Page 7 of Love Always

“I can also bring you some literature to read if you think that would be helpful,” I say and smile, trying hard to unclench my left hand.

Her pinched face relaxes somewhat. “Yes, that might be helpful for me as well.”

I can’t believe it. Here we are, four meetings in as many weeks, each one getting progressively worse and yet she now agrees to read about autism. I decide to cut my losses early and leave. This is a victory. I struggle to stand and she follows suit.

“You can call me Laurel,” I say. I can tell this overture makes her feel like she has her back up against the wall. The tart smile returns, but there’s an olive branch.

“You can call me Vicki.”

I had almost exited the room completely and was right in the door jamb ready to step out into the polished linoleum floor hallway when her voice snagged me. Again.

“I know this is hard for you, Laurel. I know what a hard time you had in middle school and worse in high school when you lost your parents. But Cory has you and he’s a lucky little boy. We all want him to succeed here. You shouldn’t feel as though this is an adversarial situation.”

Her sudden compassion is almost perplexing. I had her for third grade and then again in eighth grade for theater. I was afraid she’d follow me to high school. In the end it didn’t matter. My reputation, some deserved, some not, preceded me and I became “that girl.” The fact is, she knows far too much about me, but it seems like she’s not going to hold any of that against my son. Maybe she will give Cory a chance.

΅

“So how’d it go?” Claire is wiping down the metal examination table inside her clinic. Well Dad’s clinic. Technically it was Dad’s clinic and then his partner, Geo’s, and now it’s her clinic. After our parents died, Geo became our guardian and the four of us, Devon, Travis and me, lived upstairs with him. Claire and Chloe were in college, far way, and the four of us lived above the clinic. Geo tried to run the veterinary practice himself and The Inn and parent. But it proved too much and he closed it just eighteen months after Mom and Dad died. Seven years later he sold it to Finn Colton.

That’s when Claire’s life changed.

“It was okay. Did you know Ms. Kram’s first name is Vicki?”

Claire starts to laugh. “No way. Vicki? It must be short for Victoria. Victoria suits her.”

“I just can’t believe she’s still teaching. I feel like every time I set foot in that place all these Ghosts-of-Problems-Past start materializing.”

The air smells of alcohol and disinfectant, a nose wrinkling combo.

“Oh, it’s not that bad,” she says glancing at my face.

“The smell or the ghosts?”

“Both.” She pauses and snaps off latex gloves and puts them in the bio-hazard bin. “You don’t have to prove anything to her, sweetie. You’re a grown-ass woman, with a growing-ass son, which makes you a grown-ass mom.”

“I don’t feel very grown up. I’m like a female Benjamin Button. The moment I set foot in that school, I feel like I’m reverting to kid-dom.”

“Is that why you wore that sweater with the embroidery around the collar? So you look like an old lady?”

“Yes.”

“Come on,” she says. “You need a cup of coffee.”

I shake my head. “Lindy is subbing for me over at the café for missing work this morning. I’ve got to get to Weaver’s.”

“At least let me get you a to-go mug.”

I trail her up the stairs to the living quarters.

“So, if you don’t mind me asking … what happened this time?”

“He yelled at a little girl and it scared her. He also threw a shoe at another little boy who wouldn’t let him have a block.” I shrug. “It’s bad.”

“I’m sure Vicki is well-versed on the cutting-edge theories around working with children with autism?” She waits a beat. “She’s not? Shocking.”

“I can’t blame her. Teachers don’t have time to even plan their own lessons, let alone deal with someone like Cory.”

“What’s the next step?” She flips on the electric kettle.