After-School-Cares

The buzz of Danielle’s fire-hydrant red alarm clock woke her up.  She had just finished cleaning her basement bedroom yesterday, and forgot to place the alarm clock back beside her king sized bed that hid in the corner.  She pulled her pink comforter over her head, hoping that the methodic beeping sound would stop on its own, but instead, after waiting for about thirty seconds, the beeping just got faster.  She threw her comforter to the carpet and walked barefoot to the other side of the room.  She pressed the off button and drew open the blinds of her window, to see her neighbors opening the doors to their red SUV.  She squinted her eyes as their faces came into recognition. They were the Smiths, helping their three children get into the car.  They were probably getting ready to go to James’s little sister’s birthday party.  Danielle was going later.  She planned on leaving in an hour.  Before the party she would probably take a bath, light a few candles, and maybe listen to some Dave Matthews.  She still had to wrap Lucy’s present, the Rubix cube she had purchased (after much contemplation) from Walgreens last night.  After all, she was arriving to the party by herself.  She didn’t have any sister that might be acquainted with Lucy.  She didn’t have anyone’s shoes to help tie.  She never had to stay at home on Saturday nights and babysit.  She never got in fights and slammed doors on anyone, besides her parents.  She wasn’t anyone’s role model.   She was only responsible for herself.

After much grooming and preparation, Danielle wrapped the rubix cube in tissue paper and placed it in a polka-dot print gift bag.  Outside it was cloudy and raining.  Danielle took the invitation out of her back pocket as she climbed into the seat of her car.  “Come Join Us for an Afternoon of Fun!” it read.  The image of seven-year-olds running around wearing pointed party hats and yelling while balloons and a terrified clown occupied the room ran through her mind, but she would go, because these occasions were her only connections to the younger sister she never had.

 “Cake after presents, Lucy!” Mrs. Palmer yelled to the mass of children  swarming behind her as she opened the door to greet Danielle. 

“Oh, Danielle, I’m so glad you’re here,” James’ and Lucy’s mom said.  “We need all the help we can get.  James is taking care of the food in the kitchen.  Go help him.”

Danielle forced her way through the crowd of kids, which had found an interest in kicking a balloon around the living room.  She found James icing some cupcakes alone in the kitchen. He wiped the sweat off of his brow before looking up to Danielle.

“I’m so glad you’re here!”  he said.  “I didn’t think you were coming.”

“I wanted to be fashionably late,” Danielle said.

 “Were you having one of those being-an-only-child-sucks moments?” he asked.

“How did you know?” Danielle asked.

“Because I’m your best friend,” he said. “I know how much you hate sleeping in that huge basement alone.”

“Whatever,” said Danielle.

The children gathered around a forest-green rug placed in the center of the living room.  Lucy took each gift and tore off its wrapping paper and bows.  She would look at the present, and after recognizing it, throw it to the floor, forming a heap, in anticipation of the next gift.  Mrs. Palmer would then take the present, read the label with enthusiasm, and thank the guest for giving it to Lucy. 

“I haven’t gotten what I wanted, mommy!”  Lucy shouted in anger once all of the gifts had been unwrapped.

“What did she want?” Danielle whispered to James.
           

“Board games,” he said.  “My mother told her that if she finishes her homework before dinner every night, my parents and I will play a board game with her.”

“Well, it just so happens that I have two more presents left,” said Mrs. Palmer.  She pulled two wrapped boxes off of the top shelf of the front closet.  Lucy stood up, grabbed one from Mrs. Palmer, and tore off the wrapping.

“Monopoly!  That’s just what I wanted!” she said, throwing the box to the side.  Mrs. Palmer handed her the next gift.  She unwrapped it. 

“Life!  I love that game!” she exclaimed.

Lucy took the two boxes and hugged them, squeezing her eyes shut and smiling.

“This has been the best birthday ever!” she said.

“Okay, time to eat,” said Mrs. Palmer.

Danielle stood at the back of the room and stared while everyone else walked into the kitchen.

The After-School-Cares Program was something that Danielle and James had stumbled over at Elmwood Community College’s Fall Fest.  The representative flagged them down and convinced them to come to the Waukegan Middle School twice a week after school to read to and tutor second graders.  The kids need someone to read to, you’ll have fun, the representative said.  Danielle had never read to anyone besides herself before.  Danielle and James drove to the middle school not knowing what to expect.  The walls were lined with drawings of scarecrows and witches.  The halls were long with low ceilings.  To Danielle it seemed like a miniature version of the community college that she had just enrolled in that fall.

