Free Give Me a Reason by Lyn Gardner Page A

told me about the apple you left on her desk. Can I ask
why you did that?”
    With a snort, Laura said, “Because I had just spent an hour
watching a paradox. One minute, she was rigid, mute and distant, and the next
she was...she was so alive. I wouldn’t have
believed it if I hadn’t seen it myself and after the class was over, I wanted
to say something, but she had already shot me a dozen nasty looks during the
lesson, so I decided against it. I was packing up to leave when I noticed the
apple from my lunch was still in my bag, so when I left, I put it on her desk.
It was just my way of saying thanks.”
    “That’s what I thought.”
    “Are you saying I shouldn’t have done that?”
    Smiling, Kris shook her head. “No, I’m saying that the next
time you go shopping...buy more fruit.”

 
     
     
    Chapter Five
     
     
     
    Apprehensive about disturbing the world of a woman who she
believed was teetering on the edge, much to Krista’s dismay, Laura refused to
visit Toni’s classroom unless it was required. It wasn’t until ten days after
she had met Kris at Exes when Laura found
herself once again invading the troubled teacher’s space to monitor her class.
    Pulling the essays out of her briefcase, Toni was glancing at
the papers when she heard the click of heavy heels coming up the corridor.
Setting her jaw, she slowly raised her eyes, and when Laura MacLeod walked into
her classroom, Toni’s stare was cold and hard, and her message was clear. Get out .
    Aware that her presence would not be welcome, Laura simply
gave Toni a weak smile and then walked to the back of the room to find a seat.
The students filed in, some saying their hellos as they took their places and
opened their books, and a few minutes later, Toni gathered her wits and began
to teach. Sitting silently, Laura listened to the lesson as she jotted down
some notes, and when the class was over, she gathered her belongings and left
without saying a word, but not before placing an apple on Toni’s desk.
    The scene was repeated the following week and the week after
that, and the only thing that changed was the lesson being taught. No words
were exchanged between the teacher and the department head. No looks of
acknowledgement were given when Laura entered the classroom, and no good-byes
were offered when she left. And even though she continued to place a shiny
apple on Toni’s desk after every visit, not once did Toni voice a thank you.
Laura wasn’t surprised.
    When Laura wasn’t buried in paperwork, glad-handing possible
benefactors or monitoring classes, as part of her weekly routine, she made it a
point of visiting with each of her teachers to discuss course schedules, grades
and the like. Preferring relaxed, one-on-one meetings over lunch, rather than
structured ones held in her office, she’d go to their classrooms, and over
bagged lunches, they’d chat about their work. Having just finished such a
meeting with Susan Grant, as Laura walked down the hallway, she noticed Toni’s
door open and decided it was time to test the waters.
    Toni saw her standing in the doorway immediately, but she
continued to grade papers without so much as a glance in Laura’s direction. Without
a file folder in her hand signaling a course review, Toni was confused as to
why the woman was there, and when Laura approached her desk, Toni went rigid.
    Silently admonishing herself for her own stupidity, Laura
stopped and took two steps backward. “Hiya, Toni. I was just making the rounds
and thought I’d stop by to see how things were going. I know you have three new
students, and I wanted to make sure there weren’t any problems.”
    Toni hated questions that couldn’t be answered with a nod or
a shake of the head, and for a minute, she sat motionless, hoping that MacLeod
would simply go on her way. When another minute passed and Laura still hadn’t
moved, Toni sighed. “Everything’s fine,” she muttered, without looking up.
“Now, if you don’t mind,