Free Mute by Brian Bandell Page A

the playground. It also kept her hidden
from many of the students. Eva found her and kicked a ball her way. Mariella
sidestepped it as if the ball had been covered in paint and let it bounce off
the fence. Laughing as it rolled back to her, Eva punted it toward Mariella
again. This time, Mariella snatched it up, cradled it in her arms and curled up
against the fence. Seeing that the girl who had been her friend all year
wouldn’t give the ball back, Eva started pleading with her in Spanish. Even as
the girl yelped in her face, Mariella watched her without making a sound.
    Detective
Williams started marching over. Mrs. Mint nearly twisted her clumsy ankles
catching up with her. No wonder the teacher had gotten so plump despite chasing
the kids all day. She had a much harder time keeping pace with a long-legged
adult.
    “Officer
Williams, please,” Mrs. Mint said as she tapped her on the arm.
    Whipping
her braids over her shoulder, she turned around and eased up on her pace toward
the child. “Why are you letting her jaw at Mariella? Let the girl have her
space.”
    “I’ve
watched these girls play together all year. They’re friends. Eva is frustrated
and confused that Mariella is acting differently. I know it’s hard to watch,
but it’s part of the healing process.”
    “You
call that healing?” The officer stopped and got up in the teacher’s face. As
her brow tightened with anger, her skin suddenly appeared a lot darker to Mrs.
Mint. “Because I call that torturing a kid who’s already been through enough.”
    She
stood a good five inches taller than Mrs. Mint. She didn’t have a hard,
muscle-toned body like the stereotypical female cop, but detective Williams
looked plenty pumped as she grew ultra protective of the girl. Even with her
uniform, she wasn’t as intimidating as that meddling Principal Callahan. Mrs.
Mint wouldn’t let him teach her class for her and she wouldn’t let this brash
policewoman do it either.
    “We
have a saying in this school: progress isn’t painless,” Mrs. Mint said. “We
can’t swoop in and rescue children every time they’re in an uncomfortable
situation. First of all, there aren’t enough eyes and ears in the school to do
that. But most importantly, children must learn conflict resolution through experience.
If things get really heated, of course I’ll step in, but not for a pithy
argument.”
    “You
didn’t see what this girl’s lived through. You didn’t see how her parents’
bodies were mutilated before her eyes. So please excuse her if she’s just a
little sensitive.”
    Wiping
the beads of sweat out from under her stubby nose and plump chin, Mrs. Mint
swallowed a gulp of humility. Her first instincts as a teacher had blinded her
to Mariella’s plight. She couldn’t treat this girl like any other student, at least
not yet. If that required walking on eggshells with the entire class, then so
be it.
    “Okay,
Officer Williams. I’ll handle this,” Mrs. Mint said. “Just please sit down
while I… Hey! Stop it boys!”
    While
they were arguing over Mariella, the girl had been cornered against the fence
not by an offended former friend, but by kids who never were her friends. Kyle
Buckley blocked her off on one side and Cole Buckley grabbed the ball. Mariella
wouldn’t let it go, but she couldn’t stop him from dragging her away from the
fence and out into the open field, where the whole class could see her
ridicule.
    “My
daddy pays his taxes,” Cole shouted at the Mexican girl. “This is my ball, not
yours!”
    “If
you want our ball, you should ask us,” Kyle said. “Come on, speak some English.
Let me hear it. Can you say baaaaall? Or is it ballo? El ballo?”
    Mrs.
Mint lumbered across the field on her aching feet as Officer Williams dashed
out ahead. They both were slowed by the kids running the same direction for a
front row seat at simmering confrontation. A chorus of boys started chanting
“fight”. It made the teacher absolutely sick.