I arrived at the school showcase with a grocery-store bouquet and my work badge still clipped to my belt.
Claire was in the auditorium, arranging student paintings along a row of display panels. Her hair was pinned up with a pencil, and a small spot of blue paint marked the side of her hand.
"You came," she said.
"I promised."
She looked at the flowers. "They're beautiful."
"They were between the apples and the bread."
"Still beautiful."
I set them on the table. A student in a red sweater walked over with a paper bird and handed it to Claire. She thanked him, then showed him where to place it. I liked watching her move through the room. Students called her name from every direction. She answered each one.
The showcase filled up after six. Parents drifted between the displays, stopp
