Titus: Book Two of the Cantrell Brothers Series

Chapter Thirty-Nine

It was shortly after that when the bell for lunch rang. Like they had been doing ever since Christmas, her students arranged themselves into their well-organized line. She reached underneath her desk where she always kept her sack lunch, but her fingers came up empty. Frowning, Anna checked the spot that was devoid of the brown bag and then remembered that she must have forgotten it back at the house, right next to vase of wilting roses.

She sent her group of students a smile all the same. They followed her into the gym where their tables had already been set up, all staying within their neat lines with her behind them as she walked slowly to what felt like her doom.

It was macaroni and cheese today, and Anna managed not to wrinkle her nose at the smell of overcooked noodles that would be too hard again. She did, however, appreciate their choice of the fruit cocktail, walking back to the teachers' table with the fresh scent of canned peaches, pears, grapes, and cherries that almost made up for the mac 'n cheese.

Sam was right beside her, making small talk and eating her own sandwich of turkey, cheese, and lettuce that smelt so much better than the noddles that lay before. Paul, too, was devouring a sub that oozed mayo, ham, and the processed cheese that Anna adored. Everybody, except her, was eating something that was not of the cafeteria food.

There was Caroline with her raisin bran muffin, old Margaret with a large container of bow tie noodles and spiced chicken, Mary Ellis munching on something that looked exactly like a peanut butter and banana sandwich, and Duke Simuntow eating what was most definitely not the macaroni and cheese in front of her.

“So,” her friend, Sam, said from beside her, mostly for conversation's sake, “we gonna finally do something this weekend?”

After taking a drink from her carton of one percent milk, she answered, “I'm up for it. What do ya wanna do?”

“For starters, we could go shopping.” Sam winked. “Get you some new lingerie. Silk should do the trick.”

Anna blushed and looked around, seeing everybody's gaze focused on her, all but one pair of eyes filled with barely contained laughter. “She's just kidding. Right, Sam?” she asked, telling her friend with her eyes that this was not allowed to be talked about at the lunch table.

“Yeah.” Sam nodded. “Just joshin' with y'all. She told me he's more of a lace man, anyway.”

The entire table's occupants, with the exception of one brunette who was shooting daggers Anna's way, erupted into a symphony of guffaws, chuckles, and shrieks that made her face go even redder. Mary Ellis sat there with a stone face and fire-filled eyes, eating her lunch and practically saying through body language that she didn't find anything about it amusing.

“Oh, just get it over it already, Mary,” Sam said a little acidly after quieting her laughter. “There are plenty of other fish in the sea.”

Mary didn't say anything, only glowering. Their table was silent after that, spare for a few uncomfortable attempts at starting up an easy going discussion that fell quite short of its mark. By the time the uncomfortable lunch was finally over, Anna's stomach still grumbled with hunger from having only eaten the fruit and barely half of the main dish.

The kindergarteners, stomachs full and sated, walked behind her with no complaints. She let them into the classroom first before she got a drink from the water fountain just down the hall. Little footsteps came rushing down the tiled hallway in quick, little hits against the surface right before a small, slightly sweaty hand grabbed hers.

“Mrs. Cantrell!” Leesha shouted in a high voice. “Mr. Cantrell's here.”

Anna wiped a hand on her mouth to collect the water there. It took her a second to realize that the little girl was referring to Titus. Taking Leesha's hand in hers, she walked back to the classroom, her deflated mood from lunch already rising.