EASY COME, EASY GO

The once-a-week special education teacher serviced, and I use the term “serviced” in the strictest sense, two prisoners in my classroom, freeing up my time helping others. While monitoring the progress of her students she asked me, “Where is the rest of your class?”

Questioning my enrollment numbers (not including the two assigned to her) seemed more like a slight of hand comment on how easy my workday must be. I asked for clarification.

“You only have four students,” she said.

I grabbed my school roster and rattled off five more students. “They’re in segregation,” I said. “Oh, and Prisoner H is in protective custody because somebody stabbed him in the face and he’s not talking.” I wanted to tell her about the other two students waiting to be questioned regarding the incident, but what’s the point?

She must have detected my annoyance. She quickly changed topics. She told me about her beautiful twenty-year-old niece’s horrible accident, how she severed her potential wedding-ring finger-tip in a hotel fire-door.

“Look at the bright side,” I said, “that’s one less fingernail to clip.”

“How could you say something like that? She’s disfigured for life.”

“You said she’s beautiful. I doubt that one less fingertip will become a deterrent for her potential suitors.” But then again, what do I know? What makes a relationship work anyway, what makes it last: Physical attraction? Past history? Family? Money? Interests? What? How about "effort"?