Joy and School
2
Jarrod walked out the front door and took a deep breath. It had rained the night before and the air still held a nice fresh smell to it. With school starting, he had been looking forward to spending a quiet day with his wife since whatever paperwork he needed to get done could be finished in less than an hour. He might have continued to stand where he was, but he heard small footsteps echo from the corner of the house. He recognized them instantly and his eyebrows turned down. "She threw such a temper tantrum; Miss Jacobs had Thomas bring her home." Thomas was their oldest son; he was in his last year of school. Ester's words, spoken in the den moments before, rang in Jarrod's ears. Walking to the edge of the house, Jarrod looked around to the side of the house. Sure enough, Joy was sitting alongside the house just staring off into space. Slowly, he made his way to daughter's side and sat down.
Joy looked up after her father sat down beside her and waited. She was sure she was in trouble for what she'd done. That being the case, she was surprised when he started telling her a story instead of getting after her.
"I remember when I young, start school. Not want go school. Want home, want mother, my father." Jarrod turned his head, looked at his daughter and continued signing. "Know why?"
Joy, who was surprised to hear her father had not wanted to go to school, was too surprised to say any actual words. All she could do was shake her head.
"I afraid." Jarrod answered.
Shocked, Joy started as her eyes grew wide in surprise. Her father never got scared, neither did any of her uncles. "How come?" She asked, finding her voice.
Jarrod picked the small child up and put her on his lap before he answered. "I afraid I not make friends. I afraid teacher not nice. I afraid I not learn. I want my mother. I want stay home."
Joy fought the tears that wanted to come. It had been those exact same fears that had made her decide to throw the fit she had when her mother dropped her off at the school and left. Having heard many stories of her father's school days, Joy asked quietly, "Why did you go back?"
Jarrod smiled as he wrapped one arm around her shoulders and signed back. "Mother in town. She saw me. I think she mad." Jarrod smiled at the memory of his mother kneeling in front of him asking what was wrong and listening to all his fears. He was quickly brought back to the present when Joy tugged on his sleeve.
"Were you in trouble?" She asked keeping her eyes on his face while a part of her wondered if she would be punished after the conversation was over.
"No." he smiled at Joy. "She understand I afraid. We talk. She tell me Miss Barlow nice woman. She not yell, she not hit students. She teach me." He wasn't surprised when his daughter knelt up and threw her arms around his neck and held on tight.
"I'm afraid, daddy." Joy whispered after a few minutes.
Joy Barkley Donald, 1916
My daughter started school today. She didn't want to go; she was afraid. My father walked her to school and sat on a bench for a solid hour before Meagan came out and told him she'd be okay. When I asked him why he'd did it, he smiled and told me he'd done the same for me when I was little, why not do it for her? I had forgotten….