"Scheren,"

Greta handed me the scissors. I cut a streamed and gave them back to her. "Stück Klebeband." She cut off a piece of tape and put it on my finger. I then put the tape on the streamer and ran my finger over it to seal it. I then looked around the room. An hour ago, it was a gym. Now it's an adorably makeshift ballroom. "Alles klar, ich denke, wir sind fertig."

"Frau Hoo—I mean, Lucy," Greta said in German as I got down from the stepladder. She was an admirably respectful and hard-working student and couldn't shake the fact that nobody calls me Mrs. Hook. Mrs. Hook was my mother-in-law, that's why. "You practically organized this whole thing. Don't you want to be there to see how awesome it's going to be?"

"No," I replied. "You're all going to get drunk. I don't want to see you kids get drunk because either my heart will break or I'll not be able to resist. I know for a fact my husband won't." I sighed fondly. My husband was not an alcoholic, just a pirate. Ex-pirate. But still a pirate "And I confided in your class why I'm not allowed to get drunk right now. Do you recall that there's something alive down there that makes me want pineapple all the damn time?" To this day, I'm surprised why I told forty kids I was pregnant before my own husband. I'm also surprised he didn't ask me sooner because it was obvious.

"We can close the bar," Greta said. "It's not hard."

"Greta," I sighed. "I can name five people and their parents who will leave the moment they realize there is no bar, and more who will beat us up because there is no bar. We can't do that. Besides, this is your night. You should have fun."

Greta sighed and turned to the table of kids in the corner who were snacking on the samples the caterers left behind and finishing up the funny awards for teachers, but mostly eating. "I tried," she called in German.

The kids groaned and expressed a want for me to come. I sighed and looked around. Boy, we worked hard for half the school year for this. I held auditions for music students to play in the band and we rehearsed English, German and a few Korean songs every Friday afternoon for weeks. They were awesome. I did so much stuff for this and I wasn't going to come to enjoy it? Plus, they'd probably present me with a goofy award certificate and ask me to make a speech. I guess it would be nice to see some of my kids off. But what of my husband of three years, former fantasy pirate captain James Hook? He was not very good at German and could hardly hold a conversation with someone who didn't speak English, and he kind of hates crowds and loud contemporary music, German or American or British, after I dragged him to another BlutEngel concert a few years ago. Also, I couldn't fit into any suitable dresses because I was three months pregnant. But…they may have something bigger in the costume closet I could borrow…and I found ways to coerce James into basically anything…and everyone in this town speaks enough English…and it could be an interesting time to announce that I'm pregnant. I walked towards the group and said in German, "Tell you what. If I can find something that fits and doesn't make me look like Kim Kardashian's dress her hobbit friends made out of a couch, and, if you can call my husband and convince him to take me, you got yourself an Abiball with Frau Hook."

The kids cheered and I said, "So, first step is finding a dress. Who wants to escort me because I'm not going alone?"

Greta, Nadine and Sven, whom I knew since I came to Germany immediately stood up and rushed to my side. I said to the remaining kids, "So you guys should think up an interesting way to make my husband come with me while I'm gone. Won't be long. Bye."

The costume closet was up a few stairs and was only accessible to students if a teacher who each had a key to it accompanied them. It was a little drafty in there, but we didn't mind. We were on a mission. "Okay, so I'm a size six—I mean, forty," I said in German when we came in and the three students looked around the racks of wacky costumes and pretty dresses. "Forty in European terms, six in American. Looking for something flowy under the boobs to hide the bump, nothing too disgusting and tight…uh, search away."

Ah, and they found me one. A tea-length size 42 chiffon LBD with a V-shaped neck covered in floral lace. When I hid between some racks and put it on with Nadine to zip me up, it fit perfectly and hid the bump well enough. Sven dug up a gray lace shawl and some bangles and I was good to go. I put on my other clothes and signed the stuff out because the theater lady who was in charge of the costume closet insisted we sign out and back in everything, even if it's just some costume pearls. We put the stuff in a cardboard box and went back to the gym to find the remaining kids huddling around the table, working. "We're back," I said in German.

They all turned to me. Arno said, "We're ready. Trust us. This'll work."

I took my phone from my pocket and called the house phone. James had a cell phone for emergencies but hardly ever even touched it. He was at home and he would answer. After three rings, he did. "Lucy, calling during school hours." He tsked and I giggled.

"Uh, some students on the Abiball committee want to ask you something," I said in English. so I'm gonna put you on speaker." I pressed the speaker button and said, "All right, can you hear me?"

"Yes," he replied.

Arno took my phone from me and put it on the table. The seven kids vocalized in harmony and Arno sang, "Herr Hook…" The other kids repeated it three times. I put my hand to my mouth to stifle a laugh as they sang a song in English begging him to take me to Abiball because they "need their favorite teacher to see us all get drunk. Hey!" They finished the song and as they caught their breath, James said, "Please give me back to Lucy."

I snatched my phone back and put it off speaker. "I'm back."

"Well, they made a convincing argument," he said. "Is this truly how'd you like to spend our third anniversary?"

My hand went straight for my mouth. Shit, I forgot. Today marked the day we got married at City Hall, our only witnesses the crew of the Jolly Roger that returned to Neverland after I somehow installed a telephone system and Internet on the ship so we could contact then when we needed them. They visited every holiday but were waiting for us if we needed them for any reason at all when it wasn't a holiday. It wasn't like me to forget this. Shouldn't my alarm on my phone gone off? Either way, it sounded like James was cool with it and it would be so much fun. "Yeah," I said. "Partaaayin. Are you cool with that?"

I could feel him smiling. "Sure, love."

I nodded to my students. They didn't hold back when they cheered at my affirmative response. I said over their shrieks of delight, "Yay! All right, I'll be home, uh, what time is it?"

"Almost three ten," he said.

"Ooh, okay," I said. "In like five minutes. Bye."

We hung up and an idea struck me hard and fast. "Hey, kids playing in the band," I said in German. The three boys and four girls leaned forward a little bit. "Remember that Talking Heads song I sang to announce I'm pregnant?"

"Stay up Late?" Annie said. I nodded and they all gave various affirmative responses. I continued, "Okay. We hardly rehearsed it, but that's what you're gonna do when you get home. Rehearse it until your fingers get sore. We're gonna find a time to play it for my husband."

Greta smiled at me. "I think you'll find a great time to do it."

The bell rang. It was time to go. "See you all tonight!" I exclaimed. We went our separate ways.