“ Forget it! I'm going home! ”
“Say no more, paloma. We have remained here far longer than necessary.” It was no secret that Gomez despised stepping into this school of hers with its bright hallways, smiling faculty, and disgustingly joyous homemade motivational signs that set his teeth on edge. To make matters worse, all of it was punctuated by the grating sound of laughing children, and wasn't that just one of the most disturbing things one's ears could be subjected to? Now, don't get him wrong, Gomez tried when it came to school matters. He showed up when called upon, tolerated the secretary’s polite but unnerved smile and the way the headmaster’s voice raised an octave, akin to a squeaking mouse stuck in a trap. Although, he must admit, the latter was prone to easy scares, which had provided himself and Thing much entertainment over the years. Truly, it was a wonder they hadn’t resigned yet, and that, in itself, earned some form of respect from him.
Lifting her backpack over one shoulder, he was the first one at the entrance, his eagerness to escape the nightmare that was this damned school winning out over his duty as a father to see that his child remained within the building until the bell rang at the end of classes. He would mentally file this situation under Important Circumstances and give Wednesday (and himself) a pass.
Once outside and away from that stuffy, cloying atmosphere, Gomez slowed his pace to allow his beloved daughter to match it. His expression turned roguish, unable to hide his glee at what he’d been told by her shaken teacher.
“Tell me, in your own words, about how you fought that boy. Do not leave out even a single detail.” In his opinion (and he’d never once wavered on this), if his children ended up in a tussle with one of their classmates, then it was for a good reason.
