Kindergarten through Fourth Grade
Talia provided a thoughtful segue from the one upmanship. "Let's focus on something else. Right now, just learning your names and ages will make me feel like Cookie Monster with a chocolate chip cookie."
They all laughed at the comparison, and Tony decided that it would probably prevent a tearful reaction if he, Ethan, Levi, and Ava slipped out while the cheerful mood prevailed. The initial plan for the next couple of hours revolved around meeting the teachers at the elementary school, grabbing the supply lists for the three separate grades, shopping for each child, and treating the kids to lunch somewhere before returning home to Viv and Elijah.
Half an hour later he felt confident enough to make the departure, and noted with relief that Talia had the babies engaged in drawing colorful pictures at the card table.
Exiting hastily he chided himself when he had to jog back because he remembered he had not warned Talia to keep Elijah away from Legos.
The older three called out impatiently for him to hurry so they could get to the school on time.
Tony paused and flashed an understanding grin back at their direction.
Following other parents and students into the school less than ten minutes later, Tony felt his heart quicken with the unfolding of this new chapter in his life, his first time experiencing the emotions of a dad with a substantial investment- three investments- within that particular school.
Ava gripped his left hand tightly and plastered her petite body against his leg as he walked. Clearly her excitement at finally attending school currently battled for dominance with her fear of the unknown that kindergarten held.
Levi, on the other hand, skipped ahead several steps before doubling back to rapturously announce his first hand observations to Tony. He radiated curiosity and happy anticipation, and regarded this as a welcome adventure in his young life.
Though trying to appear nonchalant and worldly, Ethan stayed fairly close to Tony's right side, choosing to not venture off on his own. He regarded the school, the faculty, the parents, and other students with cautious curiosity, absorbing his firsthand impressions from the safety of Tony's companionship.
Colorful directional signs indicated visitors should proceed to the school's cafeteria where staff members presented a generic program conducted to answer questions of communal interest to parents.
Ava hastily climbed into Tony's lap, and thus protected, peeped at the sides and back of their row to covertly study the other unfamiliar children.
Daintily she smoothed her sundress over her knees.
Tony gripped Levi's wrist firmly in his left hand, effectively curtailing any plans of the child to wander, while still allowing the boy to move into the aisle for a better look.
Ethan perched ramrod straight beside Tony, his attention focused upon the various speakers as they presented information. Tony cast several sideways glances at the boy and marveled at the unwavering concentration. Ethan's focus substantiated the suspicion that had crept into Tony's subconscious the first time he met the boy. The nine year old possessed a sharp intelligence which he chose to mask, for some indefinable reason, with flippant behavior and a nonchalant attitude.
Once the orientation speech concluded, Tony joined the line of parents paying ahead of time for school lunches. Yanking out his checkbook and multiplying the number of lunches in a school's calendar month times three, he suddenly froze. What dollar amount should he write? Just how long would these children rely upon him for cafeteria food, or even for their basic needs?
Should he pay for two months? Did that sound realistic? One?
What if the purpose of their hiding and their witness protection suddenly finished and he ceased to function as refuge for the children? What then?
Sudden pincers of mixed emotions flooded him at the thought of relinquishing responsibility of any of them to any one.
Deliberately engaging a deep breath, he regained control and contemplated the only practical choice. Maybe he should just play it safe and cover a couple of weeks.
While he had pondered the struggle over the lunch logistics and progressed in the line towards the cashier, Ethan had stealthily studied the other areas of activity.
Suddenly he tapped Tony on the hand and indicated an area spreading from a corner of the spacious room. "Look over there by the windows at that group. The cafeteria lines are open, and it looks like they planned that the little kids can see what will happen when they get their trays the first time. They're letting them practice just like when school starts. Sometimes it really freaks them out with how to get their lunches. If you want, I will take Ava and Levi so they can practice."
Not grateful with the offer, Levi scowled and contradicted, "I'm not a little kid!"
Ethan's thoughtful generosity surprised Tony. That made twice in the day that the boy had stepped up and offered help without prodding.
Tony grinned and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Super idea, Ethan, and I know Ava will feel better if you show her how to get her tray and find the milk and silverware."
He removed the five year old's hand from his pant leg and extended it to Ethan, who clasped it in his.
"Just leave Levi with me and meet me by that exit sign when you finish," Tony directed.
"No, I want to go, too!" Levi contradicted. "I never even said out loud I didn't want to see the lunch line."
Tony regarded the child with raised eyebrows. "Changed your mind, did you? Stay with Ethan, then, and the three of you meet me right over there by the sign for the gymnasium, the one next to the red Exit sign."
The trio left him without a backward glance and Tony experienced a twinge of sadness at the blatant desertion, then chided himself. They were practicing independence, showing him that they could leave his watch if the situation warranted.
Did they have to be so nonchalant about it, though?
When he rejoined them, Ava's excitement at conquering the mock lunch line spilled over into their next mission- actually finding the kindergarten hall and locating her classroom.
All three males made a big to-do over pinpointing her magic marker name centered within a cardboard sunshine picture by the classroom door.
Levi pondered the choice. "She's saying to you that you are her sunshine, Ava, even if she put the names of the other kids on sunshines, too."
"Look, Daddy, look," she insisted worriedly. "Someone else's name is by my name, on that other sunshine picture."
