Chapter Three: The Commission
Before school started, Timothy dropped Giselle off at a daycare in town. While checking her in he saw Lucille bringing boxes inside. “Hello, young man, how may I help you?” the woman behind the counter asked.
“I would like to drop my little cousin off.”
“Hey!” Giselle interrupted from underneath the counter. The lady peers over to see her frustrated.
Timothy kneeled, “I know you’re upset, but you have to stay here to be safe.”
“I’m safe at your house. I want to go home!” Giselle complained stomping her foot.
Timothy looked up to see the woman watching and then looked back down at Giselle, “There’s toys here.”
“Can I draw on them?”
His eyes popped out his head, “Oh, no! No, you can’t draw on them.”
“I’ll give you some paper, so you can draw, sweetie,” the woman said.
Timothy leaned into Giselle’s ear and whispered, “No art.”
“Aw, c’mon!”
“Remember Saturday?”
“That was so long ago!”
“It’s only been two days.”
“That long?” she gasped slapping her cheeks.
He felt time and the woman’s eyes cut into him, he made the choice to leave her at the daycare regardless of what she wanted. He hopped back up to the woman’s eye level, “I’ll pick up her up at 1:30, please make sure she doesn’t draw, she’s in trouble.”
“Hey, you said I wasn’t!”
“It’s all the yelling that’s getting you in trouble.”
Giselle breathed loudly covering her mouth with both hands.
“Remember no drawing, make some friends!” Timothy bolted out the door.
The woman leaned over to Giselle, “What’s your name little missy?”
“Giselle.”
“How old are you?”
“Five,” she answered with her words and open palm.
“Aw, aren’t you precious, you can play with the other kids.”
“Okay,” Giselle skipped around the counter into the back.
Lucille came up to the woman behind the counter and asked, “Where would you like this box?”
“Don’t worry about it. Shouldn’t you be going to school?”
“Oh yes, I should.”
“Quick question, did you see the boy that was just here?”
“Yeah.”
“Is he a classmate of yours?”
“Yeah.”
“He’s kind of young to have kids.”
“I don’t think it’s his kid. It would have gone around school. But he summoned some spirit girl to do his art project.”
“Some girl? What was her name, if you know?”
“Giselle.”
“Huh, how strange… have a good day at school.”
“Thank you,” Lucille left the daycare.
The woman went into the playroom to see Giselle bouncing a ball. “Hello, sweetie.”
“Hi, do you want to play catch?”
“No thank you, hun. I have to ask you some questions.”
“Okay,” she continued bouncing.
“I need you to stop bouncing please.”
“Okay,” Giselle caught the ball.
“How do you know that boy who dropped you off?”
“I did his art project.”
The woman laughed, “Aw, you have an imagination.”
“I did do his art project, I’m really good at art. He even called me from home.”
“Where do you live?”
“The specter zone.”
“The specter zone?”
“Yes, he called me through this book, and he tried to bring me home, but he couldn’t because he was missing a page.”
“Where are you real parents?”
“Dead.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, what happened to them?”
“They died.”
“How.”
“I don’t know.”
“Sweetie, does it make you feel sad to think about your parents?”
“No because I’m dead too.”
The woman is taken aback and laughed it off, “What an imagination you have.”
“I really am I dead, but I came back to life when Timothy called me over.”
“How can you come back to life, but your parents could not.”
“I think it has to do with my mother, she was a famous artist and she was going to make it but she said she rather have me be alive then to live without me and then I saw a lot of colors and became good at art but I never saw my parents again…” She broke out in tears.
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“Aw baby…” The woman hugged Giselle.
“Can I play with the ball again?”
“Yes, sweetie.”
“Yay!” The bouncing resumed.
In the other room the woman was on the phone talking to someone, “This is Tessa, I have a message for the leader. I found our guide.”
At school, Timothy walked into homeroom to Gloria’s surprise. “How are you not suspended?”
“Suspended for what?”
“Punching Duke.”
Timothy sucked his teeth and brushed the event off.
“Are you ready to submit the project for art class?” Gloria asked.
“Crap.”
“Is it home?”
“Yeah, I have to go home and get it.”