Danielle and James approached the front desk of the main office.  The maroon carpet was tracked with leaves and there was a painting of a child’s feet being washed by a woman hovering over the waiting area.  Danielle sat down.  She glanced around and placed her book bag on the floor.  James walked up to the marble desk and knocked.

“Hello, is there anyone there?” James said.  They waited for a few minutes.

“Let’s get out of here,” James said.  Danielle gathered her book bag and James was about to walk out of the office, when a thin, tall woman with curly hair rushed towards them from out of the shadows.

“Hi! Are you the volunteers from the After-School-Cares Program?” she asked, smoothing her hair with her hand.

“Yes,” Danielle said.

“Well, we’re glad to have you,” she said.  “The rest of the volunteers have already arrived, and they’re in the daycare room in the back of the building.  Here, I’ll show you.”

The woman smiled as she led them through the halls to a brightly lit room that was filled with younger children and volunteers about Danielle’s age.  There were red and blue bean bags arranged in the corners of the room.  Several walls were shelved with books and held plastic bins of blocks and toys.  Blue mats were stacked against the walls, and the bulletin boards were plastered with more drawings and paintings.  The room was buzzing with the energy of kids stacking blocks and scribbling with crayons.  Some volunteers sat on some blue mats at the front of the room.

Once the three were in the room, the woman turned to Danielle and James.

“Here you are,” she said. “You can sit over there with the rest of the volunteers.”

Danielle and James looked to each other and then to the room.  A man standing near the door clapped his hands twice until the room filled with silence.

“Hello everyone, I’m Billy. These are the volunteers that have come to work with us,” he said to the children.  “So listen to them and they’ll be glad to read with you and help with homework.  Volunteers, please, form a line at the front of the room.”

Danielle, James and the volunteers stood up and gathered in a line.  Danielle stood in the middle.  She gazed out to the sea of children.  Some held books in their laps, some sat at tables with open notebooks in front of them.  One girl sat staring out of an open window, holding her chin in her hand. 

“Okay, let’s begin,” the man said.  “I will be picking who works with whom.”

Billy scaled the mass of children.  “You,” he said, pointing to one of the volunteers, “you work with him Mike.  You,” he said, resting his hand on the shoulder of another volunteer, “you work with Sandy.  And you,” he said, looking at Danielle, “You work with Annette.”

The girl gazing out the window slid out of her chair and walked towards Danielle, smiling sheepishly.  She had orange- red hair, freckles, and brown eyes.  She wore butterfly barrettes in her hair and carried a book with her.

“Hi, my name is Danielle,” Danielle said, “And you are…Annette?”

“Yes,” she said, tucking her chin in and rocking back and forth.

“What do you want to do today, Annette?” Danielle asked.  “Do you have homework, or do you want to read something?”

Annette paused.  Then she pushed forward the book in her hand.

“What’s this,” Danielle said.  She took the book and read the title: A Simpson’s Halloween. 

“Okay, we can read this,” Danielle said.  Danielle placed her hand on Annette’s shoulder and led her to a bean bag in a corner of the room.  The rest of the volunteers were hunched over the shoulders of the children, already correcting mispronounced words and scribbling out numbers onto math homework.  Danielle felt awkward guiding Annette, and she tried to be as composed as possible when walking with her.  Danielle noticed her placid gate and the gentle way she held her book. 

Once they reached the corner of the room, Annette climbed into the bean bag chair.  Danielle sat next to her, looking over her shoulder, as Annette opened the book to the first page.  Annette read out loud to Danielle, every so often needing help pronouncing a word.  Annette would point to a word with her tiny finger and Danielle would say the word aloud.  Then Annette would repeat the word and continue reading.  Before Annette would begin to read a new page, she would look at each illustration in the book.  Danielle watched the look of interest on Annette’s face. 

Danielle let out a small sigh of relief once they had finished the book.

“You are a very good reader,” Danielle said. “I have never seen the television show, but now that you’ve read this book to me, I feel like I know all about the Simpsons.”

Annette giggled.  She looked up to Danielle with admiration.

“What do you want to be for Halloween?” Danielle asked.

Annette looked at the floor for a moment.  Then she placed the book on the floor and looked up to Danielle again.

