"Peter? Peter Pierce?" the teacher asked as she read off the names of her new students. "Is he here? Peter?" She looked around over all the heads of the children as they shuffled around in front of her on their first day of kindergarten.
A small girl in the back raised her hand. "I'm Peter," she said, tossing her head so that her short brown hair was flicked from her wide, brown eyes.
The teacher smiled at her, saying comfortingly, "You can't be Peter, sweetie! That's a boy's name. Now where's Peter?"
"I'm Peter," the girl said again, her cheeks taking on a pink tone as the other children looked at her. "I'm Peter Pierce!"
"Now why would you be named Peter? You're a girl!" the teacher said, thinking it was just a trick the little girl was trying to play on her.
"I can't read it," Peter said, taking a book out of her large coat pocket, "But Mommy says I was named after the girl in this!" She handed the book to her teacher, who let out a small sigh and shook her head.
"Why a parent is letting a child carry around such a book is beyond me!" she said, putting the copy of Peter Pot in her desk drawer. "I'd like to have a talk with your mother!"
And so she did. It was after school that very day that Ms. Kelly called Peter's mother in for a conference.
"Is there something wrong, Mrs. Kelly?" she asked.
"Ms. Kelly, thank you," the snooty teacher responded, "And, yes, there is a problem."
"Oh, well, if Peter is misbehaving," Mrs. Pierce said, "I'm truly sorry and I shall punish her properly once I get home."
"Mrs. Pierce," the woman snapped, stopping Mrs. Pierce's innocent ramblings, "Why on Earth is your five-year-old daughter carrying around a copy of this!" She slammed the book down on her desk in front of Mrs. Pierce.
"Well, for one," she said, "Please, call me Jesse. And, two, it's because it's a good book."
"A 'good book'? This is a horrible book! Especially for your daughter! I have no idea what kind of messed-up people raised you, but you should know that this is not acceptable! Please, Mrs. Pierce-"
"Jesse."
"Fine. Please, Jesse, be more cautious about what your daughter brings to school. You may be accepting of this, but I can assure you other people are not."
Jesse stood and stared at Ms. Kelly with the same brown eyes framed with the same brown hair as Peter did only just that morning. The look of mischief on her face as she retrieved the book off the desk gave off an air of teenage naivety. As she turned to leave the room, Ms. Kelly quaked as if she had just been completely disrespected by a child.
"You grew up too quickly," Jesse said, giving the teacher one final look; a salute with the book. She left the room, swinging the door shut behind her.
Upon returning home, Jesse was greeted by her little girl, who leapt into her arms. "What'd Mizzzz Kelly want?" Peter asked, extending the title as much as she could.
"She didn't like your book," Jesse said, lifting Peter up and onto her shoulder, "But that's okay, because I still like it, and you will be able to read it for yourself soon!"
"Why didn' she like it?" Peter asked innocently, taking the book and putting it back in her pocket as her mother handed it to her.
"She said it was offending. It's only the truth!"
"Mommy," Peter said as she was set down on the rug right inside the front door, "I dun wanna wait 'til I can read… Can you read it to me now?"
Jesse smiled, and hung her coat on the rack. "Of course. We can start after dinner, okay?"
"What are you starting after dinner, Jess?" a young man asked as he entered the foyer to see what all the hubbub was about.
"I promised Peter I'd read her the book," Jesse said, giving her husband a kiss on the cheek and a hug, "Would you like to join us?"
"Isn't she a bit young for that?" he asked.
"Oh, John," Jesse said with a sigh, "Have faith in her. Likeliness is, she's like you and will grow up far too fast. Now, what's for dinner?"
"Did Daddy make taters?" Peter asked, clinging to the leg of his trousers.
"Just for you, Peter," he said.
Later that evening, the Pierce family settled down for the night, mostly. John cleaned up the kitchen, and Jesse sat reclined in an armchair in front of the television watching the weather.
"Mommy," Peter said, wandering into the room with her pajamas on, carrying the worn copy of Peter Pot. "Will you start reading now?"
Jesse smiled and pulled the little girl onto her lap, calling for her husband. "John? You almost done in there?" He walked into the room, wiping his hands off on a dishtowel and sitting down in the other armchair, switching off the telly.
"Does it start with 'once upon a time?'" Peter asked, sounded frustrated, "'Cuz alla your stories start with that!"
"Well," Jesse said, smiling down at her daughter and opening the book, "Not really.
"'In a place, not too far from here,' is how it starts," she said, "'There was a girl. A very unhappy girl. Her name was Peter.'"