Page 70 of Reformation

Something is up. And I have no clue what it is.

Monday is always a hard day for the kids, so I always end the day with reading time. If a student is especially good that day, I let them pick the book.

Is this what he wanted?

“Cullen, what would you like to read today?”

He smiles from ear to ear. “I brought in a book for you to read!” He rushes to his book bag and pulls it out. “Here! Read this!”

Cullen hands me the book. “Beauty and the Beast?” I ask.

“Yes! It’s my favorite.”

Glad that it’s the Disney version of this tragic story, instead of the real one, I begin. I tell the class of the girl who loved to read, and the town who didn’t understand her. How when she went looking for her father who was lost, that she met a beast. How that beast was scary and mean at first, but how over time she learned that underneath his exterior, there was a good person there. How they, even after all hope looked grim, lived happily ever after.

“Thank you, Cullen, for picking this book.”

“Thank you, Miss Blackstone, for being the best teacher ever,” he says as he hands me a single red rose, just like from the story. Where and when he got this I have no clue. His gesture, of course, sends the class into a tizzy as I dismiss them to gather their book bags and line up for dismissal.

“Cullen, thank you. It’s lovely. Where did you get this?”

He smiles. “There’s more where that came from.”

And out of the corner of my eye, I see what he means. Because there is Garrett, standing at my door, holding what looks like a dozen roses. Though, I bet if I counted, there would be one missing.

I want to rush over to him. To jump in his arms and say thank you. To ask what he had to bribe Cullen with to pull this off.

“Miss Blackstone, who is that?” Michaela asks.

“Hey! That’s the guy who is going to take us to the baseball game!” Nicky says.

I laugh and so does Garrett. “Yes, class. Let’s say hi to Cullen’s uncle, Dr. Dixon.”

A chorus of “Hi, Dr. Dixon” is drowned out by the bell as the kids hurry and exit my room.

I have never been so happy to not be on carpool duty.

“Did you really employ your nephew to do something sweet for you?”

He smiles walking toward me. “In my defense, it was his idea. He said I had to do something nice so you would never break up with me.”

I lean up and kiss him on the lips. Nothing inappropriate, but it’s filled with promises for later.

“Does this mean he knows about us?”

He nods. “I told him yesterday. Is that OK?”

“Depends. How did he react?”

“He’s very excited that you’ll be around past his time in your class. And he told me that I, and I quote, ‘better not mess this up for us.’”

I laugh. That kid is something else.

I take the roses from Garrett and bring them to my nose. I know it’s cliché, but I love roses.

“Thank you,” I say. “I know why you did this. And you didn’t have to.”

“I kind of did. I was informed that I was a bad boyfriend and I needed to step my game up.”

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