He came to school on September 29th. He came to school for the FIRST time, last Friday…September 29th. Where had he been? He shrugged his shoulders and said something about school supplies and day care. What was done was done and the plain truth was that he missed the entire first month of school and there was nothing to do but to start his education on September 29th..
He told me he disliked loud music. He sat at the edge of my desk and I watched him working on writing the numbers 1 to 10 on a worksheet and I asked him, “Do you like loud music?” “No,” he answered immediately. I sat for a minute thinking. Then I asked him, “Do you like quiet music?” “Yes,” he responded and continued to work diligently. I opened up my laptop and told him I was going to play some quiet music while he wrote. He looked skeptical.
Mozart streamed gently over the room and we both sat comfortably at the desk. I drank apple caramel tea and was lost in my own thoughts. He got up to get a box of crayons and sat back down. The music was still playing and suddenly he looked up and asked, “Hey, do you know Melvin?” “No, I don’t know Melvin. Who’s Melvin?” He looked at me and said, “He’s the stinky one”. He waved his small hand in front of his nose. “Is Melvin in your class?” He shook his head vehemently and said, “No, he’s the one who asks for food and monies but we don’t give him a thing…only one sometimes…it’s a waste of money”. I asked, “Did your Mom say it was a waste of money?” He kept coloring and said, “My sister says he doesn’t stink but he does”. I thought about this for a bit.
“Do you see Melvin every day?” He shook his head yes and stated, “He says funny things. He don’t sleep…I don’t even know where he sleeps”. I tried again, “How does he talk? How does he speak to you?” The child held up two fingers. I said, “Melvin speaks two languages? He talks to you in English and Spanish?” He nodded. I sat envisioning an English speaking Melvin. I considered a Spanish speaking Melvin. I asked the boy what street he lived on but he did not know. The conversation ended.
I checked the calendar later in the day and noted it was a full moon. A full moon loosens the tongues and behaviors of students. I can’t prove this but I know that it is true. It’s as certain as the opal orb hanging heavily over the city, stretching out toward the horse farms and pink copper colored maple trees and the suburban corner where I reside. I look out the window and it’s just me and Mozart and the boy with the bright box of crayons and this strange interloper…Melvin.
690 Saint Paul 