Page 40 of Happy Harbor
She nodded like she was remembering something. “Ah, yes. You called yesterday, right?”
Her mother nodded. “Right. This is Kendra.”
Kendra forced a smile. She really wanted to go back to bed. This was one of her problems with school—it all happened in the morning when she was less than personable.
“Hey.”
“You’re a junior, Kendra? Is that right?”
“Yes.”
Her mother elbowed her. “Yes, ma’am,” she whispered.
“What?” Kendra whispered back. Never once had she made her daughter sayma’am.
“They sayma’amandsirhere. Get used to it,” she responded through gritted teeth.
The woman, whose name tag said Elma McAvoy, looked down at a stack of paperwork. “We were able to contact her previous school for her records...” Her voice trailed off, as if she was trying to avoid saying something.
“And?”
Elma looked up and smiled sadly. “It seems Kendra had some issues at her old school?”
Her mother sighed. “She did, and that’s one reason we moved back home. You see, I grew up in Happy Harbor. In fact, I went to this high school.” She pasted a smile on her face and tilted her head, sounding as if she was reminiscing.
Elma giggled. “Josie, I remember you. We all do. I’ve been working here for thirty years, after all.”
“Oh.”
“You don’t recognize me, do you?”
Her mother smiled sheepishly. “I’m sorry. I don’t.”
“I was one of the custodians when you went here. Moved up to cafeteria worker for a few years, and now I run the office.” Elma held her hands out as if she was showing off her kingdom. Kendra could tell she was proud, and it was actually kind of cute.
“Congratulations! I do remember you from the cafeteria now. You always gave me an extra scoop of the mashed potatoes I loved.”
Elma grinned. “That was me!”
“Well, it’s good to see you again.” Kendra could tell that was her mother’s fake nice voice. She was just making small talk to get her daughter enrolled so she could get the heck out of there. After all, the restaurant was open, and her grandmother was running it at the moment.
“Nice to see you, dear. I do remember so many of your antics, though...”
“I’d love to reminisce, but I’m sure you know I’m running my nana’s restaurant now. Got to get there for the breakfast rush.”
“Oh, yes, I heard about Adeline. Such a sweet soul. You sure ran her ragged back in those days.”
“I sure did. Now, how quickly can we get my daughter registered?” Again with the fake voice and plastered-on smile. Her mother might’ve gotten away with that in Atlanta, but in a small town like this where people knew her, that was going to be hard.
“We have a few forms to fill out. Do you have her immunization record?”
As they continued chatting, and her mother continued filling out forms like a madwoman, Kendra walked around the office. The walls were filled with various pictures and awards the school had gotten over the years. Most of them were tacky trophies with shiny gold on them. Others were simply framed certificates. None of them were overly impressive.
“Now, Kendra, I understand you were suspended from your previous school?”
Her face flushed. “Yes, ma’am.”
Elma pursed her lips. “Normally, we wouldn’t make an exception to allow you to come here, but since we know Josie, we allowed it. Of course, her own reputation precedes her too...”
