I open my laptop and start reading emails. I might as well get some work done. We've made a lot of progress the last month but there are still positions to be filled. Margaret is also "cc-ing" me on a lot of CJ's email just to keep me in the loop. I'm really glad Margaret is staying on. I'd been absolutely dreading trying to find an assistant. Once again, Donna knew just what I needed.
About 15 minutes later Finn comes downstairs. He seems surprised to see me.
"I thought you were having lunch with the folks." He says.
"We were. It didn't go well."
"Oh."
Donna pokes her head out of the living when she hears Finn's voice.
"Hey is Julie awake?"
"Yeah, she's just checking on Marco."
"Do you guys want to go out with us? We need to get out of here for a while. Once Mom and Daddy get home we could ask them to watch Marco then we could all go somewhere and get a drink and some food?"
"Yeah, that sounds fine. Let me just check with Julie. She can't drink and I don't want to keep her out all day. She gets tired pretty easily."
Finn heads back up the stairs to talk to his wife. I really like Donna's brother. I appreciate his honesty- he'd like to come out with us but his wife's needs come first. That's the way it should be. I'd really like to hear more about what he thinks about the Santos Education Plan. He could give me some insight about what real world teachers face and what they think about the ideas. It's a lot different than hearing from a union or a lobby.
About an hour later, the front door opens and Donna's parents come in. Her Dad stops and looks at me for a minute like he wants to say something, but then heads down the hall to his den. I've said what I needed to say. If he wants to talk about it anymore he's going to have to bring it up. Donna's Mom didn't say anything or even slow down. She just headed straight back to her bedroom. Donna is still in the living room, so I'm in a good spot to keep an eye on things. If either of her parents head in there, I'll be joining them. Finn and Julie didn't come back downstairs after our conversation, so I guess Marco is still napping and they are making the best use of their time to themselves.
About 10 more minutes go by and I hear someone in the kitchen, then the door opens and Lottie walks in with a plate of cookies. She sets them down in front of me. I can only guess this is a peace offering. Man, she still doesn't get it. She doesn't owe me an apology. She owes Donna one. They didn't owe me anything when they voted for Vinick- I don't like it or particularly understand it, but they didn't betray me by voting for him. But it infuriates me that they think so little of Donna's intelligence, judgment, or character, that they would vote against the guy she had worked so hard for.
Lottie turns and walks out. Well. I guess neither of us is getting an apology anyway. I'm starting to see what Donna was talking about- her parents work on being civil because appearances matter, but it's hard to know where you really stand with them. I had assumed that it was Dr. Freeride that destroyed Donna's confidence but maybe it started before then.