“I want to be a lion,” she said in a shy whisper.  “The one from the Wizard of Oz.  My mom is going to make me a costume.”

“Wow,” Danielle said, “I’ve never known anyone that has dressed up as a lion before.  Are you going to go trick or treating?”

Annette’s eyes lit up as she grabbed Danielle’s hand. 

“Yes, my mom and dad are going to take me trick or treating,” she exclaimed.  “Last year I filled up my bag to the top with candy! And every day after I finish my homework and eat dinner, my parents let me have some of it!”

Danielle paused.  She felt alarmed by the powerful grip of Annette’s little hand. 

“Cool!” Danielle said.  She looked up to the clock. 

“It’s time to go,” said Annette.  “Are you coming back on Thursday?”

She looked up to Danielle with big brown eyes.  She thought back to when she first saw Annette and how she stood apart from the crowd.  The little butterfly barrettes she wore reminded her of the barrettes her mother would put in her hair when she was her age. 

“Of course I’ll be here, Annette,” she said. 

James told Danielle on the way home that the child he had volunteered with was an albino. 

“I had never seen an albino person before,” he said, “It was a humbling experience, to meet a kid who has to deal with all of the cruelty he probably receives from others.”

James unwrapped a Cliff bar and bit into it.  He rolled down his window and threw out the wrapper. 

“I hope the weather is this nice when we take Lucy trick-or-treating,” James said.

“My kid likes the Simpsons,” Danielle said, “I lucked out on this one. I might have had to read a Power Rangers book with her.  Or worse yet, Harry Potter.  I hate Harry Potter.”

Danielle dropped James off at his house. On the way home Danielle noticed that the clouds were a mess of purple and pink.  Her uncle used to tell her that this meant that tomorrow would be a better day.  She also had read somewhere that this discoloration was caused by pollution.  She hoped what her uncle said was true.  The thing that made her want a younger sister so badly was the fact that she would be a clean slate.  She could make her into anything.  She could make her into someone like her.  That seemed almost impossible with Annette, but tomorrow was a new day, and anything was possible, as long as Danielle still had an open heart.

“What do you want to do today?” Danielle asked Annette.  Annette stood next to Danielle in the middle of the room, looking down to the floor.  She looked up, took Danielle by the hand, and guided her to the shelves where there were the bins filled with toys and blocks.  Annette sat, pulling Danielle down with her.  She drew a bin off of the shelf, one filled with small car toys.  Danielle watched in silence as Annette took two toy cars and rammed them into each other, over and over again.  Annette’s expression was blank.  Her eyes were red, and her hair hung low over her forehead.  Danielle sat and watched for a few moments.  Finally she reached out and clutched Annette’s arm.  Annette looked up to Danielle.

“What’s wrong, Annette?” Danielle asked.

Annette sat quietly for a moment.  She rubbed her right eye with her fist.

“My mom and dad were fighting again this morning,” she said.

Danielle sat dumbstruck.  This was too big a problem for an After-School-Cares volunteer.  Her sisterly instinct kicked in as she wiped Annette’s hair from her eyes.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Danielle asked.

“No,” Annette said, putting the cars back in the bin.

“That’s ok, Annette.  Moms and dads fight sometimes,” Danielle said.

“But it’s embarrassing when I come to school in the morning and people make fun of me because I’m crying,” Annette said.

“Just tell them your big sister Danielle said to leave you alone, ok?” Danielle said.  “Let’s do something fun.  What are you learning in school?”

“We’re learning cursive, but I’m no good at it,” she said.

“Cursive,” Danielle said, “I learned how to write in cursive when I was your age.  We can practice writing your name.”

Annette clutched her notebook and pencil in her left hand and led Danielle to a bean bag chair in the corner of the room with her right.  Danielle sat on the bean bag chair and Annette sat comfortably in her lap.  Danielle placed her chin on Annette’s shoulder as Annette opened her notebook to a blank page.  Danielle clasped her right hand around Annette’s.  Danielle managed to compose an “A” in cursive, in accordance with Annette’s shaky grip.  After they made the “A” Annette grinned widely, and turned back to Danielle.  Annette laughed as Danielle congratulated her for her accomplishment.

“Very good!” said Danielle,” “Now let’s try the rest of your name.”

They sat quietly on the bean bag chair while the rest of the room was buzzing with the energy of homework and conversation.  Danielle guided Annette’s hand with patience, and in a few moments they had written her name.

