Purple Flowers

I was so excited! Finally, time for me to go to school.

My mom told me I have Ms. June, and I think I remember my brother Jonah telling me that she was super nice. He’s in the 5^th grade already, I’m just starting in Junior Kindergarten. The school isn’t far, but my Dad said he has to drive us on our first day because its tradition! Mommy would have come with us, but she had a meeting at work this morning, she’s always doing meetings in the morning.

As we pull up to the school, I see a long line of cars with other parents and their kids going into the schoolyard.

Jonah runs right out of the van and yells, “See you later dad!”

I’m really nervous because I don’t really know where I’m supposed to be…

My Dad turns around and gives me a big hug from the front seat. He says, “I hope you have an amazing day Bun.” He always calls me Bun because my hair is floppy like a bunny’s ears! “Your class is going to be right over there,” as he points to the row of little purple flowers with a tall, nice looking lady near them.

I remember mommy saying once that the purple flowers are her favorite!

“There’s Ms. June. Now you go and have a nice day and remember; if you have a good day or not, Mommy is making her famous tacos for dinner!”

“Tacos!” I scream, “I love mom’s tacos!”

My dad pulls me in for one last hug before I jump out of the van and close the door. Mommy taught me how to close the sliding door over the summer, its so heavy!

As I walk over to the purple flowers and the nice looking lady she says, “You must be Molly? You remind me so much of Jonah!”

“Wow,” I think, “how does she know me already!”

“I’m Ms. June, do you remember me?”

I look at her pretty hair and her nice blue dress. “Maybe, I don’t know” I say.

“I’m friends with your Mommy and I used to teach your older brother Jonah!”

Just as she finishes her sentence Jonah runs up to me and taps me on the back, “Mom packed me two bananas, do you want one? Oh hi Ms. June!” he says pulling a banana out of his bag and turning towards his old teacher.

“Okay, thanks Jonah!” I say to my brother as I take the banana and try to put it in my overall’s pocket.

Ms. June laughs, “Hey Jonah, are you excited for the 5^th grade?”

“Am I ever! I have Mrs. DeMarco! Mom said that Mrs. DeMarco used to teach her when she was a kid!”

“That’s right! Your mom and I both went to this very school as kids” Ms. June claims.

The bell rings, and it startles me a little.

“Have fun Jonah, don’t be late” Ms. June says as she puts her hand out for mine. I grab it enthusiastically and we walk into the school together.

As we walk down a hallway covered in fun arts and crafts Ms. June tells me that “everyday when you come to school, the classroom is going to be this second one, right here!”

The doorway is so big! Bigger than all the doors at home, other than the garage of course.

Ms. June ushers me in and I walk in to see a big group of kids all around my age. This is so exciting I haven’t got to play with kids my age all summer! Mommy and Daddy took us on a big trip before school started.

We went camping in something called the Finger Lakes. It was really fun, and we sang campfire songs every night! Marshmallows and hot dogs on the fire, it was so fun to see mommy and daddy laughing and telling ghost stories.

I quickly find a nice-looking seat with some other boys and girls and we all start to giggle as we introduce each other.

Ms. June starts to get our attention and the classroom gets really quiet. As she introduces herself to the class, I can barely pay attention because I’m looking around the room and seeing so many fun things! Jonah was right, this class is awesome!

There’s a wall full of cubbies towards the back and Ms. June gets us all to go and pick one, mine is right at the top because I’m super tall like my mom.

I pull the banana out of my front pocket and put it in the cubby with my backpack. I love it, “this is going to be my spot for the whole year” I think to myself.

Once everyone has their bags and things in the cubbies we go back to our seats and Ms. June has places stickers across each table. “The first thing we’re going to do is make a piece of art using the stickers, crayons and markers for everyone to put on their cubbies, so we can tell whose is who’s!”

“Art time, already?” I think out loud and I get a few giggles from the classroom.

“Yes, art time already, go ahead and start-” she cuts her sentence short by the sudden arrival of someone swinging the door open.

