Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Yaaz removed his mask, during testing. I was about four feet away and I watched him hold his breath, cheeks like balloons, while he turned it over and readjusted it.  He is six.
"Yaaz, I noticed how conscientious you are with your mask, and I appreciate it."  I commented.  I started the stupid CD I have to play on a dusty old, beginning of time Title One funded boom box for this goddamned test and played the next track.
Yaaz responded to the prompt.  And then, he turned toward the boom box and screamed his sentence again, thinking it was somehow recording him.    

His dad's minivan had broken down in front of the school the day before, after he dropped him off for testing.  I was surprised he was there the next day for more bullshit testing.  

I called his dad and we went and stood outside after the second day of testing was done.  And, we walked around.  We looked at the trailers of all the various teachers and identified the cars they drove.  He thought I might have the giant SUV with super big wheels, instead of Alec's Honda.  We saw one of the teachers jumping rope outside of his trailer.  I saw him staring at my tights-encased legs, below my skirt.  

"I want speed clothes." he declared.

"What are those?"

"They fit you tight and make you run fast." he responded.

"That sounds awesome," I answered.

"Do you want to see the prints my shoes make in the mud?"

He didn't answer, but looked at my shoe prints.  

His dad came.  

"What was it?" I asked.

"The starter."

"I'm sorry.  That's money no one wants to spend."

"It's okay.  Now I am back to work."

"I'm sorry."  I said again.

"Get on up there, big guy." I directed Yaaz, and buckled him into the back seat of the different minivan.  

Dad smiled and waived, and drove away.  

"You know what I'm doing right now???"  Prem asked, in his subversive whisper while we were in virtual small group.

"What are you doing?"

"I am eating cheddar cheese Cheetos with jalapeños..." he hissed back.  

"Eat 'um up,"  I responded.

"That sounds good."

"But, work on that vocab your teacher wants you to do....you're going to get Trump orange stuff all over your Chromebook...." I continued.

"Nah, I'm typing with my hand that is missing fingers." he responded.  

I forgot about his hand.  

Read Across America day honors Dr. Suess' birthday.  Bougie schools ignore it, but old-school schools do all that stuff, even Red Ribbon Week.  I know Dr. Suess has gotten himself in a bit of a racist-ass mix lately, but I actually thought it was amazing when we had a virtual, all-school in all places read-along of "Oh, the Places You'll Go!".  It took forever to get it set up, but when it was happening, I sat there in my trailer, watching the book be read by one of my favorite teachers and panned around at my mission control of three computers and wires and craziness and saw her and the children's faces, with the daylight pouring in and I felt really okay.  

I did.