An Old-Fashioned Education (6 page)

“Why should you? I never told you.”

“Is that why you wanted to be a teacher, because you had such a rough childhood?”

“My childhood wasn’t rough, Mr. Springer. I had a fantastic childhood thanks to some really remarkable people who loved me and took care of me, doctors, nurses, my parents, and teachers who cared enough to bring work to me when I couldn’t get to class. It was the people who made a difference in my life that made me want to be a teacher.”

He grew quiet.

“Can I ask you a question now?” she asked.

“Sure.”

“How is Kerry handling her mother’s absence?” Polly didn’t tell him that she believed the child’s clinging to the dress was really just a way of clinging to her mother.

“She’s doing fine. She goes to school, has friends, plays with her brother. She doesn’t talk about her mom much anymore. I think she’s gotten over it.”

Polly raised an eyebrow.

“What?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Polly said, unwilling to engage Walt Springer in the conversation. She was stuck with him now, and the last thing she wanted to do was make him feel defensive. And there was no way that she could say the things that were on her mind at that moment without making him feel like he was being judged for exhibiting clear signs of denial.

But the sad face of the little girl haunted her that night as she went to bed. As Polly sat in the dark holding her stuffed dog, she wondered what she could do to help Kerry and her brother. It was clear from Walt’s resistance to any kind of testing for the obviously hyperactive Peter Criner that he did not hold a favorable view of the kinds of interventions that could help struggling children. It made her angry, and in her mind, it was just another sign of his arrogance; Walt Springer obviously thought that he could handle everything on his own, whether he could or not.

It didn’t help matters that her bottom still hurt. With Roscoe she felt safe, but tomorrow she’d emerge from the Springer’s cabin and face a sea of hostile faces. She’d take the helm in a classroom filled with children who had overheard their parents talk about how she’d broken the radio and been spanked by Mr. Springer. How was she supposed to earn the kids’ respect? Judging by some of the hateful looks she’d seen from the Pepper’s Hollow community that very day, most of them would have likely heard directly or indirectly about her sins against the community.

She turned over, clutching Roscoe. Outside the snow continued to fall and the wind was howling. She could hear the trees around the cabin groaning. Somewhere a wolf howled, a long, low, mournful sound. Pepper’s Hollow was a lonely place for someone who felt alone.

Polly heard a rap at her door. She opened it and was surprised to see Kerry standing there.

“Hey, sweetie,” she said. “Is something wrong?”

“I heard a wolf,” the little girl said.

Polly knelt down. “I heard him too. But I think he’s far away.”

“My mama used to say that,” Kerry said. “She used to say the wind carried their voices down from the mountain, but that didn’t mean they were close by.”

“Your mama was right.” Polly whispered the reassurance as she pushed a strand of hair away from the little girl’s angelic face.

Kerry was looking at Roscoe, which Polly just realized she’d carried to the door when she answered it.

“Does he keep you safe from wolves?”

“Hmm. I never thought about it?” Polly held Roscoe at face level and appraised him. “He kept me safe from cancer, and that’s worse than wolves. Or it seemed worse to me. So I’m thinking yes.”

Polly gasped then as if having an epiphany. “You know what, Kerry? I bet Roscoe would make you feel safe, too. It’s been a long time since he’s had a job. Would you like to sleep with him tonight?”

“Oh, Ms. Perkins…I couldn’t,” the little girl said politely, but her blue eyes were fixed on the stuffed dog with such longing that Polly knew she would have to insist.

“Please,” she said. “Do it as a favor to me. Roscoe sometimes gets bored. Grownups aren’t scared of much. It’ll make him feel useful.” She held out the dog. “Please? I’d really appreciate it.”

The little girl took the dog almost reverently.

“OK,” she said. “I’ll give him lots to do. I’m scared a lot. And sad.” She paused. “But don’t tell Daddy. I don’t want him to know.”

