The two of use with help of way more than four sticks and the large amounts of tape Jessica gave us before we walked outside set up the sign on the edge of what we thought was the road. At that point everything was simply a blanket of snow deep enough that we were literally wading through it to get any distance from the school’s front entrance. “I saw you had the phone book out and were looking as it’s map.” Tim said as he stuck a stick deep into the snow in an attempt to make sure it was going to stay up. “Now I know I asked you this once before, but I’ve got ask it agin’ are you plannin’ on goin’ out an’ gettin’ help?” I held the sign up while he stuck another stick into the ground. “If ya are stop that kind of thought now. None of us are leavin’ alone. If one goes we all go.”
I shook my head as I disagreed with the statement. “Mrs. Snowburn is too weak to make it through this amount of snow. Even if we carried her it would be at least twice as difficult. Harold would be a problem; he’s in such shock about loosing Diana he can barely function. Four people taking the time to carry two. That would leave two to watch the three kids, who will be at least chest deep in this stuff I might add.” Tim opened his mouth to arguer but decided against it. “Now, Claire mentioned a point that I really like. Coach Z has the best chance of getting somewhere and getting there quickly. Both of us are having difficulties even walking this far and I know I’m going to stay by the heater for a bit afterwards to warm up a bit.” Tim, at the very least, didn’t argue after that point. “It’s just that we can’t stay in the school. We were lucky to have your heater, but it’s dying finally. We need to move on and get real help now that the worst of the storm is over. I’ll talk to him and plan out a route so that, if we get rescued before he returns, we can send someone after him or we can pick him up on the way.” Tim eventually nodded his okay, though he clearly didn’t like the idea. After we finished setting up sign, after it fell a few times due to the extra weight Jessica had put on it, we headed back inside.
Everyone was in the room quietly doing what they could to pass the time, silently hoping and praying in their own ways. Mrs. Snowburn had stirred but was sleeping again. “She asked where you were. I told her you were helping set up a sign Tim and Jessica made to draw people’s attention to this place.” She patted my shoulder. “She’d gotten weaker.” Glancing towards Coach Z she motioned in his direction with her chin. “If you’re going to do something now’s the time.”
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to talk to Coach Z about my plan. It wasn’t even really that I was intimidated by him, though I admit it felt like if he’d wanted to he could snap my spine like one of those sticks holding the sign up outside. “Coach Z, can I talk to you for a second.” No, it wasn’t any of that really. It was that I was about to ask him to do something that I didn’t feel comfortable doing myself, which made me feel like I was coping out.
Coach Z finished what he was doing and followed me out into the hallway. “What do you need?” It felt as though the carpet vibrated as he spoke. I hesitated. “If you need me please let me know. Claire has mentioned that there is an important job you want me to do?”
I slowly nodded my head and took of my gloves and handed them back to the big man. They were his and he was going to need them. “I’m going to guess that you already know about the fact that the heater is dying.” Z nodded. “The heater dies it’s just a matter of time before Mrs. Snowburn gets worse and the then the rest of will probably follow suit. We need someone to go get help.” Coach Z stood up straight and crossed his arms, clearly knowing where I was going with my thought. “I only ask because you’re probably the best built for this type of thing. We’ll all help you get ready for the hike and I’ve got a path all planned out for you to follow-“
“Who convinced you not to go?” The coach smiled knowingly as I stopped mid sentence, caught off guard by what he’d said. “Sure, I’d love to go get help.” He patted me on the back, which practically knocked me over, and headed inside to gather the things he’d need for the trip.
A few minutes later Tim, the coach, and I were sitting in a circle on the floor around the yellow pages. “Okay, so here’s what I had planned. The closest hospital that I’ve found is this one,
***
While everyone else was busy making sure Coach Z wasn’t going out simply to get himself killed I kept an eye on Mrs. Snowburn and was at her side if there was any indication of wakefulness. Eventually she did wake up and I was there waiting. “Ah! I see you’ve come back from setting up the signs.” She smiled. There was glaze to her eyes that made me shiver a little. She sat up just slightly and I propped her pillow so she could better stay up “Why is everyone in such a huff all of a sudden? Has something happened? Has the heat gone out?” She placed her hand on my arm and looked worried.
