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paid millions of dollars and I think, saw the years of straight As on her
that could be my girl." He let go of own report cards and her father's
his spoon and set his hands firm- impatience when she achieved any-
ly down on the table. He finally thing less than a 93. She heard her
looked into Melissa's eyes. "Any- mother's weary defenses for Me-
body can teach. You're not going lissa and his insistence that she was
to get paid much, and you're going smart and just should have tried
to have kids like me who just aren't harder.

gonna learn. And with everything Melissa groped for something to
you can do, I would hate to see you say. Her father looked back at her
settle for being just a teacher."
and tensed his jaw. "Your mother
"Dad," she said slowly and and I want the best for you," he
forcefully, "I could never be 'just'
a teacher." She opened her mouth, warned, although he sat alone on
but all she could see was her fa- his side of the breakfast table.
Melissa drowned the words she
ther without wrinkles, without longed to cry out with a mouthful of
children, with a father of his own
moving him to a new parish and a the steaming potatoes. She choked
new town, hating his life and hat- the gravy and retorts down, mouth-
ing school. She saw school through ful after mouthful, feeling them burn
his hardened eyes, a place where her throat as they crawled down to
teachers had paddles and marched her stomach. Her father sat silently,
on through their jobs paying no his gravy congealing. They both
special attention to the new kid in stared at their identical meals, wait-
town who couldn't read simple sto- ing for Cindy to bless them with a
ries without faltering, never got bet- check and a chance to fake a smile
and leave their half-eaten toast be-
ter than Cs, and had no friends. She hind.

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