Chapter 2: The Meeting
"Ok class I'll see you tomorrow." Kori said. everyone stood up and got reay to leave. Marie was getting ready to leave when Kori stopped her. She had recieved a message from the office saying that Marie was to stay after school and wait for her dad.
"What is it?" Marie asked.
"I'm having a meeting with your father to day and you should stay." Kori said.
"Ok" Marie sat down in her desk and began to draw as she waited. Minutes later Richard appeared in the doorway.
"Oh you must be Mr. Grayson." Kori said looking up from her desk.
"Please call me Richard Mr. Grayson is my brother." Richard said smiling.
"Ok would you like to take a seat?" Kori asked. Richard grabbed a chair and sat in front of Kori's desk. Kori sat on her desk. She thought for a moment not sure waht to say. She wanted to ask about Marie's mother but she did not know how to be professional about it.
"So what happened?" Richard asked breaking the silence.
"Yesterday in class I asked the kids to draw what they wanted for Christmas." Kori explained.
"Did she draw a mom?" Richard asked.
"Yes how did you know?" Kori asked confused.
"She dose it every year." Richard explained.
"Oh well a kid asked her why she didn't have a mom and one kid said it was because her mom was a whore." Kori said.
"What!" Richard said he was angry.
"I know your mad but the kid is on a three day suspension." Kori said. Richard was really mad he'd heard a lot of things about Marie's mom but that was the worst by far. Now he didn't really care for Marie's mother, but he did not want his daughter exposed to that. He wanted to keep her away fomr that until she was old enough to understand.
"I know it's personal but why doesn't Marie have a mom?" Kori asked.
"Well when she became pregnant, I knew Marie wasn't mine because I never did anything with her, she told me straight up she was cheating on me and that she was gonna get a abortion I convinced her it was murder, and after she was born she gave the baby to me and said, 'you take her if you want her so much and that was the last I ever saw her." Richard said looking down at the ground.
"Oh it must've been hard raising her on your own." Kori said looking past Richard to his daughter who was busy drawing still.
"Well Bruce and Alfred help me when I need it." Richard said.
"Oh well if you ever need any help just ask me Marie is one of my best students." Kori said before she could stop herself.
"Ok," Richard said. Kori grabbed a pen and piece of paper and wrote her cell phone number and her home phone number. SInce she had said it she might as well as go through with it.
"My cell and home phone numbers." she said giving him the paper.
"Thanks." Richard said.
"Look Miss Anders," Marie said, she had a picturein her hands, it was of a house and two people, "That's me and my dad," she said proudly. Kori looked at the picture and smiled. Marie was a sweet girl and she couldn't help but love this girl.
"Wow is that you house?" Kori asked.
"Yes and you can keep it," Marie said said holding the picture out to her.
"Thank you," Kori said taking the picture. SHe was going to put it on her refridgerator and keep it.
"Dad do I have to go to bed now?" Marie asked as she stood up. They had just finished watching a movie together.
"Yes." Richard said.
"But it's only 9:00" Marie said.
"Yes now get going." Richard said pointing to the hall. Marie hung her head and started for the stairs.
"Ok, ok" Marie said, "I won't complain if you read Sleeping Beauty," she added turning to look at Richard.
"Ok," Richard said. He picked Marie up and carried her to her room and laid her down her bed and pulled out Sleeping Beauty and began to read. It was Marie's favorite book. It was the one adapted from the movie so it was relativey short.
"Once upon a time..." He said
"the end" Richard said. He looked at Marie she was a sleep he smiled and kissed her on the forehead. "Night my little Mar Mar," He said. He walked to his room and got ready to go to sleep. he thought about his conversation with Miss Anders earlier. He wondered wich kid had said something about Marie's mother. He knew he shouldn't let it get to him. He just didn't want Marie to hear that stuff until she could understand it. He never talked about her for a reason and that was becasue what the kid had said was true.
He sat down on his bed and thought about Miss Anders. She cared about Marie, he could tell. She wasn't like the other teacher Marie had had the last few years. They would never tell him when things like that had happened Marie would.