Page 88 of Beacon

“Hey, Rina,” I tell the girl, smiling down at her uplifted face. “What are you doing here?”

Rina has neat braids, big blue eyes, and an upright posture as she sits cross-legged at my feet. She’s ten years old. “Essie told me I was allowed to listen,” she explains earnestly, “as long as I’m quiet and don’t disturb anyone.”

I crouch down beside her impulsively and immediately regret the gesture when my thigh muscles strain and my moderately rounded belly gets in the way. Supporting myself on the wall, I straighten up carefully. “You were listening to my class?”

“Yes. Essie said it was okay. It’s okay, isn’t it?”

“Of course it’s okay. You can come in and sit in a chair if you want.”

Rina shakes her head as she stands up. “Essie said I’m too little for your class, but I like to hear about the stories and poems.”

Rina is the stepdaughter of Esther, who is the principal of the school. Because her biological mother died when she was barely a toddler, Rina has only ever known Esther in the mother role. The younger students have shorter school days than the older ones, but Rina always hangs around until Esther is done for the day because her father, Zed, usually has work shifts until midafternoon.

“Okay,” I tell Rina. “Well, how about this? I can give you a book and let you know what we’re going to be talking about, and then you can read it if you want and look on while you listen to the class.”

Rina’s smile brightens endearingly. “Really?”

“Yes. Let’s go look now. I think I’ve got an extra book you can use.”

We both go back into the classroom, and I scan the bookshelf until I find the textbook we’ve been using this year (published before Impact and scavenged from abandoned school buildings).

Rina holds the book like a treasure, and she can’t stop beaming as we head back into the hall and toward the main office.

“Rina?” I hear the voice before I see the source. “You aren’t bothering Anna, are you?”

I laugh as Esther appears through a doorway, holding an infant in one of her arms and holding the hand of a toddler in the other. “She’s not bothering me at all. I didn’t know she liked to listen, but I gave her a book so she can follow along if she wants.”

Rina is a remarkably smart little girl, and she was taught well and early by Esther. Her first few years were spent in complete isolation with only Esther and Zed around. Although she’s adapted to living in a community and has a lot of friends, she still gravitates more to adults than to girls her age.

“Okay, I’m sure she’ll like that. As long as she’s careful not to disturb your class at all.” Esther points her final comment down at Rina, who has come over to take her little sister’s hand to free up one of Esther’s.

Esther is still nursing her youngest, so she’d be allowed to go on maternity leave if she chose. But shedoesn’t like staying at home, so she usually brings her children with her to school when Zed is working.

“I won’t. I promise.” Rina smiles up at me again. “Thank you for letting me listen!”

“You’re welcome. And if you ever want to talk through any of the stories or poems, you just come find me, okay?”

“Okay!” She’s hugging the big book to her chest. “I’m so excited about tonight!”

“You are? I’m excited too.”

Esther laughs. “Everyone is excited. Rina hasn’t stopped talking about it for weeks now. She’s got a pretty new dress to wear.”

“You do? I can’t wait to see you in it!”

“It’s the most beautiful dress in the world! Daddy found it, and Essie fixed it up for me. She says you’ll have a beautiful dress to wear too.”

I laugh softly. “I do have a beautiful dress. It’s the most beautiful dress I’ve ever worn.”

It’s a secondhand dress, of course. It’s been worn by at least three other brides in town. But it only needed some minor adjustments, even with my larger stomach, and I do feel beautiful when I put it on.

“You really didn’t have to teach today,” Esther tells me in a different tone. “You’re allowed to take your wedding day off, you know.”

“I know. But what was I going to do all morning? Sit around and get all stressed waiting? I still have plenty of time to rest and get ready for this evening. It’s not like I’mgoing to spend hours getting my hair and makeup done. My primping time will be less than an hour.”

“But it’s a special day. It shouldfeelspecial.” The baby in her arms starts to fuss, so Esther jostles her gently.

“It does feel special. I promise.”

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