“What’s this?” asked Alma as tears sprang to her eyes. She put her fingertips over her mouth as Mrs. White continued to push at her back to force her further in. “What did you guys do?”
Mrs. White took Alma’s guitar case and handed it to a teacher’s assistant who then placed it against the wall. The crowd was still clapping and saying a myriad of kind things as Alma pressed her hands over her mouth as she cried.
There was a camera crew in the corner with a news reporter who waited with a microphone. They walked into the center of the room as Mrs. White finally backed away. Alma turned to look at the principal and saw that she was overjoyed. Mrs. White’s face was beet red and she waved at her eyes in an attempt to stop crying. “Surprise,” she squeaked, hardly able to speak.
A tall woman in a black and grey pants suit stepped forward from the bleachers. It was Blair Drexler, the head of the PTA. “The local news station contacted us and set all this in motion. They heard about how the recent budget cuts were going to threaten your music class, and got together with us to try and stop it from happening. Not a single one of us on the PTA were going to let that happen.”
Alma had trouble standing. She stumbled and Blair rushed forward to provide her support. “How did you do this?”
“We voted and unanimously agreed to use the proceeds from the recent jog-a-thon to fund the construction of a new music room. And the Channel 7 news team helped out a lot too.” She turned to look at the news crew and a thin, strawberry blonde woman stepped forward. The reporter quickly wiped away a tear and composed herself.
“Hello, Miss Harper,” said the reporter. She was a gorgeous young woman, with a thin waist that tapered to wide thighs. She wore massive heels that shamed Alma’s penny loafers, but even the three inch boost couldn’t raise the petite reporter to the music teacher’s height.
“Oh my gosh,” said Alma as she wiped away tears. “I can’t believe this. How did this happen?” She burst into laughter and Blair joined in. They hugged and then Alma continued to try and compose herself for the cameras. “I must look like a wreck.”
The kids on the bleachers laughed and spontaneously started cheering again. One of the second graders, a sweet boy named Billy, ran off the stands and past the gathered teachers and parents, several of whom tried to catch him. He collided with Alma and wrapped his arms around her legs.
“Surprise, Miss Harper,” he said as he embraced her.
She knelt down and pulled him into a tight embrace. This initiated a rush from the stands as the other children decided to join in. Everyone was laughing as the kids pushed their way to Alma, each wanting to get their chance to hug their favorite teacher. The camera man and reporter were forced back as the swell of children surrounded Alma.
After a few minutes of chaos, Principal White was forced to try and get things back in order. “Okay everyone, that’s enough. Let’s get back to our places so Miss Harper can breathe!” She clapped her hands, which was a familiar move of hers that signaled she wanted attention. “Let’s go, kids. Back to your places.” The crowd dispersed and Alma was left still crying in the center of the room.
Blair held Alma’s hand as she spoke. “We’re lucky to have you, Alma, and we thought this was a good way to show it.”
“I still can’t believe this,” said Alma.
“Miss Harper,” said the reporter as she stepped back into the middle of the room. “I’m Rachel Knight, with Channel 7 News.” She reached out to shake Alma’s hand. “We’re honored to be a part of this, and I just have to ask, how does this feel?” She put the microphone in front of Alma.
“Oh my gosh, I can’t even think of how to say it. Look at me,” she held her hands out in front of her and watched them tremble. “My hands are shaking. I’m stunned, shocked, overwhelmed, absolutely in love with all of you.” She raised her hands and shouted out to the students, parents, and fellow teachers. They reciprocated with another round of applause. “Thank you all so much.”
Mrs. White stepped beside Alma and rubbed a circle on her back. “I don’t think you have to worry about spending your spring break putting together a new music room!”
Alma pulled the principal in for a hug. “You got me, Helen! I can’t believe you did this.”
“It was my pleasure,” said Mrs. White. “You’re a good teacher, and we want to keep you around here for a long time.”
“Well, this was a pretty good way to do it,” said Alma.
“Good,” said Mrs. White. “Then my plan worked.” They both laughed and embraced again.
The reporter interviewed Alma about how she felt, and what it was like to be surprised this way. They discussed how Alma had always wanted to be a music teacher, and that this was the best day of her life. Then the reporter asked if Alma had any siblings, which seemed like an odd question, and Alma struggled to answer. “No, not exactly. Why?”
“No reason, just curious,” said the reporter.
“So what’s next?” asked Helen White. “Do you need to interview Alma any more?”
“Oh please say no,” said Alma. “I’m a total wreck right now.”
Rachel laughed and shook her head. “Don’t worry. We don’t have to do anything right away. We’d still like to get a follow-up interview with you, but we can do that later. We’ll just need you to sign a few release papers, and then we’ll spend some time getting exterior shots and maybe speak with a few of the kids. If you want, we’d be happy to buy you dinner tonight for an interview. That way you can have a chance to relax and absorb all of this.”
“That’d be great,” said Alma.
The man behind the reporter lowered his camera. He set it on the floor and then wiped off his sweaty hand before offering it to Alma. “Hi, I’m Stephen.”
“Hi,” said Alma as she shook his hand.
“Do you mind if I just ask you one quick question?” He didn’t wait for permission before asking. “Are you the same Alma Harper that was involved with the Widowsfield incident in 1996?”
Rachel put her hand on the cameraman’s chest and pushed him backward. “Not now, Stephen.” She smiled at Alma. “We’ll talk to you tonight. Okay?”
Alma nodded.
All of the joy of the moment dissipated at the mere mention of Widowsfield. Alma’s hands still shook, but now it was for a new reason.
CHAPTER TWO
Family Reunion
Widowsfield
March 14th, 1996
“How are you feeling?” asked Kyle’s mother. She placed her palm on his forehead, and then his cheek to check his temperature.
“Pretty yucky,” said Kyle. He pulled the covers close to his chin as he shivered. It was an odd sensation to be cold and sweating at the same time, as if he were standing outside on a chilly day after someone had sprayed him with water. No matter how many blankets were piled on top of him, he never seemed to get any warmer.
“You feel pretty hot. That’s not a bad thing though. I think your best bet is to let the fever try to burn away the sickness. I bet you’ll be up and running around again in just a few days.” She tucked the covers down around him and then started to collect the used tissues that littered his bed. “In the meantime, I want you to stay in this bed and drink lots of water. Can you do that for me?”
“I guess so,” said Kyle as he wiped his nose on his hand. “Can you bring up the VCR?”
His mother rolled her eyes and hesitated before answering. “You know how I feel about you watching television all day.”