Cara Lockwood - The Big Break

“Just bruised, but I’m afraid you’ll have to come get Po. And we’ll need to talk.”

Jun didn’t like the sound of that. She’d already been warned twice before: third bite and he’s out. She swung herself into the front seat and flew to the day care, nearly running a red light, she felt so flustered.

Minutes later, she was sitting in Mrs. Anne’s tidy office, with the single computer on her desk and the row of children’s artwork pinned to a clothesline running the length of the window behind her. Po was still in his day-care room, playing with big foam blocks, building some kind of castle. She’d sneaked a look through the slit of a window in the door on her way by.

“Ms. Lee, we’ve been very understanding about all the trauma Po has suffered in the last year, and we understand it’s a process. Many of our children have been affected by that horrible day, but I’m afraid we haven’t seen much progress with Po. And, as I don’t need to remind you, this is the third incident in the month, and we have certain policies at Pacific Day Care.”

Jun’s throat went dry. “I’ve been working with him, Mrs. Anne. We’ve been reading the book you lent us, Teeth Are Not for Biting.”

“I’m sorry. I’m afraid, beginning tomorrow, you’re going to have to find new care for Po.”

It was one of the worst things a working single mom could hear. “But the other day-care centers are all full. Before we settled here, we were even on a wait list!” It was true. The tsunami had wiped out so many businesses on the west side of the island, and while some were still rebuilding, like their old day care, others had decided not to rebuild at all.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Lee. We’ve done what we can, but we have to think of the other children.” A soft knock came at the door.

“Come in,” the director called, and the door creaked open as Po’s teacher led him in. Just four, yet he seemed to know he was in trouble and he came sheepishly to his mother’s side, dark-haired head hung in shame.

Jun’s heart thumped as she looked at him. For that second, she thought the expression on his face was exactly hers. Of course, strangers in the supermarket felt differently. Po’s cocoa-colored skin was several shades darker than her own, a trait from his father, but he had her eyes and heart-shaped face. She saw the similarities clear as day, but others didn’t. She supposed it was a mother’s eye.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Lee,” Mrs. Anne said in a tone that didn’t sound very much as if she were sorry.

Jun stood, realizing it was pointless to stay. “Thank you, Mrs. Anne.” She took her son firmly by the hand and led him out. Once outside the school, she turned and kneeled by Po on the sidewalk.

“How many times have we talked about biting? Teeth are not for biting.” Jun grabbed her boy’s arms and squeezed. Anger bubbled up in her, as it did anytime he acted out.

Po shrugged, eyes down, kicking his small Spider-Man tennis shoe into the ground. He was wearing his favorite Spider-Man T-shirt, faded from too many washings and already beginning to be too short at the waist. But Po wouldn’t hear of parting with it. He’d wear it every day if she’d let him.

“Why did you bite the teacher?”

“She’s mean,” Po said, crossing his arms.

“Po, I’m sure she’s not mean.”

“She was going to throw me in the pool. I told her, I don’t want to!” Po shrugged again.

Jun sighed and dropped her head in defeat. The day care had a small pool in the back where they taught kids how to swim. Po hadn’t wanted to go near any water since the tsunami, not that Jun blamed him. It wasn’t surprising he’d lashed out at a teacher trying to push him in.

“Why didn’t the teacher let you sit on the edge? Just put your feet in?” Anger boiled in Jun’s chest. What were those teachers doing to her son?

“She said I’d done that enough.” Po shrugged. “She said I needed to join the class. So she picked me up and took me to the diving board and was gonna throw me. So I...” Po hung his head, not finishing. Jun could fill in the rest.

“They should not have done that. They were wrong.” Of course, Mrs. Anne hadn’t mentioned that in the exit interview.

She wanted to march back into the day care and ask them what they were doing trying to force a boy petrified of the water into the deep end of a pool. Po wouldn’t even take a bath. And they were trying to get him to swim in nine feet of water?

At the same time, she knew it wouldn’t make any difference, and besides, Po shouldn’t have bitten anyone.

Not that she couldn’t understand why he had.

She felt frustration well up in her as she stared into the face of her beautiful baby boy. She wished she could fix him. Before the tsunami, he’d been the first kid in the water and the last out. Now she wondered if he’d ever swim again.

“Am I in trouble now? Big trouble?” Po asked, his dark eyes sad.

“We don’t bite, Po,” she said sternly. “Ever.”

Po nodded, his eyes growing wide, his bottom lip quivering just a little bit. She hated to see him like that, especially when she knew it wasn’t all his fault. But she couldn’t not punish him, either. So while she wanted to hug him and tell him it would all be okay, the ghost of her tiger mom in her head told her, Two wrongs don’t make a right.

“No TV today,” she added.

“Mom!” he protested.

“I mean it.” Even if her son wasn’t completely in the wrong, she still had to lay down the law. Yet as she watched his little shoulders slump over in resignation, she wondered if she was doing the right thing. Should she have caved and told him it was fine to bite some crazy woman who tried to throw you in the deep end of the pool? She couldn’t help but second-guess herself, something she’d been doing quite a lot in the past year.

Po may have gotten kicked out of day care, but why did she feel like the one who was failing?

Jun glanced at her watch.

“My Tai Chi class!” she exclaimed, realizing that she had just a few minutes to get there and no time to find a sitter. “You’re coming to Mommy’s class.”

After a hectic drive, Jun managed to pull into a spot not too far from the beach. She grabbed her bag and took Po’s hand, guiding him down the sand-strewn path next to the parking lot, which led to the swaying palm trees and sparkling blue ocean. Already, most of her class had gathered and she hated that she was late. It was unprofessional and unlike her.

“Come on, Po. We’ve got to hurry.” She wondered why Po was always so fast when he was running from her, usually bolting straight toward a busy street, but when she wanted to get somewhere, it was as if his feet had grown lead soles.

This day just felt as if it had taken on a life of its own and was quickly spiraling out of her grasp.

“Hey, do you need a hand?” The deep rumble of a voice behind her made her whirl. Following her across the asphalt parking lot was Kai Brady. He grinned, showing his beautiful white smile in his smooth tanned face. This time he was wearing a shirt, but it didn’t change the power of his magnetic pull.

Her heart lurched, and she was acutely aware of her windblown hair and the fact she was late, harried and completely disheveled.

What on earth was he doing here?

CHAPTER FOUR

KAI OFFERED TO take Jun’s bag, but it was clear by her expression that she wasn’t going to let it go. She stood there looking uncertain, clutching her boy’s hand, and he wondered for a minute if she was actually not glad to see him. He wasn’t used to cool welcomes. Po, however, didn’t disappoint.

“Kai!” the little boy cried, his voice pure joy as he whipped his tiny hand free of his mother’s grasp and ran to him. Surprised that the boy even remembered him after all these months, he grinned. The boy charged straight to Kai, arms wide. Po’s enthusiasm was infectious as Kai instinctively picked him up and swung him in the air, causing him to squeal in delight.