The Smart Kid

Chapter 8 - Charleen's Home

Charleen picked up a few files from her office, before they exited through the back door to her 1973 Oldsmobile Coupe. She opened the door for Matt, and then tossed the folders on the middle of the bench-style seat between them. 

Driving out of the parking lot, she noticed Matt focusing on the manila file folders laying on the seat. She glanced at them and realized one of them had his name written on it. 

“Oh, what a mess,” she said arranging the files with her right hand, and pulling them to her.

Matt, still holding the towel to his right cheek, winced as he smiled at her. “Taking your work home with you?”

Charleen looked into his eyes and caught his meaning. “Yes, I guess I am.”

Matt eyed her with a half-smile crossing his face.

She turned on the radio. The new Journey song was playing.

“Oh, you got to leave this town before it's ... 

Too late, too late.” 

They entered the driveway of a small, yellow house on the edge of town. She parked the car behind the house. An old white shed on the far side of the yard leaned toward the corn field.

“OK, let’s get you fixed up,” she said in a motherly voice.

The back door entered to her kitchen. She told him to sit at the table while she retrieved a first-aid kit. After she cleaned and dried the cut, Charleen put a large bandage on it. “You will need this bandage on your face for a few days, young man.” She added her heart-warming smile to the last few words, as she gently stroked his hair from his eyes.

“Thank you.”

Charleen breathed out something that almost sound like “Matt” as she jerked her hand from Matt’s cut face, and brushed it over her eyes. She stood and turned to face the cupboards. “Would you like a glass of lemonade, Matt?”

“Yes. It will give us time to talk.”

He always has an agenda, she thought.But she said, “I think I’ve got cookies too!” 

She opened and closed cupboard doors until she found the glass pitcher. After preparing the lemonade, she removed a metal ice cube tray from the freezer. The lever on top was supposed to release the ice cubes. But she worked at it with considerable effort before successfully cracking the cubes loose. 

As Charleen prepared the lemonade, she glanced at Matt. He was studying the room.

“Here you go, Matt,” she said, as she poured the lemonade. An ice cube slid out of the pitcher and plunked into his glass. She set a plate of cookies in front of him. They ate in silence for a minute.

“Do you enjoy listening to rock music?” asked Matt.

“ Yes. I do. How do you know?” 

“You had your radio tuned to KCLD, the rock station, so I thought ...”

“Well, you thought right. You are a very astute young man.” 

“Yes, I am. And I’m astute enough to tell when an adult is giving a vacuous compliment to a little kid. It irks me.”

Charleen stopped chewing and stared at him for a second. She was sure that the shock showed on her face.

“OK, Matthew,” she said. “You’re right. Adults do that sometimes. And I apologize for talking down to you.”

Matthew grinned. “Apology accepted.”

Somehow, he had just transformed himself from a student to an adult, almost. Charleen felt a connection, the same as she had in the classroom, the first time Matt had looked her in the eye.