“Wake up Sophia!” shouted Mr. Cook. Sophia’s first day of school approached incredibly fast. She wasn’t pleased with the idea, however. Sophia heard millions of horror stories from her next-door neighbors; Jimmy, a 5th grader at Delmonte Elementary School, said that kindergartners were taken to the basement and left there. She was not enthused. She swore the only way to get out of this mess was to stay in bed all morning. But her dad didn’t allow that. He grabbed her from her bed and escorted her to the bathroom. He knelt to one knee and looked directly into her brilliant maple-syrup eyes. Mr. Cook tried to comfort anxious Sophia, “It’s alright my dear, and there is nothing to worry about! In fact, I think you will-.” Before Mr. Cook could finish his sentence, Sophia stomped into the bathroom and slammed the door. Breakfast was as silent as a mime in a library that morning. Even Sophia’s favorite cereal, Captain Crunch, couldn’t cheer her up. After breakfast, Mr. Cook snatched Sophia’s backpack up in one hand and nudged Sophia out the door with the other. The yellow Delmonte school bus waited impatiently at the corner for her. Suddenly she took off speeding down the sidewalk in the opposite direction. Mr. Cook haphazardly slipped on his untied brown loafers, and darted out the door after her. He eventually caught up and snatched her up like a mother lion grabbing her cub.
During
Mr. Cook puts Sophia down and walks her to the side of the bus. His shoe slips off in the street but it doesn’t worry Mr. Cook; he is too concerned about his only daughter’s first day. Sophia looks up at the big glass doors on the bus as tears pour from her glistening brown eyes on to her damp rosy cheeks. She can’t believe her dad wants her to go to school; someone might lock her in the basement! Mr. Cook nudges Sophia onto the bus and she loses it. She sits down while screaming and crying like she’s being probed by thousands of needles. Mr. Cook runs to the side of the bus and looks up at Sophia. “Stop your whining this instant, young lady!” shouts Mr. Cook while pointing his demanding finger. With all of the noise from the bus and crying, however, Mr. Cook is practically inaudible, especially to Sophia.
After
Sophia will slouch in the chair, pout to herself, and slide her new chocolate Croc clogs on and off in rage. But in midst of her anger, another kindergartner, Chester, will lean in to ask if she’s all right. She will go on and on about the horrific stories she heard, and Chester will assure her that her first day will be fine. In fact, he knew it would be great (the kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Dearing, is his neighbor and she always bakes his family her famous marmalade cookies.) Sophia will eventually calm down, until she will witness her dad step in front of the bus to grab his lonely leather loafer, right as the bus continues its daily route. She wished she never caused so much trouble. Now Mr. Cook will be in the hospital for weeks, unable to move an inch.