Page 60 of Uproot

I see Edison watching as a few of his classmates go up on stage to get awards, and I know he must feel a little disappointed.

He struggled this year in a few subjects due to the chaos that was going on in his personal life, and he also missed quite a bit of school. I’m confident that next year he will be getting awards for all of the same achievements that these children are now that he has a caring family in his corner.

Our librarian comes up to talk about the summer reading program, and soon, students are being dismissed to enjoy refreshments and go home with their families. I have my students stay together as their adults and siblings come over to find them one at a time.

Beckett and Dragana come right over to get Edison and give him a hug. Beckett winks at me and I smile, giving him a brief wave. Once all of my students are off with their families, I make my way over to the refreshments area to talk to a few parents.

Twenty minutes later, I find Dragana and Edison eating cookies together. I give them both a hug, and look over at Beckett who is standing with his hands in his pockets. I want to give him a hug so badly, but I shake his hand instead, trying to keep things professional in front of my peers, and the other parents.

“I didn’t get any awards today,” Edison mutters, looking up at Beckett.

Beckett frowns, taking Edison’s hand in his. “It’s been a hard year, little man. You still finished out the year strong, and we are all proud of you,” he says, rubbing his hair. “Next year you will get so many awards, we might need to bring two cars to get them all home.”

Edison laughs, moving to wrap his arms around Beckett’s waist. “You’re the best, Uncle B. I love you,” he responds happily.

Beckett freezes, and his eyes move over to mine, as Dragana and I stare at them both in surprise.

He recovers quickly, clearing his throat and smiling down at Edison, “I love you too, Edison. And I’m very proud of you, ok?”

Edison nods, his attention turning to Franklin as he runs over to us with his mother. Edison introduces him to Dragana and I speak to his mother for a moment, before excusing myself. I feel a hand on my arm when I’m halfway across the gym.

Beckett stands behind me, and lets go of me, looking around. “Thank you sweet-Ms. Lansing, for everything you’ve done for Edison this year. He wouldn’t have made it through this year and be moving on to the next grade without your help.”

I fold my hands together in front of me, hoping it’s not obvious to anyone around us how flustered I am. “You’re welcome, Mr. Kade. It was a pleasure having Edison as a student,” I respond politely.

Beckett holds my gaze for a moment before stepping closer to me, like he just can’t handle there being any space between us. He leans down, lowering his voice.

“I’ll see you tonight for dinner, Ms. Lansing. And I’ll be expecting you to bring that dessert you offered me earlier,” he says, lifting a dark eyebrow.

I stifle a laugh, watching as he turns and strolls back over to get Edison and Dragana, before leaving the gym.

32

Beckett

Iopen the front door and let Selah inside to join us for dinner. She’s still wearing the white sundress she had on earlier today at the school assembly, and I take my time admiring her in it once again.

It was absolute torture trying to concentrate through all of the kids singing songs off key, and awards for miscellaneous achievements I didn’t care about, while she was just a few feet away from me wearing this dress today.

I’ve come to the realization that I’m obsessed with her in a way that may or might not scare her if she understood the depths of it. I’ve never been in a relationship where so much of my focus and attention was poured into someone.

Over the past few weeks I’ve learned to dedicate the same energy and attention that I put into my work, to the people I care about, and I have to admit that it is so much more satisfying than any of the other accomplishments I’ve experienced.

I put my hands on Selah’s waist, then lean down to give her a kiss. “Good evening beautiful,” I say, taking the plate of cookies from her hands.

“Goood evening, handsome,” she sings, slipping off her heels. “How has the rest of your day been?”

“It’s been good,” I say, leading her towards the kitchen. “We took Edison to Brimstone Arcade to celebrate his last day of school, and then I got some more work done. How about you?”

“Mine was good too! I started cleaning up my classroom and getting things taken down for summer. I’m going to finish it up this weekend,” she says.

“Wonderful. I’ll come help you,” I say.

She opens her mouth to protest, but I give her a look that has her smiling instead. “Thank you, Beckett. That will be very nice,” she says sweetly.

Dragana looks between us as we come into the kitchen and gives Selah a hug. “The food is ready you two! Come, come. Beckett, idi uzmi Edison.”

I nod as she shuffles off into the dining room with a platter full of rolled cabbage leaves. She’s made enough food to feed an army to celebrate Edison’s special day. I can’t even imagine how wild she’s going to go when it’s his birthday in a few weeks.

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