Sort of sequel to Coming Out! Yay!
It was an average Monday at the elementary school. The kindergarten class KJ was doing a worksheet on two-digit numbers, when Mrs. Jennings noticed that Katrina kept flexing her fingers. She only did that when she was anxious about something.
What is going on in her little head, she thought. Well, what do kindergarteners normally fret about?
When the bell rang for the students to go to lunch, Mrs. Jennings called Katrina over to talk to her. "You look antsy about something. Is everything okay?"
"Well," said Katrina, "it's about my daddy."
"Alright," said Mrs. Jennings, growing concerned. "What's wrong with daddy?"
"He wants me to keep a really big secret. Except it's really really hard to not tell people about it."
Mrs. Jennings wasn't exactly sure how to respond to that. She had met Katrina's father a few times. He was a very nice man; surely this secret wasn't anything horrible. "Well...some secrets save lives, you know. I'm sure if you keep that secret, you'll make him very happy."
Katrina seemed, at the very least, satisfied with that answer. Still, Mrs. Jennings thought maybe she should talk to Joe about this. "Can you ask him to come inside to the classroom when he comes to pick you up?"
Katrina nodded.
Later that day, when Joe came to pick up Katrina, Mrs. Jennings brought them inside to talk. She set Katrina up with a few board books at her chair, then sat down with Joe. "Katrina told me today that you want her to keep a secret, and it's making her stressed."
Joe pursed his lips. He should have realized that a secret that big was too much pressure for a five year old! The poor girl. "Elle ne pas te dire, a-t-elle?" (She didn't tell you, did she?)
"No," said Mrs. Jennings, "but she says it's hard to not tell."
Joe debated for a moment telling her. He figured it was safe; Mrs. Jennings didn't know Von Kaiser. "Eh bien, je vais te le dire. J'aime quelqu'un et je suis trop nerveux pour lui dire." (Well, I'll tell you. I like someone and I'm too nervous to tell him.)
Now Mrs. Jennings understood. "I see," she said. "That's why she wants to tell people so bad; she's probably very excited and happy for you."
"Elle était vraiment excitée quand je lui ai dit," said Joe, sheepishly. "Elle demande immédiatement si nous allions nous marier." (She was very excited when I told her. She instantly asked if we're going to get married.)
"I can tell she's a fan of this crush of yours," chuckled Mrs. Jennings. "Maybe you could talk to other people about your feelings; you know, people who can help you build courage and tell them to this person you like. Katrina will feel a lot less pressured if she had other people she can talk to about this secret."
Joe wasn't quite sure about that. Sure, Katrina could keep it under wraps, but he wasn't so sure about other people. Maybe Pierce? He was pretty trustworthy.
"D'accord. Je vais trouver quelqu'un d'autre pour parler avec à propos du secret." (Alright. I will find someone else to talk with about the secret.) He turned around to his daughter. "Katrina, nous avons fini. C'est le temps pour partir." (Katrina, we're finished. It's time to leave.)
Katrina nodded and put the board books back on the shelf. "Have you ever noticed that she flexes her fingers when she's anxious?" Mrs. Jennings whispered to Joe.
"Non, je ne pense pas oui." (No, I don't think so.) Joe went to collect his daughter. "Merci," he said to Mrs. Jennings before they left to return home.
Oh boy, more people are getting in on the Joe X Kaiser boat! Are you excited to find out how this ends up? I know I am!
