“Melissa?”
“Yes,” she said, unable to place the voice.
“Hi, this is Abel Persopolis, Angeline’s father.”
“Oh, hello, Abel,” she answered warmly. “I was just having lunch with Angeline.”
Abel nodded.
“You haven’t changed your mind about switching her to my class, have you?” she asked him.
“No,” said Abel. He was calling from a pay phone at a gas station. Gus had parked the truck across the street and told him he wouldn’t move until Abel called up Mr. Bone. “So, you got home all right last night?” Abel asked. He was sweating.
“Yes. Why? Is it a dangerous trip?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” said Abel. “You never know.”
“I had no problems,” she assured him.
“Well, I just thought I’d call and make sure,” he said.
“Thank you, Abel. That is very sweet.”
“Okay, fine,” he said, thinking that he could now say good-bye to her and then tell Gus that she didn’t want to go out with him because of the psychological problems it would cause for Angeline.
“Is that all?” Melissa asked him.
He paused. “Yes. No.” He took a breath. “Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?”
“Tonight?”
“Yes. See, I wanted to go out with you before Angeline switched to your class. I hear it might be against the law to have dinner with your kid’s teacher.”
Melissa laughed. “I’d love to have dinner with you tonight,” she said. “We’ll have to keep our eyes out for the cops, just the same,” she added, playing along with his joke.
Since she knew the way to his apartment, she said that she’d drive. “It’s too hard to give directions to my condominium.”
Abel walked back to the truck.
“Well?” Gus asked eagerly.
“What?” Abel asked innocently.
“C’mon,” Gus demanded. “Wha’d she say?”
“Who?” asked Abel.
“Just tell me what happened and stop being so funny!”
“I’m not being funny,” said Abel.
“I know,” said Gus. “You’re not the least bit funny. So will you tell me what she said?”
Abel shrugged. “We’re going out tonight,” he said very casually.
The bell rang, signifying that lunch was over. Miss Turbone looked around the vice-principal’s office. “I hope it’s not against the law,” she said aloud, then quickly walked back to class.
Out on a sidewalk a mailman turned and watched a garbage truck drive down the street and he wondered why it kept on honking its horn.