“My lips are sealed,” Polly said, and watched as the little girl trundled off to bed with her arms wrapped tight around Roscoe.

Polly smiled through her tears, thinking that maybe being stuck at Walt’s might not be a bad thing after all. Maybe she could make a difference in Pepper’s Hollow, at least for two hurting children. And maybe, just maybe, she could help their father too. 

Kerry brought Polly’s stuffed dog to the breakfast table the next morning.

“How did you get that?” Aidan asked, shooting a look at Polly that suggested that he already knew. Polly bit her tongue; the little boy was already a lot like his father.

“Your sister heard a wolf last night,” Polly said. “I told her she could borrow my little dog since he’s always made me feel safe.”

“That’s stupid,” Aidan said. “The wolves are far away. They just sound close.”

Polly looked at Walt Springer, hoping he might call his son down. When he didn’t she fixed the boy with a hard gaze.

“The dog helped ease her concerns and she got a good night’s sleep. So it worked.” She paused. “Kerry is your little sister, Aidan. You should be kinder to her.”

This got Walt’s attention. “The boy’s been through a lot.”

Polly studied him for a moment. “Indulging his hostility isn’t going to help,” she said.

Walt slammed his fork down. “My son’s not–” He caught himself and looked at Aidan, as if just remembering that his son was still in the room.

“You’re the village teacher,” he said. “You are hired to teach, not to tell the parents how to raise their children.”

Polly looked at Aidan, who glanced at her and grinned. It bothered her that what was so obvious to her, even as a stranger to these children, was lost on their father. Kerry was desperately sad over her mother’s departure. Her brother was desperately angry. As soon as she’d shown any kindness to the Kerry, she’d soaked it up like a thirsty sponge. Her brother—made hurt and fearful by abandonment—was distrustful and hostile to any maternal figure.

But Polly knew this wasn’t the time or the place. She didn’t want to start the day by arguing with Walt, especially since she was already dreading her first day back in the classroom as the most hated woman in Pepper’s Hollow.

She stood and helped Walt clear the breakfast dishes. As she did, she heard Walt scold his son, who was making it clear that he didn’t want to walk to school with Polly.

“Nobody likes her,” he was saying sulkily.

“I like her!” Kerry chimed in. “I’ll walk with her.”

“You only like her because she babies you.”

Finally, Walt had had enough. “Keep that up, young man, and you’ll find yourself taking a trip to the woodshed before school. Got it?”

“Yes, sir,” Aidan promptly replied, and Polly felt her face flush. She completely understood the child’s fear of getting spanked by his father. She had the same fear, and still couldn’t get her mind around the fact that she was subject to the same correction as his children.

Aidan and Kerry were bundled up now, and she did the same. It had stopped snowing, but the sky was still dark with pregnant clouds, and when she stepped outside, the snow came up nearly to her knees. Walt carried Kerry, who would have floundered in the drifts.

Someone had already lit a fire in the school’s potbelly stove. The one-room building was warm when Polly walked in with Walt and the kids. Several other adults were dropping off their children. The parents filed out as she walked in, lingering just long enough to make sure she had taken note of their icy stares.

“This isn’t going to work, Mr. Springer,” she said.

“It will,” he said. “Let them have their moment of indignation. It won’t last. This is overall a very forgiving community. You’ll see.”

Polly sighed heavily. She wasn’t really sure. If she’d just broken the radio, it would have been bad enough. But she’d almost cost one of the members and her baby their lives. If she were part of a community as close as Pepper’s Hollow, how easy would it be to forgive a stranger who had done something so reckless?

But she couldn’t think about it, at least not while she was teaching her students.

“All right, everyone, let’s take our seats!”

“Everyone’s not here yet!” Aidan protested.

“Doesn’t matter,” Polly said. “School starts at 8:30. It’s 8:30 now. Pull out your primers and pick up where we last left off with reading. I may be giving a pop quiz today, so pay attention to your material.”