Annette ripped the piece of paper out of her notebook.  She ran across the room to her back pack.  She unzipped her bag, folded the piece of paper in half, and placed it inside. Annette ran back to the bean bag chair where Danielle still sat, her eyes beaming.  She sat down next to Danielle.

“What do you do for fun?” she asked.

“I go out with my friends,” Danielle said.  “And I play sports, watch movies, I read, lots of stuff.”

“Do you ever write in cursive?” Annette asked.

“Sometimes.  Not for school, but when I write poetry and prose in my journal, I write in cursive,” Danielle said.

Annette tilted her head to the side.  “What’s prose?” she asked.

Danielle sat and contemplated how she could explain prose to a-seven-year-old. 

“It’s just a more fun way of writing a story,” she explained.

Annette jumped up and clapped her hands.  “Let’s write prose!” she exclaimed.

Danielle laughed.  “What should we write about?” she asked.

Annette looked up to the ceiling.  “Halloween!” she said.

“Okay, this is how it works,” Danielle said, “you just tell me the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Halloween, and I’ll write it down.  It’s called free-writing.”

“Free-writing! Free-writing!” Annette yelled, jumping up and down. 

“Is it alright if I write it in your notebook?”  Danielle asked.  Annette handed her notebook to Danielle.  Danielle opened it to a blank page. 

“Okay, just tell me what you want the story to be, and I’ll write it down,” said Danielle.

Annette spun around in a circle with her arms out in the air and sat down.

“Scarecrows don’t scare me- on Halloween- witches fly from house to house- looking for treats- monsters look scary but aren’t real-  just like the costumes- I want to be a lion- because I have a loud roar- trick or treating is the best- when I’m not alone.”

Danielle hurried to scribble down each word Annette said.  She had just finished the loop of the “e” in “alone,” when Billy clapped his hands twice from the front of the room. 

“Thank you, volunteers, for your time,” Billy said, “We’ll see you next week!”

Danielle stood up from the bean bag chair and picked up her backpack.  She was about to throw her strap over her shoulder when Annette wrapped her arms around her stomach.  Danielle stood there, laughing to herself for a moment, until Annette finally let go. 

“I’ll see you Monday,” Danielle said to Annette.

Danielle and James drove to Waukegan Middle School on Monday in James’ lemon-yellow convertible.  Danielle had brought The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe for her and Annette to read.  Her and James were about to walk into the daycare classroom when Billy blocked her entrance.

“Can I have a word with you, Danielle?” Billy asked.  He reached out to Danielle’s shoulder and guided her to a spot in front of the entrance of the daycare room.  He looked at her with sympathetic eyes and spoke in a low tone.

“There has been a… complaint,” he said.

Danielle’s face was struck with a sense of confusion and shock.  “What complaint?” she said.

“Annette’s parents… they read the story that you wrote for her last Thursday,” he said.

Danielle waited for him to say something more. 

“So?” she said.
           

“There was a…misspelled word.” he said.

“So?”

Billy placed his hand on her shoulder again and looked her in the eyes. “They prefer that you not work with Annette anymore,” he said.  “They think you set a bad example for her.”

Danielle looked at Billy in shock.  She looked into the room to where Annette was sitting.  She threw Billy’s hand off of her shoulder.

“Are you kidding me?” Danielle said.  “Because I misspelled a word?  I was in a hurry, it was almost four thirty!”

“I’m sorry, Danielle, but her parents feel very strongly about this,” Billy said.  “You can still work with another child-“

“No, you know what, forget it,” Danielle yelled as she began to walk down the hallway.  “I quit.  Tell James I’m taking the bus home.”

Danielle sat at the bus stop, clutching The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.  She flipped through it, noticing the pages that had rabbit ears, that she had marked when she read it herself so many years ago, alone in her bedroom.  The Palmers had the movie on DVD.  They bought it last year and Lucy had watched it many times. Lucy was going to dress up as the White Witch.  Mrs. Palmer had already bought the costume from a costume shop downtown that was open year round.  Lucy had seen the costume in the window last summer, and when her mother told her she wouldn’t buy it until Halloween came around, she had a temper tantrum right then and there until Mrs. Palmer gave in.  This reminded Danielle that James and her were taking Lucy out trick-or-treating next week. 

