A Boy.
Page 20 part 2.

5. Story

Page 20

Suddenly
there was a loud grunt
and a young woman
entered the room.

She dropped the box
she was carrying,
and more than
a hundred crayons
spilled out
across the floor.

“Oh, hello,” she said.

She was a lot younger
than either Mrs. Ebbel
or Mrs. Chalkers.

She wore blue jeans
and a red T-shirt
with ROCK ‘N’ ROLL
written across it
in light blue letters.

She had light brown hair,
almost blond,
and clear blue eyes.

“I’m Carla Davis,”
she said,
and held out her hand.

Bradley’s mother
stared at her a moment,
then reached out
to shake her hand
but suddenly realized
she was still wearing
the dolphin puppet.

She quickly removed it
and put it back
in the box
on the table.

The counselor smiled.

“She needs to sign the form
so that you can
start seeing her son,”
said Mrs. Ebbel.

Page 21

Miss Davis looked hopelessly
around her office.

“They’re around here
somewhere,” she muttered,
then began tearing
into the boxes.

“Perhaps I’d better
come back,” said Bradley’s mother.

“Found them!”
said the counselor,
holding up the forms.

She cleared a space
on the round table
by pushing away a box
and gave Mrs. Chalkers
a form to sign.

Bradley’s mother
looked around the messy office,
then at the young woman
with the rock ‘n’ roll T-shirt.

She shrugged her shoulders
and signed her name.

Miss Davis took the form
from her.

“Oh!
You’re Bradley Chalkers’ mother!”

Mrs. Chalkers nodded.

“You would not believe
all the horror stories
I’ve heard about
Bradley Chalkers,”
said the new counselor.

“I’ve been here
less than three hours
but it seems like
every teacher in the school
has dropped by
to warn me
about him.”

“Deep down,
he really is – ”
Bradley’s mother started to say.

“I can’t wait
to meet him,”
the counselor interrupted.

“He sounds charming,
just delightful.”