Something Special

Chapter 12

The next day, after getting all her chores done, Charlie decided to try to make their house look more presentable by doing a little gardening and yard work. She trimmed a few trees, cut up some brambles, and pulled weeds then started looking in a Home and Garden magazine for flowers that she could plant out front. She particularly liked the Calla Lilies, the miniature Rose bush, the yellow Daffodils, and the Wisteria, yet they were very expensive. 

"I wonder how much I could save up to buy them?"

Taking a marker from the drawer, she circled the flowers she liked best and their prices, adding them up together in her head to see how much she'd have to save up to get them all. But her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a phone call from the local school. They were asking  for her or for her husband to come in for a parent-teacher conference. Aaron had gotten himself into trouble for locking his grammar teacher Mr. Tom Trench in the stall of the men's room that day and the man was furious, practically throwing a fit. Hitting his desk with a ruler and pretty much shouting each word out of his mouth, Charlie almost suspected him of having no sanity.

"This boy has been a menace to my class ever since he came to this school!" Mr. Trench ranted. "Ignoring my lessons, back talking to me, openly mocking me in front of the class, and now pulling these pranks that are down right illegal! You're lucky I'm not pressing charges and sending him to juvenile hall!"

"I locked you in the bathroom, it's not like I assaulted you with a baseball bat." Aaron snarked. "But I wish I had."

"Aaron hush." Charlie said firmly. "Mr. Trench I understand that what my son did was reprehensible and I promise you, his father and I will speak to him about it-"

"I seriously doubt that." Mr. Trench cut her off, gripping the ruler in his hand. "With a sloppy, brainless, bumpkin like him bringing up these children, no wonder they lack discipline and respect."

"You shut up about my dad! Or I'll shove your head right in the toilet!" Aaron snapped.

"Aaron please." Charlie said. "Now Mr. Trench I will not have you speak that way about my husband, especially in front of our children."

"I'm sorry Mrs. Devalcourt, but I call things as I see them. And how that man hasn't caused your children to be taken from you, is a mystery to me. He's raising them all wrong, especially this one." He pointed to Aaron. "Arrogant, lazy, disrespectful, he's a disgrace! And I won't tolerate such behavior in my class!"

He rapped his ruler on this his desk  again which caused Aaron to flinch. Charlie paid close attention to the boy's behavior at the moment, she saw his face pale and his body tremble, his hands rubbing over the red and bruised marks anxiously. And it wasn't until now that she noticed that the lines on Mr. Trench's ruler matched the ones on Aaron's hands. It didn't long for her to put two and tow together and when she did, she was enraged.

"Mr. Trench, what is this?" She said gently taking her son's arm and holding it up for the teacher to see the marks.

"What is what?" He asked.

"These marks on my son's arm. They matched the lines on your ruler." She kept calm but her great fury was evident in her grey eyes. If looks kill this teacher would be buried far deep into the ground already. "Mr. Trench have you been beating my son?"

"Well I...I...I." Mr. Trench said getting nervous, he didn't expect her to have such an intimidating gaze. It was like some kind of fire from within that was threatening to roast him alive. "I had to. The boy needs discipline. He's completely out of control. Why just last week he put a thumb tack in my chair."

"I don't care if he set your entire classroom on fire. You have no right to touch him." She snatched the ruler from him and broke it in half over her knee. "I'm reporting you for student abuse and if you ever so much as lay one finger on any of my children again, I'll make sure that you end up exactly like your ruler."