Despite All Obstacles Part II

Normal D(A)ys...(Continued)

We take the elevator to the ground floor, where they placed all the special classes, alternative classes and IEP room. This is school segregation.

I step into her office. It looks like an actual shrink office from the movies. We're across each other. I sit on a beanbag as she sits on a chair across the table.

"So, Barbara. How are you, today?" She calmly asks me with her hands placed on the table together.

I give her an apathetic expression and shrug. "I'm fine."

"Any problems at home?"

"No," I answer, annoyed. Sigh. Can this day get even more annoying? Oh, wait. I have gym after Theatre Arts! Yes, it can! With Goldilocks, that's auntie's "Heavens, yes"! Then, I remember Ms. Noah telling me in case I don't come back, I'll have to do my skit 'til next week. I'm not ready to present mine, yet. So, I decide to stall.

"Well, there are these cheerleaders who are mean to everybody, including me. I don't know why. How much time do I have here?" I wanna see if I can stay as long as I want, hoping until dismissal.

"Thirty to forty-five minutes, then I'll have to take you to class. I had students who tried to stall their way out of class when they have to see me," she tells me. This is so not good.

"Can I walk to class on my own?" Please say yes.

She shakes her head with a "no-can-do" look. "I'm sorry, Barbara. I had students who skipped classes they were supposed to be in. They'll say they have to use the restroom and don't really have to. So, I'll have to walk you to class. Let me see your schedule, please." She gestures for it.

Dang it! I give her my binder to let her look at it. "Hmmm. Seems like you have gym next."

I rest my left elbow onto the table with my fist pressing below my left cheek, feeling extremely annoyed. She poses like a shrink again.

"What's on your mind now?" She smiles big this time, with no teeth.

Smacking that smile off your face and tripping on a flight of stairs. "My relationship with Jesus," I lie with a passive-aggressive smile.

She quietly laughs. "That's good. I have a relationship with Him too. Do you go to church?"

"Yes, I do. In Inglewood."

Her eyes grow. "I see. I'm from San Diego and moved here with my husband. We have three kids together. Two boys, one girl and a husky. Do you have siblings or any pets?"

"No, I'm an only child, and momma's thinking about getting one. I live with her."

"Is your dad involved?" What is that supposed to mean?

"Uh....," I feel my scalp and look down, "he was," I scratch my scalp "....until he died." My mood suddenly turns depressed from fine.

She makes a concerned face and scooches forward. "Awww, Barbara. I'm so sorry for your loss. Is your mom okay?"

I shrug, not really sure. "She seems happier than before. We moved on Saturday from Inglewood Garden Apartments because of it. I had to say bye to all of my high school friends. I still feel some type away about it." I rub my right arm.

She looks down and concerned. "Oh, so your mom moved to get away from the fact that your dad was killed in Inglewood." She looks up at me. "Maybe it's because she really loved your dad and wanted to still be with him but staying in Inglewood is not helping her grieve." She thinks for a moment. "Barbara, do you know how old you were, when and where it happened?"

I try to remember every info I grasped from the owner of Pizza Hut and momma. "I was just a baby. Momma moved in with him at Inglewood Garden Apartments, and they got engaged. There's a news report about it."