carried it down the hall to the teachers’ lounge.
I was the first to arrive, but Sally Minor walked through the door a moment later. She was an ample woman in her early fifties, who had the privilege of being highly respected by both students and administration alike. She was sharp, canny, and fiercely committed to the educational process. I didn’t know her well, but I liked her a lot.
“Grab a seat at the table while you still can,” she said, staking out one end for herself. “Let Ed balance his lunch on his knees. Maybe that will slow him down enough to keep him from arguing too much.”
“What’s the matter now?” I walked over to the sideboard and poured a cup of coffee from the pot. “He can’t still be upset about that smoking thing. The whole building’s nonsmoking, he’s always had to walk outside when he wants a cigarette.”
“Or sneak into the boys’ room,” Sally muttered.
“He really does that?”
“Does it? He makes a habit of it. What kind of example do you think that sets for the kids?”
I added a dollop of milk to my cup, carried it over, and sat down. “Why doesn’t Mr. Hanover stop him?”
“Maybe he doesn’t know. Maybe he doesn’t care. Anyway, the newest problem had nothing to do with that. After you left the last meeting . . .” Sally’s eyes flickered up toward Honoria’s portrait, now gazing down upon us from the east wall. “. . . we all just started throwing out ideas. Everyone was feeling pretty desperate by then.”
I nodded, remembering. I’d been just as happy to escape.
“Anyway, Ed started talking about how Joshua Howard was rumored to have made some of his money bootlegging during Prohibition. He seemed to know a little bit about liquor being brought in from Canada across the Great Lakes and somehow he managed to parlay that into the notion that the pageant ought to be a play about pirates.”
“Pirates?” I laughed. “Joshua Howard was no saint, but I don’t think he was a pirate.”
“Of course he wasn’t a pirate! Everybody knows that. This is just another one of his harebrained schemes.”
“You must be talking about Ed.” Rita Kinney opened the door and carried her tray inside.
“How can you tell?”
“For one thing your face is all red.” She came and sat down beside us. “That’s pretty much your usual reaction whenever he’s around. And speaking of which, he’s right behind me so watch what you say.”
“I’ll say whatever I please,” Sally said firmly. “Ed’s the one who can watch out.”
“Ah, Sally.” The door pushed open once more and Ed Weinstein appeared. He held his tray in front of him like a shield, and the thick, black mustache that adorned his upper lip was twitching like a rabbit’s nose. “Is that your tender voice I hear, or is there a foghorn blowing on the Sound?”
“Oh stuff it, Ed. Now that Melanie’s back, you can consider your pirate idea voted down. She didn’t like it any better than the rest of us did.”
“Fine. Be that way.” Ed pushed Rita’s tray to one side and made a place for himself at the table. “I don’t see you coming up with anything better. At least the pirate idea had potential. I don’t know what we’re killing ourselves for, anyway. It’s not like this is a big tradition or anything. There’s never even been a spring pageant before. I’m beginning to think maybe we should just scrap the whole idea.”
“Good thought,” Sally said sarcastically. “Do you want to be the one to tell Mr. Hanover his pet project’s been abandoned, or should I?”
“Everybody here? Excellent!” Michael Durant was the last to arrive. He entered the room on the run and went straight to the coffeepot to pour himself a cup. “How’re we doing, people? Who’s got something great for me?”
“I’m sure Sally must,” Ed said snidely. “Since she seems to think that all my ideas are unworthy.”
Michael hadn’t brought his lunch with him, and he didn’t join us at the
I was the first to arrive, but Sally Minor walked through the door a moment later. She was an ample woman in her early fifties, who had the privilege of being highly respected by both students and administration alike. She was sharp, canny, and fiercely committed to the educational process. I didn’t know her well, but I liked her a lot.
“Grab a seat at the table while you still can,” she said, staking out one end for herself. “Let Ed balance his lunch on his knees. Maybe that will slow him down enough to keep him from arguing too much.”
“What’s the matter now?” I walked over to the sideboard and poured a cup of coffee from the pot. “He can’t still be upset about that smoking thing. The whole building’s nonsmoking, he’s always had to walk outside when he wants a cigarette.”
“Or sneak into the boys’ room,” Sally muttered.
“He really does that?”
“Does it? He makes a habit of it. What kind of example do you think that sets for the kids?”
I added a dollop of milk to my cup, carried it over, and sat down. “Why doesn’t Mr. Hanover stop him?”
“Maybe he doesn’t know. Maybe he doesn’t care. Anyway, the newest problem had nothing to do with that. After you left the last meeting . . .” Sally’s eyes flickered up toward Honoria’s portrait, now gazing down upon us from the east wall. “. . . we all just started throwing out ideas. Everyone was feeling pretty desperate by then.”
I nodded, remembering. I’d been just as happy to escape.
“Anyway, Ed started talking about how Joshua Howard was rumored to have made some of his money bootlegging during Prohibition. He seemed to know a little bit about liquor being brought in from Canada across the Great Lakes and somehow he managed to parlay that into the notion that the pageant ought to be a play about pirates.”
“Pirates?” I laughed. “Joshua Howard was no saint, but I don’t think he was a pirate.”
“Of course he wasn’t a pirate! Everybody knows that. This is just another one of his harebrained schemes.”
“You must be talking about Ed.” Rita Kinney opened the door and carried her tray inside.
“How can you tell?”
“For one thing your face is all red.” She came and sat down beside us. “That’s pretty much your usual reaction whenever he’s around. And speaking of which, he’s right behind me so watch what you say.”
“I’ll say whatever I please,” Sally said firmly. “Ed’s the one who can watch out.”
“Ah, Sally.” The door pushed open once more and Ed Weinstein appeared. He held his tray in front of him like a shield, and the thick, black mustache that adorned his upper lip was twitching like a rabbit’s nose. “Is that your tender voice I hear, or is there a foghorn blowing on the Sound?”
“Oh stuff it, Ed. Now that Melanie’s back, you can consider your pirate idea voted down. She didn’t like it any better than the rest of us did.”
“Fine. Be that way.” Ed pushed Rita’s tray to one side and made a place for himself at the table. “I don’t see you coming up with anything better. At least the pirate idea had potential. I don’t know what we’re killing ourselves for, anyway. It’s not like this is a big tradition or anything. There’s never even been a spring pageant before. I’m beginning to think maybe we should just scrap the whole idea.”
“Good thought,” Sally said sarcastically. “Do you want to be the one to tell Mr. Hanover his pet project’s been abandoned, or should I?”
“Everybody here? Excellent!” Michael Durant was the last to arrive. He entered the room on the run and went straight to the coffeepot to pour himself a cup. “How’re we doing, people? Who’s got something great for me?”
“I’m sure Sally must,” Ed said snidely. “Since she seems to think that all my ideas are unworthy.”
Michael hadn’t brought his lunch with him, and he didn’t join us at the
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