I STEELED MYSELF for the teaching I had no interest in right then. The students noticed, and more than once during the day asked if I was okay. I lost my train of thought with each c***k of thunder. Something was roaming just beyond my reach. It bugged me. I popped an essay test on the kids during seventh period. It gave me some quiet time, a trick I"d learned early in my career. Another black Suburban went by. Scanning its details, I wondered if it was the same one. I walked around the perimeter of the class with my hands in my pockets, and it clicked. By the end of eighth period, I couldn"t wait for the kids to leave.
I took out the books, checked the paperclips, and placed one on the left, one on the right, and the White House tour brochure at the center. I walked into the hallway. Lig