Aidan and the boy beside him groaned but obeyed. Polly wondered if it was because Walt was still in the room, no doubt lingering close by to diffuse any tension that may arise between her and the parents. She walked over to him.

“Hey, I appreciate your walking over here but I’m sure you’ve got better things to do.”

He shook his head. “It may be easier–”

“No,” she said, cutting him off. “The only thing that will make this easier is for me to do what you said I had to do, which is to just let things take their course. I’m going to have to take my lumps on this, and on my own. If you stick around to run interference, that’s just going to make the people here resent me more.”

Walt nodded and reluctantly pulled on his cap. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll be by after school to pick up the kids.”

“Or I could just walk them home,” she offered. “We’re going the same way.”

He looked past her. “Aidan has asked me to come.”

She glanced over her shoulder. The boy was her first lump, obviously.

“Very well,” she said. “See you at three.” As he opened the door to leave, Polly saw Benjamin and Willow Criner come in with young Peter in tow. Walt looked back at her, his expression silently asking if she really wanted him to go. She motioned for him to keep going as Peter and his family walked in.

“Ms. Perkins.” Ben Criner’s tone was formal and cold. Willow’s mouth was a tight line as she helped her son out of his coat and admonished him to behave himself that day.

“I’m almost always good, mama,” he said. “I try to tell you but nobody believes me!”

“Peter.” She walked over and the boy hid behind his mother’s skirt. Polly knelt down. Come here, please.”

The boy looked up at his mother, who hesitated a moment before indicating with a curt nod that he should approach his teacher. Peter walked over, his eyes uncertain.

“Peter,” she said, taking his hands. “The other day, I did something really bad and really stupid. I almost let you take the blame for it, because I was scared. At the last moment I did the right thing, but I should have done it sooner.” She paused. “Can you forgive me, Peter?”

He looked up at his parents. Willow and Ben Criner were looking at each other. Willow’s face softened and Ben sighed. His mother nodded.

“Yeah, it’s okay,” he said. “Sometimes I do bad things, too. I’m not mad at ya.”

Polly hugged him, trying hard to swallow the lump in her throat as she blinked back the tears welling up in her eyes.

“Off you go then,” she said, sniffing and Peter ran to his desk and pulled out his reading book.

“Thank you.” Willow Criner’s eyes were filled with tears, too. “That took a lot, I know.”

“Not really,” she said. “I’m really feeling awful for what I put your family, for what I put everyone through. If I’d thought for a minute…”

“Hey, there’s no need to say more.” Even Benjamin looked a bit emotional, or as emotional as a bear of a man could look, Polly thought. “Part of being in a community is being able to get past things. I can’t guarantee everyone else will come around as quick as you want, but what you did apologizing to our son means a lot to me and the missus.”

Polly nodded, turning now to welcome Noni and her children. She could sense that Noni wanted to speak to her, but Noni’s husband stopped her when she started to speak.

“We have to be going,” he said, and Noni dropped her eyes from Polly’s.

“I believe Noni was about to say something,” she said.

“I don’t think she was,” Paul said, and turned his wife by the shoulder towards the door. Noni did not look back and Polly felt her sadness replaced by anger as the reasons she wanted to leave Pepper’s Hollow resurfaced in sharp relief.

But she had to put all emotion aside as she turned to her class once the parents were gone. She had a roomful of kids to teach. Dealing with them turned out to be a good way to take her mind off of things. Walt’s assertion that Pepper’s Hollow was a forgiving place certainly seemed to be evident in the kids. Even the older ones who came in mirroring their parents’ cold expression warmed out as she helped them with their work and taught them how to make paper snowflakes for an art project. They sat in a circle and ate bag lunches as Polly read poetry to them.

“I think Robert Frost is appropriate given the weather,” she said to giggles of the little kids and groans from the older ones. But everyone grew quiet as she read “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening,” and “Dust of Snow,” the kids fell quiet as the white world outside the door.

