later,” Jessica said. “Thanks a lot for the ride.” Then remembering Kyle’s statement about Al and the barter system, Jessica added, just for spice in front of Charlotte, “I’llhave to do something nice for you someday.” She headed down the hall slowly so she could hear Kyle and Charlotte’s conversation.
“Bye, Jessica,” Kyle said. Then he changed his tone of voice and said to Charlotte, “I can do the fire safety check you requested on the building tomorrow. I need the right forms from the station, and I didn’t bring them with me today. As for the assembly, the end of the month would be the best for me.”
“Wonderful,” Charlotte cooed. “And what about setting a date when I can fix you dinner to thank you?”
“We’ll have to wait on that,” Kyle said.
Jessica couldn’t hear any more as she entered her classroom. But she had heard enough to give her some hope, hope that Kyle was spending his free time with Jessica because he wanted to. Hope that there might be room for their relationship to develop into something. But what? And what would she do with it if it did?
The phone on the wall next to her desk rang, and Jessica jumped just a little before hurrying to the front of the class to answer it.
“Hi, it’s Teri. I thought I heard you come in, neighbor. Is it okay if I come visit?”
“Sure, come on over.”
Teri appeared a minute later. She had her wild, wavy dark brown hair back in a clip and wore a red tank top and a pair of white pants that were just a little too tight for her. Jessica noticed then that Teri’s thighs were large and not at all in proportion to the rest of her figure. She had hidden her thighs well over the last few days, but today the white slacks did nothing to camouflage them.
“How did everything go at the doctor’s?”
“I’m scarred for life,” Jessica tried to make it sound like a joke.
“Really?” Teri came closer and looked at Jessica’s lip. She did it in such a way that it seemed as if she had to look hard and long to see the scar at all. Jessica knew it was much more obvious than that, yet she appreciated Teri’s benevolent act.
“It’s hardly a scar at all,” Teri said. “A little aloe vera and that tiny mark will heal right up. My grandma grows the plants in her back yard in Escondido. That’s where I grew up. I have a dozen plants growing in my back yard. I’ll bring you one tomorrow. Have you ever used an aloe plant? You just break off a leaf and put the gel right on the spot. It’ll heal up in no time.”
The only kind of aloe Jessica knew about came as an additive in lotion or shampoo when the manufacturer wanted it to appear to be a more natural product.
“The stuff really works. I use it on my face, too. It’s kind of slimy and smells a little too earthy for me, but it’s a habit. My grandma started spreading the gel on my face when I was a teen to keep it from breaking out. You’d like my grandma. She’s quite a character. I can just hear her now, ‘Teresa Angelina Raquel Moreno, have you used your aloe today?’” Teri rattled off the question in a high pitched, grandmotherly voice with a perfect Spanish accent.
Jessica wondered if the aloe was, in fact, the secret to Teri’s flawless complexion.
Teri looked around Jessica’s classroom. “It’s looking good in here. Did all your books come in?”
“I’m not exactly sure. How do I find out?”
“Ask Charlotte, I guess.”
“In that case, I think I’ll wait.”
“That bad, huh? Did she convince Kyle to do an assembly yet?”
“Yes, I heard them talking about it after Kyle brought me back. She was waiting in the hallway, all coiled and ready to spring the minute we walked in the door. It’s creepy. Is she buggingyou and the other teachers, too? Or is it only me?”
Before Teri could answer, Jessica’s phone rang. Since Teri was standing the closest to it, she answered the call. “You’re kidding! Really? That’s great! Of course. We’ll be
“Bye, Jessica,” Kyle said. Then he changed his tone of voice and said to Charlotte, “I can do the fire safety check you requested on the building tomorrow. I need the right forms from the station, and I didn’t bring them with me today. As for the assembly, the end of the month would be the best for me.”
“Wonderful,” Charlotte cooed. “And what about setting a date when I can fix you dinner to thank you?”
“We’ll have to wait on that,” Kyle said.
Jessica couldn’t hear any more as she entered her classroom. But she had heard enough to give her some hope, hope that Kyle was spending his free time with Jessica because he wanted to. Hope that there might be room for their relationship to develop into something. But what? And what would she do with it if it did?
The phone on the wall next to her desk rang, and Jessica jumped just a little before hurrying to the front of the class to answer it.
“Hi, it’s Teri. I thought I heard you come in, neighbor. Is it okay if I come visit?”
“Sure, come on over.”
Teri appeared a minute later. She had her wild, wavy dark brown hair back in a clip and wore a red tank top and a pair of white pants that were just a little too tight for her. Jessica noticed then that Teri’s thighs were large and not at all in proportion to the rest of her figure. She had hidden her thighs well over the last few days, but today the white slacks did nothing to camouflage them.
“How did everything go at the doctor’s?”
“I’m scarred for life,” Jessica tried to make it sound like a joke.
“Really?” Teri came closer and looked at Jessica’s lip. She did it in such a way that it seemed as if she had to look hard and long to see the scar at all. Jessica knew it was much more obvious than that, yet she appreciated Teri’s benevolent act.
“It’s hardly a scar at all,” Teri said. “A little aloe vera and that tiny mark will heal right up. My grandma grows the plants in her back yard in Escondido. That’s where I grew up. I have a dozen plants growing in my back yard. I’ll bring you one tomorrow. Have you ever used an aloe plant? You just break off a leaf and put the gel right on the spot. It’ll heal up in no time.”
The only kind of aloe Jessica knew about came as an additive in lotion or shampoo when the manufacturer wanted it to appear to be a more natural product.
“The stuff really works. I use it on my face, too. It’s kind of slimy and smells a little too earthy for me, but it’s a habit. My grandma started spreading the gel on my face when I was a teen to keep it from breaking out. You’d like my grandma. She’s quite a character. I can just hear her now, ‘Teresa Angelina Raquel Moreno, have you used your aloe today?’” Teri rattled off the question in a high pitched, grandmotherly voice with a perfect Spanish accent.
Jessica wondered if the aloe was, in fact, the secret to Teri’s flawless complexion.
Teri looked around Jessica’s classroom. “It’s looking good in here. Did all your books come in?”
“I’m not exactly sure. How do I find out?”
“Ask Charlotte, I guess.”
“In that case, I think I’ll wait.”
“That bad, huh? Did she convince Kyle to do an assembly yet?”
“Yes, I heard them talking about it after Kyle brought me back. She was waiting in the hallway, all coiled and ready to spring the minute we walked in the door. It’s creepy. Is she buggingyou and the other teachers, too? Or is it only me?”
Before Teri could answer, Jessica’s phone rang. Since Teri was standing the closest to it, she answered the call. “You’re kidding! Really? That’s great! Of course. We’ll be
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