Clouds in My Coffee

I sat in my yard, reading a book in the late afternoon light.  Lola was beside me.  We had gone for a walk, I went for a jog, we planted some stuff and we relaxed.  I always leave town the minute school gets out and stay gone until the school year begins again.  I decided, even before the shit-canning, to only go out of town during July this year.   It was a big decision.  I can't believe how much I am enjoying it.

Lola perked up.  I saw a couple of my former students riding bikes up the street.  Lola started toward them.  I picked her up and met the second group that was following the first two bike riders.

"She's so cute!" Ida exclaimed.  She is the gentler of the pair of identical twins.  They are both nice, but Ida's face is softer and her joy still evident, even though she is in middle school.
"I got burned!" Cody said with a smile, lifting his shirt to show me a bright red belly button.
"Wha....?" It looked awful.
"Popcorn kernel.  We were camping.  It flew right in my belly button!"
"You have always gotten the weirdest injuries" I laughed, thinking of the times he invited me to his house, you know, the white one on the corner with the big tree, as if I would know where that was.  He wanted me to see his dirt bike course.  He's wild.
They played with Lola, then I took her back out of fear that she would run into the street.
"She lost her job" I heard Cody tell the group.
It is weird to hear a rising fourth grader say that.  And I felt weird.  Am I the strange lady on the block now?

I had a brief reprieve.  Lola was sleeping so I ran out to Target to get some shit.  I ran into one of my favorite parents while checking out.  I had Lola on my mind, she could not wake up with her crate door shut.  We quickly exchanged pleasantries, sincere ones on my part.  

"What are you going to do?" she finally asked me.
"I don't know.  Look for a job.  I'm looking" I answered.
"What about you?  How is your job hunt going?"  I knew that she was a teacher, had taken a little time off and was ready to get back in the game and had been looking around the neighborhood.
"Well....I am the new lead English teacher at the other campus.  Look at all this stuff in my cart, I am already getting ready..."
"I am so happy you got that job.  Save your receipts, you'll have a classroom budget next year and they will reimburse you..."
"Really?  Thanks for telling me!"

I walked away.  I really was glad that she got the job.  But I felt weird.  And a little sick.