Hold Me Close & Don't Let Me Fall ✓

Chapter 7

We walk out of the principal's office and I notice Mary's teacher and the one next door looking over at us, checking Frank out. I scoff and grab his hand. He smiles at me, already knowing what I'm doing as he can feel their eyes on him, before grabbing me around this waist as we leave the building.

We both lead Mary to the truck as we hear someone calling to us. "Excuse me? Hi," it's Mary's teacher.

"Oh look. It's my teacher. Probably wants to remind me what one plus one is." Mary says, kicking the ground.

"Go to the car, ok?" Frank tells her. We both turn around.

"Hi." She says but mostly to Frank.

"Hi," we both say back.

"Sorry to yell at you and then chase you down." She says as she shakes our hands.

"It's ok, Mary's teacher?" Frank asks.

"Yes. I'm Bonnie Stevenson." She laughs, a little girly. God, give me a break.

"I'm Frank and this is my wife Georgia. How are you? Sorry about today." He introduces me and I can see a brief look of shock cross her face before she schools her features. "I know she got a little overexcited. I think it's just first-day jitters."

"Sure. Yeah."

It's my time to step in. "We're running a little late, actually. We gotta get going." I say.

"Ok. I don't even want to talk about that. I'll only keep you a minute."

"Ok." Frank says.

"I think... I think Mary might be gifted." Shit!

"What?" I ask.

"Yeah, today in math she answered some really tough questions."

"Oh no, no, no. That's..." I start.

"It's not gifted." Frank adds. "It's Trachtenberg." He explains. "Jackow Trachtenberg."

"I'm sorry?" She asks.

"Spent seven years in a Nazi concentration camp. Developed a system to rapidly solving problems. It's the Trachtenberg method."

"I mean, she's seven though."

"Frank learned it when he was eight." I offered.

"Do I look gifted to you?" He asks, a dopey smile on his face, playing up the part of an average guy. "It's kinda gone out of vogue since the invention of the calculator, but... I can still win a drink at a bar using it." He says as we walk back towards the truck.

"Sorry for today." I say.

"It won't happen again." Frank adds. "Nice to meet you, Bonnie."

"Frank, Georgia."

...

We're sitting at the dock after we took Mary home to change. She's sitting on top of the cooler while Frank and I are in the boat while he works on the engine. I'm sitting next to him, handing him tools as he needs them.

"For the record, I didn't want to go to this stupid school in the first place. And the boy in the next row acts inappropriately for someone who's a child." She starts.

I laugh when Frank responds. "I'm sorry. I'm still passive-aggressively ignoring you."

"Other kids answer questions, they don't get in trouble."

Frank let's out a heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. I stand up, patting his chest to let him know I got this one, and he returns to his work.