“Yes…”
“He’s changed his mind. He’s a no-show.”
Dana groaned. It was not even ten o’clock in the morning. The only thing Dana had to look forward to on this day was her meeting with Roger Hudson.
When Dana returned from the news meeting, Olivia said, “It’s eleven o’clock, Miss Evans. With this weather, you probably ought to be leaving now for your appointment with Mr. Hudson.”
“Thanks, Olivia. I should be back in two or three hours.” Dana looked out the window. It was beginning to snow again. She put on her coat and scarf and started for the door. The phone rang.
“Miss Evans…”
Dana turned.
“There’s a call for you on line three.”
“Not now,” Dana said. “I have to go.”
“It’s someone from Kemal’s school.”
“What?” Dana hurried back to her desk. “Hello?”
“Miss Evans?”
“Yes.”
“This is Thomas Henry.”
“Yes, Mr. Henry. Is Kemal all right?”
“I really don’t know how to answer that. I’m very sorry to tell you this, but Kemal is being expelled.”
Dana stood there in shock. “Expelled. Why? What has he done?”
“Perhaps we should discuss it in person. I would appreciate it if you would come and pick him up.”
“Mr. Henry—”
“I’ll explain when you get here, Miss Evans. Thank you.”
Dana replaced the receiver, stunned. What could have happened?
Olivia asked, “Is everything all right?”
“Great.” Dana groaned. “This makes the morning just about perfect.”
“Can I do anything?”
“Say an extra prayer for me.”
Earlier in the morning, when Dana had dropped Kemal off at school, waved good-bye, and driven away, Ricky Underwood was watching.
As Kemal started to walk past him, Ricky said, “Hey, it’s the war hero. Your mom must be real frustrated. You only have one arm, so now when you play stinky finger with her—”
Kemal’s movements were almost too swift to be seen. His foot slammed hard into Ricky’s groin, and as Ricky screamed and started to double over, Kemal’s left knee shot up and broke his nose. Blood spurted into the air.
Kemal leaned over the moaning figure on the ground. “Next time I’ll kill you.”
Dana drove as fast as she could to Theodore Roosevelt Middle School, wondering what could have happened. Whatever it is, I have to talk Henry into keeping Kemal in school.
Thomas Henry was waiting for Dana in his office. Kemal was seated in a chair opposite him. As Dana walked in, she had a sense of déjà vu.
“Miss Evans.”
Dana said, “What happened?”
“Your son broke a boy’s nose and cheekbone. An ambulance had to take him to the emergency room.”
Dana looked at him in disbelief. “How—how could that have happened? Kemal has only one arm.”
“Yes,” Thomas Henry said tightly. “But he has two legs. He broke the boy’s nose with his knee.”
Kemal was studying the ceiling.
Dana turned to him. “Kemal, how could you do that?”
He looked down. “It was easy.”
“You see what I mean, Miss Evans,” Thomas Henry said. “His whole attitude is—I—I don’t know how to describe it. I’m afraid we can no longer put up with Kemal’s behavior. I suggest you find a more suitable school for him.”
Dana said earnestly, “Mr. Henry, Kemal doesn’t pick fights. I’m sure that if he got into a fight, he had a good reason for it. You can’t—”
Mr. Henry said firmly, “We’ve made our decision, Miss Evans.” There was finality in his tone.
Dana took a deep breath. “All right. We’ll look for a school that’s more understanding. Come on, Kemal.”
Kemal got up, glared at Mr. Henry, and followed Dana out of the office. They walked toward the curb in silence. Dana looked at her watch. She was now late for her appointment, and she had no place to put Kemal. I’ll have to take him with me.
When they got into the car, Dana said, “All right, Kemal. What happened?”
There was no way he would ever tell her what Ricky Underwood had said. “I’m very sorry, Dana. It was my fault.”
Rad, Dana thought.
The Hudson estate was nestled on five acres of ground in an exclusive area of Georgetown. The house, invisible from the street, was a three-story Georgian-style mansion on a hill. It had a white exterior and a long, sweeping driveway leading up to the front entrance.