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Spring - Icy Rain - 3 (Not a Sandwich)
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The lessons following her call to Mr. Groveny had been refreshingly boring.
Josie had had her fill of excitement and was glad for the respite. When the bell rang and all of her classmates filtered out for recess, she stayed back and waited for the room to empty. A few rows behind her, Caleb and Danny did the same. Mrs. Moneypenny, their class teacher, finished up gathering her papers and looked at them.
“Boys, come to the front and sit with Josie, please.”
Josie heard them shuffling about behind her, then they joined her in front of the teacher's desk, with Caleb to her right and Danny taking the seat beside him.
“I have been informed as to why you three are here right now.” Mrs. Moneypenny said and studied them with a stern look. “I hope that all of you will learn something from this. I expect you to know and behave better in the future. Did I make myself clear?”
“Yes, Mrs. Moneypenny,” Josie answered in unison with the boys.
“Now, I have to take care of a few things and will be back shortly. I trust that you have something to occupy your time with - and I do not mean your phones.” Picking up her briefcase, the teacher made to leave. “Do not add time to this detention by not behaving while I am gone.” With a last glance at each of their faces, she left.
Josie took out her pencils and the folder containing her drawings, not minding the boys. She planned to tape one of the bigger ones to the folder's cover to make it more interesting, and this was the drawing she started to work on. It was a picture of multiple fantasy creatures locked in battle, a scene of elements from her favourite games, comics, and books mixed together in a grand display. It was almost finished, and she was very proud of the picture. Unbeknownst to her, Caleb nudged Danny in the side and nodded towards her.
“Psst,” she heard from the side, but didn't react.
“Josie,” Danny said in a low voice.
She looked at him, careful to maintain a neutral expression.
“I'm sorry about all this,” Danny whispered. He gathered himself and swallowed hard. “Yesterday was a really shitty day for me, and then you came and caught me on the wrong foot. I just wanted to have a good time for a bit and then…” he blurted out. “Anyway, I shouldn't have texted the stuff about you. And I am sorry. Very sorry. About all of it.”
Josie was surprised to hear him say all that. But, not enough, Caleb had something to add.
“Yeah. And I didn't want to put you on the spot this morning. Everything I said came out wrong somehow - I didn't want to… Well, I am sorry, too, is what I want to say. I hope you're not mad at me any more.”
She appraised the two boys with a curious expression. They seemed genuine, and she appreciated their effort. With a nod to the both of them, she said: “I know the feeling when your words seem to come out all wrong. I am sorry, too. I'm a bit of a nosy know-it-all sometimes. But please leave the cat alone from now on, okay? Can you even imagine how hard it must be? Being alone, no home, nothing to eat?”
Danny and Caleb looked at her sheepishly. She almost had to laugh out loud. Boys could be really dumb sometimes.
“You're right, I can't imagine,” Danny answered. “I already felt bad for yesterday and went to my Grandma before school. I thought this would help.”
He took his backpack and showed them the contents. Now Josie couldn't help but giggle.
“Ah, that's why you didn't ride with us today. You went to the store,” Caleb whispered to his friend.
“Mrs. Wolfe's chicken kibble?” Josie asked while still laughing, which earned her confused looks. “Mrs. Wolfe is your grandmother?”
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“Yeah, you didn't know?”
“No, but I had the same idea. I went and bought cat food this morning. Might have missed you by just a few minutes,” Josie explained.
“Why were you so angry yesterday anyway?” she asked as an afterthought, but realized that she might have overdone it again. She wasn't used to talking to others of her age. Nan always understood what Josie was trying to say, whereas her peers seemed to speak an altogether different language at times.
“You don't have to answer that. I didn't mean to pry,” she added hurriedly.
“No, it's okay. It was my birthday present. The sandwich, I mean. All the times before, when the cat stole from us, we laughed about it. But yesterday I just couldn't. It just made me so angry.”
“Your present? Your birthday was yesterday?” Josie asked, and Danny nodded in response.
She noticed the dark look on his face and wondered why he would've got a sandwich as a present, but refrained from asking. Something told her that he wouldn't want to talk about it. And by the looks of him, it couldn't have been a great birthday in general. Josie decided to do something about that. She couldn't change anything about yesterday, of course, but maybe she could do something nice for him to at least make today better.
“I understand now, I think,” she whispered back and returned to her drawing.
Danny looked a bit lost for a moment, then he shrugged his shoulders at Caleb and took out some of his homework. His friend did the same, and the three of them sat in silence.
Mrs. Moneypenny returned a short while later and sat down at her desk, satisfied to find the children peaceful with each other and concentrating on silent work at their desks.
Josie completed the last parts of her picture fast, the silent surroundings enabling the girl to immerse herself in her creativity. Though time was slipping away, Josie's hands moved with purpose, each stroke on the paper a testament to her love for art and the depicted fantastical elements. Despite the urgency, Josie couldn't help but aim for perfection. Her eyes scanned the details, making sure every line and curve mirrored the vision in her imagination, working with quick yet precise movements. Commitment showed on her face, a calm determination to balance going fast and being accurate while still pouring her heart and soul into her creation. As the final touches fell into place, Josie sat back in her chair and let out a breath she hadn't been aware she was holding. After checking the time on the clock above the classroom door, she inspected her creation one final time. There were a few small mistakes and imperfections she would have loved to take care of, but she had to reign herself in - this would have to do.
The finished piece showed her dedication to the craft and proved that something almost magical could happen when she put her mind to it. Had anyone asked her at the start of recess, she would have said that finishing the drawing in this amount of time wasn't possible. But she had done it. Josie's hurried masterpiece wasn't just a drawing but a glimpse into the core of a caring artist, a try to create something perfect in a rush of inspiration. She took out a sticky note, fixed it to the corner of the picture, and wrote a few words on it. When she looked up again, she addressed her teacher.
“Mrs. Moneypenny? Recess is almost over, may I please go to the bathroom?” Josie asked.
The woman looked at the clock and nodded back at Josie.
“Sure. Please don't be late for the next period.” Mrs. Moneypenny answered with a curt nod and resumed reading in her papers.
Josie stood and picked up her drawing, careful not to crease it. When she passed Danny's desk, she slid it to him face down. With a content little smile she left for the door.
Caleb almost burst with curiosity and had to peek as Danny turned the piece of paper over. They had both vaguely registered that the girl had been drawing, but neither had taken a closer look. Thus, unaware of what Josie had been doing, both gasped in surprise.
They looked at each other in amazement.
“Woah,” Danny breathed.
Mrs. Moneypenny perked up, ready to admonish them with a sharp word. But as the boys didn't seem to be up to mischief, she resumed reading and left them to their own devices.
“That. Is. So - cool…” the excited Caleb whispered and craned his neck. “It looks like taken straight from a comic book, but she must have made it herself! I saw her drawing, but I never thought, it would be - well, so good. There are orcs, goblins, and dwarves - and so much more… What is all this?”
“Well, some is stuff from video games and comics, but I got no clue about the rest. And it's not just fantasy, see? She put in aliens, too! It's just… it's amazing. They all look so real, ready to jump off the page! But seriously, how would Josie know all this? She's a girl!”
“Beats me, Danny… I mean, girls could be into this, too, or not? Just ask her.”
They looked at the picture some more, and, in their shared fascination, didn't notice the small sticky note in the corner. When they at last read it, the words Josie had written made the two boys grin.
“Happy belated birthday, Danny. It's not a sandwich, but hey - at least you don't have to split this with the cat. J.”
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