Only Child(61)

“Let’s just go,” Daddy said, and we went.

In the car on the way to school, we didn’t talk. But when Daddy pulled up in front of the school and kept the car running, I said, “That was a bad idea that I told Mommy about sympathy. I wanted to help her feel better and get happy again, but it made Mommy feel the opposite—mad. All of the stupid secrets are not working.”

I looked out the window. There were kids walking in the front door of the school, and I could hear their voices coming through my window—yelling, laughing, and loud calling, and they were just going to have a regular day at school, and it was easy for them to walk inside.

“Are you going in?” Daddy said, of course.

“Not today,” I said, of course.

“Got it,” Daddy said, and he drove away from the school. For a while it was quiet in the car, and then Daddy said, “You know, I think people have to be ready to let the secrets of happiness work. The time has to be right.”

“And it’s not the right time for Mommy right now?” I asked.

“I don’t think so, no,” Daddy answered.

“Daddy?”

“Yes, bud?”

“I miss Mommy. The regular version of Mommy.”

“Me too,” Daddy said, just as we got to our house again.

Daddy walked me in the house, and right away Mommy was in the hallway and she still looked mad.

“Oh, no!” she said in a loud voice. “Enough of this, Zach. You need to go to school. You’ve missed almost six weeks. Get in the car, I’m taking you this time.”

I grabbed Daddy’s arm. “Daddy said I don’t have to go if I’m not ready.”

“You’re ready,” Mommy said. “We need a little bit of separation here. Get in the car.”

“Melissa, can I talk to you in the kitchen, please?” Daddy said. I could tell by his voice that he was starting to feel mad, too, but Mommy didn’t care.

“No, I’m done talking. Let’s go, Zach,” Mommy said, and she grabbed my arm and started pulling me hard toward the door to the garage. I turned around to look at Daddy, but he just stood there and he wasn’t helping me.

Mommy drove fast on the way back to the school, and she used the brakes hard. I started to feel carsick, and I never got carsick before with Mommy driving. I had mad tears on my face. Daddy should have helped me. He promised me I didn’t have to go if I wasn’t ready, but now Mommy was taking me anyway, and Daddy was breaking his promise.

Mommy pulled up in front of the school, in the same spot where I was with Daddy a little while ago, in his car. She got out and opened my door. “Get out, come on, Zach,” she said.

“I don’t want to go,” I said.

“I understand that,” Mommy said. Her voice sounded like she was trying to make it more polite. “But it’s time. I’ll walk you inside.”

“You’re trying to get rid of me!” I yelled at Mommy. “All you want to do is be on your stupid phone. You don’t even care about me anymore.”

Some people in front of the school stopped and looked at us, and I turned my head so they couldn’t see my face. Mommy said very quiet, “Get out of the car, Zach, for the last time,” and I realized she wasn’t going to give up. She was going to make me go inside anyway. I got out of the car, and I was still feeling sick from the car ride. I noticed the people were still looking at me, so I put my head down and looked at my shoes. Mommy started to walk in front of me, and I followed her.

When we got to the front door, there was a security guard waiting outside the door. It was a woman security guard and her name tag said MARIANA NELSON. She was pretty short, but like wide. She looked like a square almost, and her face was round like a ball.

“Hi, can I help you?” she asked Mommy.

“Yes, this is Zach Taylor. Today is his first day here. His first day after…um, McKinley,” Mommy told her.

“I see,” the security guard said. “Welcome, Zach. Who’s your teacher, honey?”

I didn’t say anything because I didn’t know and I didn’t want to talk.

“Miss Russell, his teacher from McKinley,” Mommy said, and I looked up at her because I didn’t know Miss Russell was going to be my teacher here and at least that was good.

“All right, my colleague Dave is inside. He can take you to the main office to sign you in and then show you to Miss Russell’s room,” the security guard said, and smiled at me.

I grabbed Mommy’s arm. “You said you’re coming inside with me,” I said.

“Could I please…he’s still…he’s nervous still. Could I go inside with him?” Mommy asked.

“I’m afraid not. No parents are allowed inside the school during drop-off and pickup times,” the security guard said. “One of the new rules since…you know.”

“You promised me!” I said to Mommy, and I held on to her arm tighter.

“Don’t worry,” the security guard said. “We’ll take good care of you here.” She pressed the bell next to the door and the door buzzed open. “Dave?” she yelled inside.

“Yeah?” A man security guard came, and he was like the opposite of the woman security guard, very tall and skinny.