Today, only day 7 of the school year, I called and set up the very first parent/teacher conference of the year. As the student shed a tear or two, I explained to him the importance of doing your homework and how life has times when you have to do things you don't want to. In the middle of my "speech" I start thinking how ridiculous I must sound as I remember back to the days of getting the same speech. Funny how this works in life. The boy did not crack a smile for the remainder of the day, as he is terrified of his father, especially when it has to do with him not finishing his homework. However, three o'clock rolled around and the father came, but it was not the end of the boys life, like he thought it may be.
We had a very pleasant meeting together as I explained to the father the homework I assign every night and how the boy is never turning anything in. Lies are all either of us get from the young man. He tells his father one story, and then me another. He has been caught doing this multiple times, but it never seems to phase him. We came up with a great agreement that everyone agreed on and signed together to help him get on the right track. I really pray that it is going to help young Jude.
I stayed after school an extra two hours, as my three boys finally took me more serious after the phone call and meeting. They wanted to get the homework done so their parents wouldn't also be called. In the two hours, I had more fun with these boys as they all laughed and learned together simultaneously. It really was a good time for all of us, as they realized I am in this to help them, not try and find any way possible to get them into trouble.
As the day wound down, the rain came pouring in. The daily showers really put a damper on different things including attitudes, humidity, and today, the traffic. It was horrible as I tried to go home. People here are horrible at driving with wet pavement. You would think they have never seen water before, however, they see it every day. Following someone here on water is like following someone in Harper on an inch of snow. Every other turn there is a wreck! It is unavoidable for some reason, however, my big creeper van always (knock on wood) makes it down the road safely.
Nothing exciting really happened around the house tonight, as everyone sat around talking about their days. That was, until the room was flooded with red and blue lights, signaling an emergency vehicle close. No one thought a thing of it, as this is MIami. There are always lights going by for some reason. Then, Megan ran in. "There are 12 cop cars out there with the lights going! What is going on?" We go out and look, as they appear to be in from of our dear old friend Maggie's house. We never know what to expect, so of course everyone says, "Drugs!" and goes back inside. About an hour later, JJ and I sat at the kitchen table playing risk when I catch the glimpse of a person walking by our window and disappear behind a small painting sitting on the ledge. Of course I start wondering who is out there, and what room mate is trying to scare us. Why did the figure not come out the other side of the painting? "JJ, someone is out there man!" "No there isn't," he says as he continues with the game. "No man, I'm pretty sure I saw someone walk behind that picture." With 12 cop cars leaving the neighborhood only moments before or course I am wondering who is trying to bust us or something. Why wouldn't they go after 5 young, unfamiliar-to-the-city people? We just up and look out the window to see someone laying face first in the wet grass. Of course, who other than Maggie, would be walking to our house at 10 o'clock p.m.? I run outside, help her up and get her back to a normal state of consciousness, as the fall really flustered her. As she is getting up, she asks if we have ice cream that she can have. This is the common "ice breaker" she now uses when she knocks at the door. She is really getting too comfortable at our house I am starting to think.
When she settles in, I ask her what the cops were. "My husband didn't pay his share of the rent. The landlord just called the cops. Didn't even give him a chance. That just isn't right. Oh my God," she mutters as I try to crack her Cuban accent. How could someone really need 12 cops at their house for missing the rent once? I have no guesses to give on this one! Something seems a little "fishy" to me, but who am I to judge? Maggie continues to ask for our phone all the time, which, we currently don't have as Megan's rabbit chewed through the phone chords this weekend. Maggie thinks we are lying to her though, and she demands that we let her use a cell phone, so kindly, I pull mine out and give it to her. Without hesitation, she asks if she can take it home and return it in the morning. Well, I am sorry mom, but you teaching me to always tell someone "yes" when they ask a question was not taught well enough I suppose, because I most definitely let out a "NO!" I think she understood as she said she was leaving, but asked for one more thing. "Would you be kind enough to help me down the stairs? I don't want to fall again." I will always be there to help Maggie down the stairs and pick her up out of the yard if I need to. Mom always said, "You never know when that stranger is going to be Jesus." Well, I don't think she is Jesus testing us, because he doesn't get a wrong number on MY cellphone, then continue to yell at the lady who was woken up, telling her that her phone has the wrong number!
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