“So, you’re going to cut which class? I would like to know so I can act dumb for the teacher.”
“I’m going after homeroom, the hell with it, I’m going to go right now,” he looked around to see the teacher reading a newspaper.
Timothy made a break for it, at the door the teacher looked up, “Where you going?”
“Huh.”
“Huh, is not a place I know of. Where are you going?”
“My locker, I need my books for class.”
“You’re caring about school now? I guess you want that scholarship,” the teacher commented snarky.
“Yeah… I have to get that education.”
“Run along.”
“Thank you.”
While in the hallway he saw Lucille arriving at school. “How’s it going?” Lucille asked.
Timothy eyes rolled, “I’m fine.”
“I never knew you had a sister.”
“Yeah…”
“She kind of looks like Gloria.”
“So, I’ve heard,”
“You know that the Loving Hands Friendship House offers children classes.”
“I think I’ll pass. I’m in a rush. I’ll catch you later.”
Timothy got a text from Gloria, telling him that he forgot his bookbag in homeroom, “Crap.” He turned back to get the bag.
Once back in homeroom, he caught the attention of the teacher, “Timothy, I see you have returned without your books.”
“Yeah… I left my bag in the room.”
“Uh huh, you can go in between classes.”
Timothy mouthed an expletive and settled back in next to Gloria.
“I see that didn’t go well. What did you do with Giselle?” Gloria inquired.
“I left her at home.”
“Are you serious!”
“Ms. Shields, mind your voice!” the teacher commanded.
“Sorry.” She looks back at her friend, “What are you thinking, leaving that little girl in your house alone, she like four at most.”
“She’s not at my house alone, I’m surprised you think that low of me. I left her at the daycare in town.”
“Hey, Gloria, Tim,” Lucille greeted.
“Hi Lucille,” Gloria greeted back.
Timothy nodded his head, and Barry squeezed in between them, “Pardon me.”
Lucille took her attention off the two, “Hey Barry can I interest you in an invite to the Loving Hands Friendship House bingo hour.”
“No thank you, I have work.”
“Where do you work.”
“The psychic outline.”
“Really, aren’t you kind of young for that job?”
“I’m eighteen now, so I get adult hours. Anyway, what are you doing here, this isn’t your homeroom.”
“I’m going to make an announcement.”
Lucille went to the teacher and asked to make an announcement. The teacher allowed him to make the announcement. “Hello everyone, the Loving Hands Friendship House is looking for volunteers for bingo night tonight and other events throughout the week, if you would like to sign up raise your hand and I’ll come by with the sign-up sheet.” No one raised their hand. “Thank you for your time.”
Gloria overheard Barry talking to a classmate about his birthday that day and how he is working. He groaned about how now that he is eighteen, that his boss can make him work late hours because it no longer violates child labor laws. As he complained about his job, Gloria picked up that he works at a psychic hotline and that his boss in a cheapskate but would put him on television since when he works, he generates the best numbers.
Homeroom ended and Timothy broke out of the school to get his project. In the stairwell he abruptly went out of the emergency exit in the stairwell, while Gloria was talking to him. She heard the door open and commented to herself, “I’m covering for him this period…”
Outside of the school, Timothy is running down the street, trying to not miss two class periods and to avoid being seen by anyone from the school. His phone vibrated in his pocket, but he ignored it. A minute later it stopped and vibrated once again. He does not pick it up.
Gloria sighed going into the next class having to cover for Timothy. She struck luck as there was a substitute teacher in the classroom. “Oh man, he got lucky,” she took a seat and the attendance sheets floated around, she signed both of their names and passed it on. She sent a text to Timothy letting him know there is substitute in the current period.
Timothy arrived back at his house to retrieve the canvas out of his living room and then his phone buzzed. He checked it to see a message from Gloria stating that there is a substitute teacher in class. After reading it he commented to himself, “Oh shit, then I’m going to take my time.” He plopped himself on the couch and flipped on the television. He got another text from Gloria badgering him about getting back to school. “Yes, Gloria, I have the project,” he said to himself turning the television off.
Timothy returned to the school with the project in tow. He snuck into the art room and dropped the project off. Duke caught him and watched him drop off the assignment, “Miss!” he panicked. By the time the teacher turned around Timothy was gone.
