My son Laurie came home at the first lunchtime from the kindergarten* and shouted, "Isn't anybody here? " "How was school today? " I asked. "All right, " he said. "Did you learn anything? " his father asked. Laurie answered
coldly, "I didn't learn nothing. "
"But the teacher spanked a boy, " Laurie said, "For being fresh, " he added, with his mouth full. "What did he do? " I asked. "Who was it? " Laurie thought. "It was Charles. " he said.
The next day, as soon as he sat down at lunch, "Well, Charles was bad again today. He said. "Today Charles hit the teacher The next few days, Laurie still came home with tons of bad stories about Charles.
During the third and fourth weeks it looked like a change in Charles. Laurie reported kindlessly, "Charles was so good today the teacher gave him an apple. " "What? " I said, and my husband added unbelievably, "You mean Charles? " "Charles, Laurie said. "He gave the crayons
around and picked up the books and the teacher said he was her helper. "
"Can this be true, about Charles? " I asked my husband. "Can something like this happen? ""Wait and see, " my husband said cynically. Within a week, everything was back to normal and Charles was his usual, terrible self.
"The Parent meeting's next week, " I told my husband one evening. "I' m going to find Charles's mother there. " "Ask her what happened to Charles, " my husband said. "I' d like to know. " "I' d like to know myself" I said.
At the meeting, I looked over the faces of all the other mothers. None of them looked unhappy enough to be the mother of Charles. No one stood up and apologised for the way her son
had been acting.
After the meeting, I found Laurie's teacher. "I' ve been wanting to meet you, " I said. "I' m Laurie's mother. " "Oh, yes, " she said. "We' re all so interested in Laurie. " "He certainly likes kindergarten" I said. "He talks about it all the time. " "He's had some trouble getting used to school, " she said. "But I think he' ll be all right. " "Laurie usually fits in quickly, I said. "l suppose his trouble might be from Charles' influence. " "Charles? the teacher said. "Yes, I said, laughing . "You must have your hands full with Charles. " "Charles? " she said. "We don't have any Charles in kindergarten. "