“Ms. June,” The stranger says in a shaky voice, “Can I see you in the hallway right now.”

“We’re just start-” Ms. June got cut short again.

“Now.” Says the stranger, more stern than before. It reminded me of Mommy’s voice when I used the markers in the van. She was NOT happy.

“Go ahead and start everybody, I’ll be right back!” Ms. June says as she walked towards the stranger.

They made eye contact and then hurriedly closed the door behind them.

“This is so much fun” I say to the boy sitting next to me. He put his bag in the cubby next to mine. I can tell were going to be friends already.

I’m putting stickers for clouds and drawing a bird on my page. The bird is like the one’s Mommy tells me she sees from her window at work, “silly pigeons all over the city, pooping on everyone!” she always jokes.

I’m not sure how much time has passed but Ms. June has been gone for a while before she comes back in. She walks around the room and looks at some of our art.

I can hear someone out in the hall crying, and Ms. June looks quite red right now too.

“Alright everyone, time’s up!” she says, shakily, “Time to put your art on your cubbies.”

We line up single file and we each get a piece of masking tape to tape our art to our cubbies.

“If everyone can to take all the stuff from their cubbies and sit back at the tables we can play another quick game!”

“Oh yes! Art and Games all in one day!” I screech out and race to get all my things, putting my banana back in my front pocket.

“The game is going to be quick, so everyone please pay attention.”

I’m so excited for this game!

“Everyone, look around the room and pick one toy, only one, that you want to play with right now. But don’t go get it yet, just look around and when you decided on the toy you want, put your hands up in the air as high as you can!”

I scan the room frantically because I can’t choose just one! Blocks? No. Finger painting? No. And then I see it, a shiny toy airplane! I love watching the planes from the backyard, we live right near the airport its so cool!

“Okay, I’m going to go around one by one and everyone gets to go and pick the toy and then go back to their spot!” Ms. June says, “Martin! You go first.”

A boy across the room gets up excitedly and rushes over to where my airplane is! I gasp as he leans down. I can’t see him! I stretch and lean in my chair to get a better view, and finally Martin comes back up with a dinosaur!

Thank goodness, my plane is safe.

This goes on for a while until I finally get the chance to grab my airplane! I’m so excited I start playing with it right at my seat.

Ms. June asks everyone to keep playing at their seats for now and behave. She walks out of the room again.

I forgot about the lady crying outside but I don’t hear her anymore.

The boy next to me got some big blocks to build stuff with, so we make towers and park the plane on top, its so funny!

But shortly after Ms. June comes back in with another stranger who shouts, “Martin, lets go buddy!”

Martin, bewildered, drops his dinosaur, and grabs his bag, leaving the class towards his father.

“All of your parents are going to be coming to bring you home a little early today” Ms. June musters. She sits quietly in the rocking chair at the front of the class and watches as more and more parents come for her students.

I’m still playing with the plane and the blocks because the tall boy next to me has left, and Jonah comes into the room. “Hi Jonah! Come play!” I say to him.

Ms. June looks up at him and her eyes get big and red. Jonah walks over to me and just as he sits down Daddy comes in too! “Yay we get to go home early!”

Daddy grabs my bag off the floor next to me and says, “lets go.”

I’m so excited I toss the plane onto the table knocking over the towers the tall boy had built.

As we walk out of the school, I tell Jonah and daddy about my amazing day full of art, and games, and the tall boy and everything! I see the purple flowers again and quickly pick one, “Mommy will love this!”

While we get into the van, I remember what Dad said when he dropped me off.

“I’m so excited to tell mom about my amazing day while she cooks her famous tacos tonight!” I giggle in the back seat, grinning as I look out the window to see a big grey cloud coming from the city. I hope it doesn’t rain on mommy today, she hates the rain.

“Can we go pick up mom from work early too?” I ask, “It’ll be so cool to tell her at the Twin Towers about my day!”