Danielle looked across the street to the houses adorned with Halloween decorations.  One house had a giant spider made of black garbage bags sprawled across it.  Another had huge pumpkins with happily morbid expressions sitting on the front porch.  The world of big-sister-dom was leaving Danielle, and the reality of everyday was beginning to return.

Danielle and James had taken Lucy trick-or-treating last year, when it was overcast and chilly.  That night was warm enough so that Lucy and the rest of the neighborhood kids could show off their costumes.  Mrs. Palmer gave Lucy the biggest shopping bag she had in the house to fill with candy. She took pictures of Lucy in her costume before they left. 

Danielle rang the doorbell that hid under an autumn wreath composed of brown and red leaves and acorns.  She looked behind her to see two toddlers dressed up as red and yellow M&Ms’ walking unsteadily ahead of two adults, with their hands up in the air in fists, holding small plastic jack-o-lanterns. 

“Ready to go?” Danielle asked James and Lucy.

“I’m ready!” said Lucy as she shuffled down the porch steps, swinging her bag. “First let’s hit the McCallan’s, they always give out three-musketeers bars.  Then the O’Donell’s, they give out apple cider every year.  Then the Philip’s, they give out s'mores’ bars-“

Danielle and James remained behind while Lucy skipped up the sidewalk.  They went from house to house, collecting candy bars, sweets and treats from orange and black serving dishes.  The people at the first house they visited were giving out paperback books.  When the woman dressed up as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz held out a Judy Blume book to Lucy, she looked back to Danielle and James.

“Say thank you, Lucy!” said James.

“Thank you,” Lucy said.  She marched down the steps of the house.

“What’s wrong with you,” said James, “If someone gives you a gift, you say thank you.”

“But who gives out books on Halloween?” said Lucy. 

It was almost dusk when Danielle saw Annette.  She was walking in between her parents, holding hands with each of them.  She was wearing a lion costume, with a brown mane, tail, and ears.  She walked slowly and had a dismal expression, until she looked up to see Danielle.

“Danielle!” Annette shouted.  She let go of her parents’ hands and ran to Danielle and wrapped her arms around her, resting her head against her stomach.

“Mom and dad, this is Danielle,” Danielle said.

Her mother and father exchanged looks.  Her father held out his hand to Annette.  She let go of Danielle and ambled back to her parents.  She took the hands of her parents and looked up to Danielle again. 

“So you’re Danielle,” Annette’s mother said in a nasal tone.

“I’m Danielle,” Danielle said, folding her hands across her chest.

“Look,” Annette’s father said, “we didn’t mean to embarrass you, we just don’t want her being exposed.”

“It’s not a big deal,” said Danielle.

“Did Annette tell you that her father and I don’t get along?” Annette’s mother asked. “Because we get along fine.”

“Mom, do you have a pen?” Annette asked.

Annette’s mother stroked Annette’s hair.  “Yes darling, why?”

“Can I use it for a second?” Annette asked.

Annette’s mother looked through her purse and pulled out a blue pen.  She gave it to Annette.  Annette sat on the ground and rummaged through her brown trick-or-treat bag.  She pulled out a paperback copy of Charlotte’s Web and opened the book to the back of the cover. She sat and wrote in the book with a furrowed brow.  After a few minutes, she stood up off the ground, gave her mother back her pen and held the book out to Danielle with both hands.  Danielle opened it to the back of the cover.  It read in cursive: To Danielle.  Love, Annette.

“Time to go, Annette,” said her mother.  “It was nice meeting you, Danielle.”

“Bye Annette,” Danielle said.

“Bye, Danielle,” Annette said. 

Danielle watched as Annette walked away, wedged between her parents, the tail of her costume lifelessly following her on the ground. 

“Can someone give me a piggy back ride home?  My feet are tired,” Lucy said.

“I will,” Danielle said.  She handed Annette’s book to James and stooped down to the ground.  Lucy hopped on her back and wrapped her arms around Danielle’s neck.  Danielle hoisted her up and yawned.

“I hope you’re not too exhausted, Danielle,” said James, “Lucy already did all of her homework for the weekend.  The game Life is waiting for us in the closet when we get back to our house.”

Danielle sighed.  “I always lose at that game,” she said.

“Don’t worry, Danielle,” said Lucy, “I’ll give you some of my candy if you lose.”

Lucy hugged Danielle’s shoulders.  They walked up the street as the crescent moon dangled over them.