Waiting at the Door for Carol
I never start without her. She is always early. Today it is time, she isn’t here.
I can’t start late, but I can’t lecture to everyone except my deaf students – the slides I use are all pictures, they’d be lost without the story.
I ask the class permission for five more minutes and they sit still while I go out the lecture hall’s back door and stand at the glass door entrance to the building.
This was the third semester I”d had her in my classroom, she was never late.
How long should I wait?
When she appeared I hugged her while racing her into the room.
Don’t ever be late.
You gave me a Marvin scare.
Nothing will happen to me, she said as she took of her jacket and settled into that day’s war.
I absolutely believed her.