It was time for art class and Timothy and Gloria walked in together. “Are you ready?” Gloria asked.
“Of course.”
“Don’t you think it will be obvious?”
“No, it doesn’t look like a kid did it.”
“It doesn’t look like you did it.”
“Looks like I handed it in.”
Gloria rolled her eyes. They both took their seats.
“Miss are we presenting our projects?” a student asked.
“Now why the hell, would anyone ask that,” Timothy groaned.
“Well, it’s your work, you can talk about the process, I suppose,” Gloria said.
“The process, I’m not talking about the process.”
“But it comes from the heart,” she joked.
“Yeah, it comes from my desire to pass.” He shouted out to the teacher, “We shouldn’t present, the class doesn’t want it, right?”
The class agreed.
“I’ll open up the presentation portion to anyone who wants to do it,” the teacher said.
The student who asked about presenting did not, as they fell to the pressure of the class.
“Ok, so no one wants to present, that’s fine, you can fill out the project reflection sheet.”
Two pieces of paper came to Timothy and Gloria’s table. “Make sure you write something meaningful. I don’t think Giselle would be able to understand the words on the paper.”
“You’re hilarious.”
Timothy read the questions on the sheet; it was a set of ten questions. Question one: Why did you pick the type of assignment that you did? Answer: I felt like this was my strongest method of doing art. Gloria, looked over, “Tah.”
“What did you put?”
“Nothing yet, I’m going back to that question.”
Question two: What motivated you to create the scenario? Answer: I was very proud of this achievement of mine and wanted to share it with the class. “Hey Gloria, do you think this answer is too conceded?”
“Know what is underneath that sheet, yes, I find your answer vain.”
“Oh well.”
Question three: What elements of art did you use while doing this project? Answer: ___ “Gloria, what is an element of art?”
“See this is why you should pay attention in class.”
Timothy looked around the room to see a poster on the elements of art. “Oh I got it.” Answer: I used shapes, lines, and color. “Obviously. “He put his pencil down and took a quick break. “Who knew art was this easy.”
Question four: What were your strengths while doing this project? Answer: Time management. “You aren’t right for that one,” Gloria commented.
“It’s the truth though. I used my time wisely.”
Question five: What were your weaknesses while doing this project? Answer: Wanting to do it. Gloria and Timothy eyes met “No comment?” he asked.
“No.”
Question six: Why did you not use any other method to do the project? Answer: Because I was not comfortable with the other options.
Question seven: What would you change about how you did the project? Answer: The ending, it did not go as planned. “Is that about…”
Timothy cut Gloria off, “Obviously, did you do number one yet?”
“Not yet.”
Question eight: What advice would you give future classes? Answer: Take this very seriously. “Seriously?”
“Yes, Gloria, seriously, you should take this seriously and do number one.”
Question nine: What grade would you give yourself? Answer: An A. “Easy ass question.”
“Did you really look at that question?”
“Yeah, that’s why I put an A.”
“Did you reflect on it?”
“Yes, that’s how I came up with the answer. C’mon Gloria, this is how this works. Did I reflect on it…”
Question ten: Would you suggest this project to future classes? Answer: Hell no. Gloria looks over, “Tim.”
“Right, I’m in class, he scratches out the hell and turned the paper over.
The teacher came around and collected the papers. “When do you think we will get our grades?” Timothy asked.
“I don’t know, hopefully quickly, so you can plead your case to the teacher.”
“You are sure spicy today?”
“Yeah, I don’t know, I think I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed today.”
“I can tell, maybe seeing Giselle will make you happy.”
“I’ll come see her but won’t babysit her for you.”
“Okay, okay, I wasn’t asking you to babysit for me, just to spend some time.”
The teacher revealed Timothy’s project, the class is amazed by the artwork. “Wow, Timothy, you really did an excellent job on this. How come you couldn’t do work like this all year?” the teacher commented.
“I don’t know, I suppose I had a lot on the line this time and had to get it right. I applied myself.”
Class let out, “Gloria, I’ll text you when I get Giselle, and we can meet at my house.”
“Okay.”