Just Passing

33. December Rain

Monday morning is cold and drizzly. Fallen leaves are smears of yellow and orange on the wet sidewalk as I quickly stride from the faculty lot to the school's entrance. I stomp my feet on the rug and shake the raindrops from my hood. I guess a little rain is better than ice or snow.

When I walk into my office, I place my travel-coffee mug on my desk, shrug out of my wet jacket, plop my bag down, and collapse into my chair. After a deep breath, I take a few sips of coffee and then pull my laptop out from my bag and plug it into its waiting charger.

My computer is just coming to life as Jessica walks in through the door, still shaking drops from her now-closed umbrella.

"Happy Monday," she greets me. "How was your holiday weekend?"

"Honestly, I'm happy to be back at school." I let out a chuckle and my lip twitches into a half smile. "My parents stayed through Sunday. And as much as I am grateful for how they distract the kids, they're also..."

"Exhausting?" she guesses as she crosses the room to sit at her desk.

That's not exactly how I would describe it. My folks do their best to help and not be a burden. They offer to load the dishwasher, my mom is always folding laundry, and my dad paid for two nights of takeout. But no matter how unobtrusive they try to be, our routine still gets thrown off.

Instead of going into the nuances of my weekend, I just chuckle again. "Sounds like you know how it is. How was your Thanksgiving?"

"Oh, you know. It was nice. Really." Jessica pulls out her laptop, opens it up, and as it boots up, she tears off a page from her desk calendar. "Wow, December already?"

"Time flies when you're having fun," I reply, turning my attention back to my computer screen. It's not a lie. The year really seems to be flying by. It always feels like once you reach the holidays, you are on the slippery slope to summer. After Winter Break, there are only six weeks until February Break and then only seven weeks until Spring Break. And after Spring Break, forget about it. It's standardized test season followed by field trips and spirit rallies and before you know it, it's summer.

Instead of being comforting, the thought makes me clench with anxiety. There is so much left to accomplish this year.

I sign into my work email and see twenty-three unread messages, which actually isn't too bad. Most people spent the long weekend with their families and off of technology. Half of the emails are junk with subject lines like: Register Today! Last Chance! Sign-up Now! I quickly trash the webinar invitations for products that I've never heard of and start by opening up the Monday Memo, which is how Ms. Reid shares announcements for the week. As I skim through the rundown of upcoming events, I see that this month's all-school assembly is entitled, "The Importance of Community Service."

Shit. Did Ms. Reid reply to the email I sent her Wednesday about Blake's assembly idea? With everything happening, I forgot to fret over it.

I click back to my inbox and skim down the unread messages. Nothing.

"Hey, Jessica," I say, swiveling in my chair to face her. "Did you happen to see if Ms. Reid was in her office when you walked by?"

Jessica spares me a glance. "I think so. I saw her car, but her office door was closed."

Before I can respond, there is a knock on the doorframe. "Good morning, Mr. Graham. Do you have a minute?" Ms. Reid asks. "I'd like to hear more about Blake's interesting idea."

"Yes, of course." I swivel my chair back around, then stand and grab my coffee.

Jessica raises an eyebrow, but doesn't comment as I follow our principal back to her office.