Coloring Sheet Is the Key

“Tee is tard to under-tand,” she tells me. She is a bit difficult to understand herself. I suspect she might need speech services. “T’s married to my gandma; t’s my gandpa-in-law.” It is really difficult for me to keep my face straight now. But I do. I have had decades of experience doing it. Her front teeth are missing, perfectly okay for age six. I smile at her. She gives me that big double gap grin. I wonder what other family business she will be telling me. Okay, here it comes. A story about Uncle Willy the fee-loader. This is getting good. I hand her a new coloring sheet. This is the key to unlocking the rest of the story. “Tee takes and takes and takes,” she says. I smile. She has stopped crying now. That was the goal of sending her to me. I am the elementary school counselor.