“Call me when you’ve reached a decision.”
The entire ride home, Easton questioned me about him. Who was he? How did I know him? Why didn’t I like him? Kids were so astute. How could she tell I didn’t care for him? But he acted differently and he sure looked good. Stuart had always been attractive, until he got a hold of alcohol. But today, he was downright hot. Wearing a suit made him look even hotter. He had dark hair and a day or two’s worth of scruff, but his hazel eyes, exactly like Easton’s, were what I’d loved so much about him.
I was still putting the groceries away when Dad arrived.
Easton ran up to him, yelling at the top of her lungs, “Boppy! Boppy!” He picked her up and swung her high in the air to a waterfall of giggles. “Where’s Mimi?”
“She’s busy at home. How was school today?”
“Good. Mommy and me saw a nice man named Stuart at the store.”
Dad frowned and turned toward me. “Is this true?”
“Yup,” was all I said as I finished putting everything away.
“That’s all you’re going to tell me?”
“Yup.” I glanced over to my daughter so he’d get the hint. He did.
“Easton, tell me about school.”
I was glad he’d changed the subject. She walked to the den and sat down. He followed and pulled her onto his lap. “Talk to me, peanut.”
With her head hanging, she said, “A boy is always mean to me.”
“What does he do?”
“He pulls my hair and pushes me so I fall down.”
“Hmm. Have you told your teacher?”
I watched from my spot in the kitchen.
“No. He said if I did everybody would hate me cuz I’d be a tattletale.”
Dad lifted her chin using his index. She looked at him now. “I’m going to tell you a story, okay? Once upon a time, there was a little girl. She was being hurt by a mean boy in her school, but her daddy told her never ever to be a bully. And not to let herself be bullied either. Do you understand what a bully is?”
“No.”
“A bully is someone who pushes others around, by words or actions. They aren’t nice people.”
“Is Jeremy a bully?”
“Yes, peanut, he is. And if someone doesn’t stand up to him, he’ll always be a bully.”
“What happened to the little girl?”
Dad grinned. “One day she went to school and when the mean boy went to push her, she turned around and pushed him back instead. Then she went and told the teacher what was happening. The mean boy was moved to a different class.”
“He was?”
“Yes, he was. And no one allowed him to bully them anymore because the word had spread.”
“The word?” She stared intently at him with her brows scrunched.
“Yes, the word was that a little girl had pushed him down. She stood up for herself. Everyone realized he wasn’t so scary after all and after that, he stopped being a bully.”
Easton frowned. “But isn’t it bad that she pushed him?”
“Yes, it was, but she had to stand up for herself or he would’ve kept on doing it. She also had to tell the teacher so the teacher could do something.”
“That was good then, right?” Her grin had me smiling.
“It was, because it taught him a lesson that he shouldn’t bully anyone. Bullying is very bad and wrong. Do you understand?”
“I think so.”
“Peanut, your teacher needs to know about how mean Jeremy is. If she doesn’t, he’s going to be mean always, and when he gets older, it’ll be worse.”
Easton nodded.
“Do you want Mommy and me to go to school with you so you can tell your teacher about him?”
“Will all the kids hate me?” Her eyes shone with fear.
“No, sweetie, they’ll love you for it. Do you know why? They won’t have to be afraid of him anymore either.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really.” Then he tickled her. “Have I ever lied to you?”
“No, sir.”
“Then you can count on me this time.”
Thank God for Dad. He flipped on the TV to her favorite channel and came over to me. “I’ll go with you when you take her to school in the morning. Now, it’s your turn, young lady. What’s this about Stuart?”
Chapter Three
English
Dad’s eyes gouged into mine. His stubbornness revealed itself as he refused to leave until I explained.
“We ran into him at the grocery store. I was shocked to see him there.”
“And?”
What more was there to say? Oh, yeah, no use leaving out the worst part. “He wants to see Easton. To get to know her.”
Dad flattened his