Sam rapped lightly on Ms. Lawrence’s classroom door before pulling it open even though she had yet to acknowledge him. She was sitting on a stool near the front of the classroom, a chapter book in her hand. The kids seemed to be listening to a story, and while he should be concerned about interrupting, at this point, his only interest lay in retrieving the phone. “‘Scuse me, Ms. Lawrence,” he began as soon as he had her attention.
“Mr. Danny!” she acknowledged, a wide smile on her face. “It’s so nice to see you! Everyone, say hi to Mr. Danny.”
As the class rang out, “Hi, Mr. Danny!” Sam felt his face turning red with both embarrassment--and anger. He really just needed to find that phone.
“Howdy there, kids,” he replied, nodding his head. Ms. Lawrence had popped down off of the stool and took a few steps in his direction, so he met her halfway. “I’m real sorry to interrupt your teachin’,” he began.
“Oh, it’s no problem! We were just getting in a few chapters of Out of the Dust before we go to PE. How can we help you, Mr. Danny?” she replied, holding the book in front of her with her arms crossed, the chipper smile still on her face.
Sam’s patience was wearing paper thin. “Well, ma'am, I think I mighta lost my cell phone in here last night when I was sweepin’ up, and it’s real important that I get it back right quick before my daughter calls. She ain’t feelin’ too good. I’d hate for somethin’ to happen to her before she could reach her old man.”
“Oh my goodness!” Mrs. Lawrence exclaimed, her hand flying to her mouth. “I didn’t know your daughter was sick!” She reached out and put her hand gently on his arm. “Poor dear!”
He saw his mistake too late--he had shared too much. In an effort to make his story seem believable, he had given too much information. He tried to retreat. “Oh, no! She’s fine. Just a little tummy bug. She’ll be all right. Still, she is my daughter…. So, it’s real important that I find that phone.”
Ms. Lawrence’s expression seemed to shift back a bit from overly-empathetic to general concern. “Well, I haven’t seen anything…” she began, turning from him and glancing around the classroom.
Before she could even finish the sentence, Sam began to walk to her desk as slowly as possible without alerting her that something strange was going on. “I might have dropped it over here.” He crouched down on the floor near her desk.
Within seconds, Ms. Lawrence had joined him, but even with her help, the cell phone did not appear. “Hmmm,” Ms. Lawrence said, pushing herself back so that she was sitting on her feet, her knees still on the floor, one finger pressed against her lips. “Class, class?” she called out without even turning to look at them.
“Yes, yes?” all twenty students answered in unison.
Now, Ms. Lawrence pulled herself up and turned to look at her students. “Did any of you happen to see a cell phone this morning? Perhaps on the floor somewhere?”
Almost simultaneously, every child in the class shook his or her head from side to side and said, “No, ma’am,” in their most polite voices. All but one. Max Morris looked sharply to his right at Tyler Jones, his mouth agape.
Despite shaking his head and answering in the negative along with his classmates, Tyler was giving Max the stink eye like nobody’s business. As Ms. Lawrence turned back to help Sam, who was still on his hands and knees on the floor, the search becoming more frantic, Tyler’s plump hand shot out and grabbed Max by the arm. “If you say one word…” he threatened just above a whisper.
Max recoiled in pain, struggling to pull his arm free. “You’re a bully!” he hissed, finally gaining his freedom and rubbing the spot on his arm where Tyler had pinched skin.
“Maybe,” Tyler agreed, “but you’re a twig, and I will snap you in half.”
Max leaned back in his seat abruptly, unsure what to do. The war between doing what was right no matter what and the thought of being pummeled to death later on the playground raged in his head for just a moment before the words that had been ingrained in his mind for years finally won out. “Always do the right thing!” he mumbled before his hand shot up. “Ms. Lawrence!” he shrieked.
Ms. Lawrence was under a cabinet near the front of the room and the shout caused her to jump and bang her head. Stifling an “unhappy” word, she absently rubbed her crown as she backed out and turned to see who was yelling. “Yes, Max?” she asked, tears stinging the corners of her eyes.
“Tyler has it!”
“Do not!” Tyler shouted, his hand reflexively shooting out at his assailant again.
Ms. Lawrence had been doing this a long time. She knew that reaction meant there was truth in Max’s words. “Tyler? Is that true?” she asked, standing up and taking a few steps toward him, still rubbing her head. Sam was also up now and standing just to her right in front of the class.
“No, ma’am,” Tyler said, letting go of Max’s shirt and absently smoothing it as if it were a way to show his innocence. “I do have a cell phone, but my mom gave it to me.”
“He’s lying!” Max interjected. “I saw him pick it up off of the floor earlier. He’s just saying his mom gave it to him, but it isn’t true!”
“Max, that will be enough,” Ms. Lawrence said calmly. “Thank you for your help,” she added. Then, turning back to Tyler she said, “Get your phone and let Mr. Danny look at it so he can make sure it isn’t his.”
“But…” Tyler began, slumping backward in his chair.
“Now!” Ms. Lawrence said sharply.