School budget problems

School budget problems

fiction
edward w pritchard

Knowles was the Senior loan officer at the community bank over in Barberton and was going to a budget meeting at the elementary school in a local township. That school system was having budget problems and it was proposed to layoff several teachers if an emergency levy wasn't passed. Knowles who was very good with numbers and finance was going to a meeting as a temporary board member to help the school system with cut back management something he had a lot of experience with having gone through several banking crisis' over the last 20 years.

Knowles was early for the meeting, as usual for he was organized and efficient in his personal habits. He was going through the halls of the grade school about 8:40AM for the 9AM meeting. He had been here twice before and remembered the way.

In the empty hall was one little girl of about 5, or 6, or 7, Knowles wasn't sure for he had no grandchildren and his only son lived out of State now. The girl was kneeling and struggling with her back pack. She saw Knowles coming down the hall and asked him to help her.

The first thing Knowles relearned was how intelligent children are and that they have their own concerns and interests in the world. The girl was confident and innocent at once as they emptied the overloaded book bag and tried to fix the zipper. There were two zippers and one was stuck and it was making the bag out of square and was sitting awkwardly on the little girls back and was difficult to carry. The girl had been trying to fix it for a minute when Knowles stopped.

As they worked the girl asked him if he had any children here. He explained he lived about twenty miles north of here and his son worked far away in another State. The girl asked him when he had seen his son last. Thinking he realized he hadn't seen his son in four months or talked to him in two. As that realization flashed across his face she looked at him briefly and continuing to remove papers and books from the bag said "you should call him".

Next she asked him continuing to work, like Knowle's wife would or Mother would have in a similar situation, " Why are you here today". He explained to her very briefly and in broad strokes about his budget meeting. The girl asked him if they would still have gym and art class if the budget failed. He said something positive and as they finished the project with her book bag she handed him a picture she had drawn.
She told him to keep it for helping her fix her book bag and being nice.

Knowles keeps a minimalist motif in his office at the Bank in Barberton. He did find a place for the picture that little girl gave him. It's a boat on a shore under a blue sky. The picture is impressionist like Cezanne or Van Gogh or Monet would draw if they used only thick crayons and it's unframed and almost every day now Knowles looks at that picture and it always relaxes him as he goes about his job at the Bank.