Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 67133 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 336(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67133 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 336(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
“Discipline? Why would you discipline her?” I asked, getting more annoyed.
“Well, my concern is that this may be more of a defiance issue—” she started.
“Hold on a second,” I said, cutting her off. “Didn’t the teacher tell you that she doesn’t talk at all? It has nothing to do with defiance. She doesn’t talk to me but a few words here and there.”
“Oh, I see. So this isn’t simply a school issue.”
“No, ma’am. Not it at all. She has a trust issue. Rightfully so. If you’d been through what she has in the past few years, you’d be leery of the world too,” I said sternly.
I’d be damned if anyone was going to overlook Star’s traumatic past, and use her defense mechanisms against her.
Star’s father, my brother Luke, passed away in battle when she was two. Her mother spent her time drowning her sorrows in alcohol, to the point she became neglectful and frankly a poor excuse for a mother. I didn’t care how depressed she was after my brother’s death. It was no reason for her to abandon Star.
Star was thrown into the foster care system when she was three. Most of the homes had only been temporary, so she’d been moved around seven times in the past two years until I’d taken her in only months ago. I’d only had custody of Star for the last three months. It would have been sooner had I been made aware of the matter, but I’d shut off communication from friends and family for some time following my move to Wyoming. I still felt damn guilty about not getting involved sooner, but I was there for her now.
“You’re absolutely right. I’m sorry for coming across as inconsiderate. It’s just that Star’s situation is concerning and we all want the best for her. What are your thoughts about exposing her to some outside support? She seems to be struggling with reading. Since she won’t talk, it’s been a challenge to come to this conclusion. We feel if she were to have a tutor, someone who could help her build a bit of confidence using her voice in private, then maybe she’d open up a bit here in the classroom and participate.”
“I’ll make it work. I haven’t really read her any books, but I’ll start.”
I had just recently gotten the bedtime routine down, and it didn’t include storybooks. I told her tales about me and her dad when we were kids. She seemed to like those stories a lot, so maybe she’d enjoy a fairy tale or fable book as well.
“That would certainly help, but I’d still look for someone to tutor her. We don’t want her to fall behind.”
The idea of her struggling through school had me worried. What she learned in school would take her through life, and I couldn’t let her be shortchanged. More importantly, Star needed to feel confident that she was just as smart and capable as the other students, if not more, and not fall in a trap leading to low self-esteem onto her adult life.
I sure as hell wasn’t going to let that happen.
“Is there anyone you can recommend?” I asked.
She reached into her desk and handed me a paper with a list of names. “These are a list of older students and teachers who don’t mind helping with tutoring. They’re here on Saturdays and three nights a week. You can call and set something up if you like, just let us know when you do. We want to mark her progress. And don’t worry, Mrs. Marsh will be doing everything she can on her end to see that she keeps her levels up. She is a bit younger than the other kids, too, so that makes a difference.”
“Well, her birthday is tomorrow. She’ll be six.”
“Yes, I saw that in her file. Have the two of you made any plans?”
“I’m taking her out for pizza and ice cream."
“That sounds like a wonderful idea. Star’s lucky to have an uncle like you in her life. Without your help she would be in a far dire situation.”
I nodded and cleared my throat.
Unfortunately, luck was something Star lacked most thus far – but I was going to change that. Before Star came into my life, I was living life for myself isolated from everyone, a selfish bastard telling the world to fuck off in every way imaginable.
Now, I had a bigger purpose and I wasn’t going to let my dim past screw things up Star.
***
The next day was eventful. Star enjoyed her pizza and ice cream, but her eyes lit up when she opened the doll I had waiting for her in the house. Since she didn’t have a lot of friends or toys, I decided her birthday was the perfect time to spoil her. She’d only brought a few things with her from Chicago, and aside from furniture and some matching curtains, her room was pretty bare these last three months. When we returned home, she found the kitchen set I’d left her in the living room, and she ran over and started cooking dinner for her doll.