A Bookcase

I was asked by a friend's daughter to come to her school for Grandparent/Special friend day.  M (what I will call the daughter), is in second grade and her grandparents live several states away.  It would be the third time I would go to M's school for the Special friend day.

I was now old hat at the whole affair.  Go to the cafeteria, do a work page with M, have some milk and cookies, and go to the book fair.  At which I buy her a book.  This time was only slightly different in that M's mom was with me in case some other child needed a special friend.  So she got more than one book.

M took us back to her classroom after the book fair and proceeded showing me around the 200 square foot room (guessing the size here).  Her desk, the chore assignments, the lockers, the chalkboard, and the bookcase.

The bookcase that M and her class would hide behind as her "safe place".

I was nearly physically ill.

A bookcase.

In case of an intruder.  A violent intruder that we see on the news too many times.  M, her classmates, and her teacher were going to hide behind the bookcase in front of the lockers.

I kept it together though, because the last thing you want to do is come apart in a second grade classroom on Special friend day.

And there is nothing I can do about it.

So I buy her a book, for her bookcase.