By the end of the day, Polly was feeling more positive and relaxed. Even if the adults of the village—with the ironic exception of the Criners—planned to cold-shoulder her until spring, at least she’d still spend half her time in the classroom with kids who enjoyed her company.

I can do this
, she thought as she bundled the children into their coats.
Just a few more months and I’ll be able to leave.

Willow was the first to arrive to pick up her son and was pleased that Peter got a good report. Noni was next, and apologized for not having Paul with her. Polly nodded, trying not to show her relief; she was secretly glad that he didn’t come. The hostility in his eyes bothered her.

“Can we go have a snowball fight?” her son William asked as he pulled his brother Martin towards the door.

“Okay, but don’t go near the woods or the edge of the building. Those icicles can kill you if they fall.”

The boys promised they’d stay in the open.

“The men try to keep the icicles knocked down, but they form so fast …” Noni’s voice trailed away and Polly could tell there was something else on her mind.

“Is there something you need to talk about, Noni?” she asked.

Noni looked at her, obviously debating whether to say what was on her mind.

“They say that Walt spanked you for what you did.”

Polly felt her face flush.

“And who are ‘they’ exactly?”  

Noni dropped her gaze. “You know, everyone else in Pepper’s Hollow.”

“And how did they find out?”

“Walt told us.” She looked up at Polly. “Is it true?”

“If your leader says so, it must be.” Polly turned and walked to her desk, where she started packing papers to take back for grading. Noni followed her, apologizing.

“Look, I’m not trying to embarrass you or anything. I just wanted to let you know that if Walt did that, you mustn’t think him a bad person. He’s really a good guy.”

“Noni, I don’t want to have this conversation.”

“If he spanked you, he must really care about you, Polly.”

Polly shoved the papers into the bag and fixed the other woman with a hard stare. “Really? That’s what you think? That the only way a man can show he cares about a woman is by hitting her?”

Now Noni looked angry. “No,” she said, stepping closer. “Not hitting. No man here would get by with hitting a woman. But correcting a woman to keep her safe, or to keep her from being an outcast in the community is not abusive. I understand that your ways aren’t our ways, but Walt is a good man and I really think he cares about you, otherwise he wouldn’t have insisted that you stay with him, because–”

“Wait.” Polly held up her hands. “
He
insisted?”

“Yeah,” Noni said. “Walt blamed himself at the meeting about what happened. He said if he’d been more careful screening potential teachers, none of this would have happened. I think he holds himself responsible because it was his wife who was the teacher, and she ran off and he blames himself for that, too.”

“So the villagers didn’t insist I stay with him?” Polly asked.

“No!” Noni said. “The women thought it was…improper. The men, well, they kind of sided with Walt when he said this was the best way to keep a close eye on you. He told us that he’s taken it upon himself to correct you in the Pepper’s Hollow way. He told us he wanted to assume responsibility for you and your behavior while you remain here.”

“I appreciate your telling me the truth, Noni,” she said.

“Of course I’d tell you the truth,” Noni replied. “Everyone here is honest.”

“Are they?” Polly asked. “When Walt told me I was to stay at his house, he said it was because it’s what the community wanted.”

Noni looked shocked, and then uncomfortable. “Oh.” She looked away and then around, as if searching for something. “Oh.” Her hand went to her mouth. “What have I done?” She sat down.

Polly walked around the desk and took the woman’s hands in her own. “Noni, there’s nothing wrong with telling me what really happened.”

Noni looked up, stricken. “There is if it’s not what Walt wanted you to know!”

Polly bit her tongue. “I could have handled the truth,” she said. “And I wish I’d known this was what Walt alone had wanted. He may have been trying to make things better, but this makes things worse for me, especially if some of the community didn’t want me staying with him.”

“I know Paul didn’t,” Noni replied. Her eyes welled with tears. “But Walt said you needed a strong hand, and that this was for your own good. You can’t tell Paul we had this conversation, okay? He’d whip me good for gossiping.”