Tony pulled her into his arms, then held her finger and traced the letters as he spelled,
"J-a-c-k-i-e. That means another little girl is in your class, thank goodness. Since males outnumber females at home, the school has psychically discovered the injustice and leveled the playing field. So, you won't be in a classroom full of nothing but rough boys, and we can hope even more girls are in there."
Ava beamed, delighted with the prospect of having another little girl with whom she could play. She kissed Tony's cheek
"Look at the big sunshine poster above the door," Ethan pointed. "That has your teacher's name on it, Ms. Rhodes."
Ava's eyes widened. "She's a Ms. Is she an old lady, Daddy?"
"I think she's the one in the classroom standing by those parents," Ethan whispered, inclining his head towards an attractive woman speaking with a small group of parents.
Levi narrowed his gaze appreciatively. "Oh my- that lady's pretty. You have a pretty teacher, Ava."
Taken aback at the boy's appraisal and eye for beauty, Tony opened his mouth to speak, but changed his mind. Twenty years ago he would have vocalized that same sentiment. Who could dispute the fact that some precocious little boys began their lady's man training from babyhood?
Instead, kissing the top of Ava's head, Tony set her on the floor and watched as she did her best to peep through the classroom's entrance to gain an overall impression of the kindergarten environment. Though she kept one hand fisted in his trouser leg for security, her tiny face reflected the innocent excitement and curiosity only a five year old could exude.
Ava remained poised, frozen in place and still a tad fearful of venturing into the unknown.
Impatient at the delay, Levi tried to pull them forward. His brow furrowed in annoyance while he announced sagely, "We're not supposed to just hang out in the hall all day!"
He charged towards the doorway but Tony grabbed the back of his collar and repositioned him. "Hey, stop. You can be first when we get to your classroom. Right now, you need to let Ava take the lead."
Resigned, Levi sighed dramatically and began to bounce from foot to foot, though he stayed pretty much in place as he did.
"Check this, Ava," Ethan murmured softly, bending a bit so that he could make eye contact with her. He gestured to the right. "I can see over to that side of your classroom and it looks like to me that there is a real aquarium."
Ava's eyes widened. "With fish?"
Leaning into the doorway he confirmed, "From here I see five or six of them."
She stood on tiptoe beside Ethan and tried to peep around the doorframe with him. One of her favorite books- and one that Tony had bought for her from the bookstore visit- was the unforgettable One Fish, Two Fish by Dr. Seuss.
"Like in my book?" She marveled, and turned to Tony to confirm.
"Why don't we go and check it out?" Tony suggested, grasping her small hand and moving purposefully into the room before she could contradict the plan. A few attentive parents had spread out with their kids to study the different classroom areas, and he ushered his group towards a vacant section.
Levi pointed gleefully at the carpeted area with a rocker prominently in the middle. "Ava, look! This is a reading circle, see? The teacher sits there, and you sit right there with the other kids. Then the teacher reads you books."
Tentatively Ava moved onto the colorful carpet and indulged herself with a panoramic look. She turned to announce, her face animated, "Ooh, I love it!"
"Wait, though," Ethan advised. "Your room has lots of different areas we need to investigate. Let's go this way."
He pointed to the right.
"First," Tony interceded, "let's go introduce Ava to Ms. Rhodes and pick up her supply list."
Nearly ten minutes later when the group finally exited the kindergarten room, Tony rubbed his chin thoughtfully and reminded himself that never again in his lifetime could he savor- as he had today- the pure innocence of Ava's wonder.
Impulsively he leaned down and swung her into his arms. She rewarded him with an enthusiastic kiss and nuzzled against him, fist clenched over the handouts Ms. Rhodes had shared.
Tony could free some of the fear that had plagued him every time he seriously considered relinquishing eight hours a day of Ava's care to the school. Ms. Rhodes seemed to have understood the child's anxiety and had won her over within minutes.
Having behaved "exceptionally" as he reminded Tony twice, Levi grabbed Tony's hand and urged him to hurry to the second grade hall.
The brand new father followed obediently, secretly relieved that Levi looked forward to his own upcoming school year.
So far he was batting a thousand when it came to kids and school!
Glancing surreptitiously, Tony regarded Ethan out of the corner of his eye. The boy looked- Tony searched for a good adjective- wary, maybe, or reserved, but not uncooperative or resistant.
Levi's teacher, Ms. Corwin, turned out to be pleasant and on the plump side, and within their brief meeting established the impression that she would have no problem tolerating thirty little second graders or losing her temper too often. Tony felt some comfort in the fact that she was older than he, which he theorized translated to possessing more experience delving in the minds and understanding the actions of second graders.
Now both Ava and Levi could at least enjoy some female influences for a significant part of their days, and would not have to rely solely upon his male perspective and view of the world.
As it turned out when they followed the directions to the fourth grade hall, Ethan's group would share a team of four teachers and rotate from one to the other each school day. His homeroom and teacher for Language Arts, Ms. Lane, resonated quiet professionalism, as opposed to the bubbly personalities of Ava's and Levi's teachers. Still, Tony liked her and thought privately that Ethan would benefit from her tutelage. The math instructor, Ms. Tomlinson, had just graduated from the University of Georgia, while the Science teacher, Mr. Rusinko, and Social Studies instructor, Mr. Woodard, each had several years of teaching under their belts.
Ethan asked no questions. However, he paid rapt attention to all four as they presented their orientation as a group.