I shook my head to calm her. “The heater is working, for now at least. We’ve, however, decided not to rely solely on the heater’s capabilities.” I cleared my throat and shifted on the bed, nervous about whether or not I should tell her the next part. “We’ve come to the decision that one of our little group has to go find help instead of simply waiting for help to find us.” Mrs. Snowburn opened her mouth to argue but I was too quick. “Coach Z has agreed to this idea and will be heading out shortly. We’ve thought this through as best we can and I believe everyone is okay with the situation. He will be taking extra clothes just in case and is following a specific path.” The only thing we couldn’t manage was the infamous ‘buddy system’ we simply didn’t have the manpower capable of traveling through that kind of weather. The only one we could possibly send out with him was Ms. George and I wasn’t about to leave her alone with anyone for an instant. Besides, with Coach Z gone, maybe she might help a bit more. “I’m positive he’ll be fine. Please, don’t trouble yourself over what Coach Z. Remember what got you sick in the first place?” She eventually nodded her head and lay back down.
As she settled again I changed her water which had been halfway frozen by that point and replaced it with a fresh cup of thawed ice. “Thank you,” she said as I handed it to her. She took a long sip and placed it on the table next to her.
We sat there for some time not really saying anything. I stared at the far wall and she at the ceiling. No one bothered us. Everyone else was too interested in making sure Coach Z was all ready to leave. Jessica and Johnny were excited that something was changing and wanted to know what was going on, the best they got was that Coach Z was going to be gone for a bit. Dan was too concentrated on his father to really care. Even Sean paid little attention to the two of us sitting down nothing. “I don’t think I can keep my promise,” Mrs. Snowburn whispered to herself eventually.
“I’m sorry? W-what promise?”
I had my suspicions as to which promise she was referring to, but I wanted to make sure they were the same. “My promise to Jessica, that I wouldn’t…well you know.” She turned onto her side and stared at the same wall I’d been looking at for the last few minutes.
I could only guess that she was cry, it’s probably what I would do under those circumstances. I began rubbing her back. “Hey, I wasn’t finished with my explanation. I still need to tell you why I chose to teach high schoolers.
“It’s difficult to imagine using my minor in economics with children really. That’s about all it boils down to. When my college professors questioned me about who I’d like to teach I knew I didn’t want to teach college. I guess ‘knew’ is a strong term. I mean, I was in college. I wasn’t ready to teach college. I guess with a Master’s degree or something I could be okay with teaching college today, but I don’t have the money to do that right now.
“So it was between grade school, junior high, and high school. I knew I didn’t want to teach Junior High, as much as I appreciate the teachers that I had I don’t want to deal with that level of insanity. At least in high school they’ve decided more or less if they want to be dysfunctional, in junior high they’re still learning what dysfunctional meant.” Mrs. Swowburn looked at me with a bit of shock in her face that I would say that. “Gross exaggeration I know. And I’m not supposed to say that sort of stuff, but its how I felt at the time. I can’t really say I’ve changed my mind about it since then.
“So that left grade school and high school and, well, I wanted to use my minor and that’s where it felt most appropriate. I guess that really is all it boils down to, my minor was economics and I wanted to use it in the classroom.”
Mrs. Snowburn chuckled to herself before stopping in order to avoid another hacking fit. “Is that all you thought about? Wanting to use a minor you don’t really care about?” I nodded a little sheepishly. She threw back her head and belted out on large laugh. “Is that it? Gosh! I thought you’d actually thought about it.” She placed lay there for a second. “I got my job out of necessity, because it was the only thing that was available at the time. You have a choice Justin! Don’t let yourself be limited by a minor you didn’t really want in the first place. Please understand that this isn’t me saying don’t teach high school student. This is me saying teach what you want to teach. Go into a Master’s program when you can with something in mind, but until them explore and learn what you have available to you!” She patted me knee once more then nodded to the door. “It looks like they’re ready.”
I didn’t know it at the time but that would be the last significant conversation I would have with Mrs. Snowburn. The rest of the time in the school would be taken up filling the gap that would be left by Coach Z and preparing to leave and the time in the hospital would be given to Mrs. Snowburn’s children. “Thank you for the advice, I’ll keep it in mind.” I wish I’d said something better.
***
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