank god.
“Who are you texting?” Ben asks, craning his neck to get a glimpse of my screen.
“My trainer,” I lie, quickly putting my phone in my pocket.
I’m not sure why I lied. Okay, that’s another lie. A lie on top of a lie.
I figured if I told Ben I was talking to his sister, he’d act like himself and overreact. We’re just texting. She’s staying at my house and we’re keeping in touch. That’s all that’s happening and all that’s going to be happening.
But even as I tell myself that, I can’t deny that when I used the terms “funny, smart, and sweet” earlier, Beth’s face was the one that came to mind.
CHAPTER 7
BETH
“Vimy Ridge was a big hill in France that was very important during the First World War. Many other countries tried to capture it, but no one could—until the Canadians came along. Our soldiers worked together, planned carefully, and on April 9th, 1917, they attacked. They fought bravely for days, and even though it was tough and scary, they didn’t give up. In the end, they captured the hill.”
I stare into twenty-four mesmerised faces as they look from me to the black and white pictures I’ve put on the smart board at the front of the classroom. The soldiers in the grainy photographs look so young that some of the children in the room could have older siblings the same age.
“This battle helped shape Canada into the country we know today. It was the first time all four Canadian divisions fought together, and it made people realise that Canada was a strong, independent nation.”
A hand in the second row shoots up and I smile at the young girl it belongs to. “Yes, Amelia?”
“Were they really happy that they won?” Her pink scrunchie sits on top of her head like a crown.
I pause before answering. War is a hard subject for adults to truly comprehend, so it’s very difficult for children to grasp the enormity of it.
“It was a very important win for the Allies, so I’m sure they were happy, in some sense. But you have to remember that they were also very sad. More than three thousand Canadian soldiers alone died fighting in the battle.”
A bell chimes and the kids immediately start to put their school supplies away and prepare to go home. I look at my watch in complete disbelief. My first day absolutely flew by!
I know from my notes that once my students change into their outdoor shoes I’m to accompany them to the buses. The kids getting drives will meet their parents in the designated pick-up areas.
A flurry of new faces hustle by waving goodbye to me as they go.
“See you tomorrow, Miss Michaels!” Amelia calls as she’s zipping up her puffy pink coat.
“Have a good evening,” I reply as I head to the exit.
There is a chill in the air that nips at my nose and ears and I make a mental note to bring a toque tomorrow.
“How was day one? Are you thriving or surviving?” Tamara, another fourth grade teacher whose classroom is across the hall from me, asks as she joins me on the sidewalk. She’s older than me, in her mid-thirties and was kind enough to check in on me a couple of times today.
