White Fox Bay - Emma's Story - Chapter 3

Emma woke to sunlight streaming through the bedroom curtains. For a moment, she lay still, listening. No traffic, no neighbours mowing lawns, no familiar sounds of home. Just the occasional call of a raven and, somewhere in the distance, the sound of an ATV.

It was Saturday, and she had the whole day ahead of her.

School started Tuesday, and her classroom was nowhere near ready. She had made a good start yesterday, but there was still plenty to do.

After breakfast, she settled at the kitchen table with her notebook, class list, and timetable. She had sixteen students in her Grade Two and Three class, and she was already thinking about how she would organize the two grades.

She was making a list of things she needed to find in the supply room when a knock came at the door.

Emma opened the door to find Noah standing on her steps.

"Morning! Hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Just trying to figure out how to fit two grades into one timetable," Emma laughed. "What's up?"

"I was heading to the store and thought I'd see if you needed a ride. Figured you might want to stock up before school starts."

Emma glanced back toward her kitchen table.

"Actually, that's a great idea. I went the other day, but I didn't get nearly everything I needed."

"Well, I've got the truck, so you don't have to worry about carrying it all home."

"Give me five minutes?"

"No rush."

Emma grabbed her bag and slipped on her shoes. As she stepped outside, she spotted Katie coming out of the house next door.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Katie called.

"Shopping! Want to come?"

"Absolutely! I still need about a hundred things."

Noah laughed. "Good thing I brought the truck."

The White Fox Bay Store was busier than Emma expected.

A couple of ATVs were parked outside, and people were coming and going with bags of groceries and other supplies. Inside, the aisles seemed to hold a little bit of everything.

Emma and Katie wandered through the store, comparing what they needed and occasionally stopping to examine something unexpected.

"Do you think they have everything?" Katie asked, looking around.

"Not everything," Noah said. "But you'd be surprised what you can find here."

He pointed out where the household supplies were kept and helped them locate a few things they had overlooked.

Emma was beginning to understand that shopping here required a slightly different approach. There weren't half a dozen stores to choose from, and if something wasn't on the shelf, she might have to wait for the next shipment.

At the checkout, she recognized the little girl in the purple hoodie whom she'd met on her first visit.

"Hi, Emma!" the girl called.

"Hi! How are you today?"

The girl grinned, apparently delighted that Emma remembered her.

Katie looked amused as they headed outside.

"You're already famous."

"I've been here two days!"

"Small community," Noah said with a smile.

By the time they finished shopping, the back of Noah's truck held considerably more groceries than Emma had planned to buy.

"Are you sure there's room for all this?" Katie asked.

"Plenty."

Noah pulled up close to Emma's steps and began handing bags down from the truck.

Emma and Katie carried them to the porch, making a growing collection beside the door.

"I think I've bought enough food for a month," Emma said.

"Maybe a week," Noah replied.

She laughed.

Once Emma's groceries were unloaded, they moved on to Katie's house next door.

"Thanks, Noah," Emma called. "I really appreciate it."

"No problem. See you around."

As his truck pulled away, Katie looked at the bags waiting on her porch.

"Well, at least we won't starve."

"Speak for yourself. I still have to figure out what to cook."

Emma put away her groceries, made some lunch then changed into comfortable clothes.

She could have spent the afternoon relaxing, but the unfinished classroom was calling her. She still had lots of work to do over there.

Emma grabbed her backpack and headed across the gravel road toward White Fox Bay School.

It was wonderfully convenient living directly across from the school. She could come and go throughout the day without worrying about transportation.

She glanced at the playground as she walked. In just a few days, it would be filled with children.

A few minutes later she was back in her classroom, surrounded by empty bulletin boards, stacked furniture, and shelves that needed organizing.

Time to get to work. 

Emma was moving desks around when someone appeared in the classroom doorway.

"Hello? You must be Emma!"

Emma turned to see a young woman standing in the doorway, smiling.

"I'm Nicole. I'll be working with you this year."

"Oh! Hi! Come on in!"

Nicole stepped inside and looked around the room.

"Looks like you've been busy."

"Trying to be. I haven't figured out where half the things are yet."

Nicole laughed. "Don't worry. I know where most of it is."

That was exactly what Emma wanted to hear.

They spent the next while talking about the classroom, the students, and how they might organize their work together. Nicole knew many of the children and their families, and Emma quickly realized how valuable that knowledge would be.

"Do you usually work with both grades?" Emma asked.

"Whatever needs doing, really. Reading groups, helping individual kids, getting things ready. We'll figure out what works best."

"Sounds good to me."

Before long, they were moving furniture, sorting supplies, and making plans as though they'd been working together for years.

Eventually, Nicole straightened up and stretched.

"I think we deserve a break."

"Definitely."

They found a couple of cold drinks and sat down to rest. For the first time all afternoon, they talked about something other than school.

"What do you think of White Fox Bay so far?" Nicole asked.

"I like it. Everyone's been really friendly. I'm still figuring out where everything is, though."

"You'll get used to it."

Nicole took another sip of her drink.

"A few of us might go blueberry picking tomorrow, if the weather's good. You should come."
Emma smiled.

"I'd love to! I've never picked wild blueberries before."

"Well, we'll see if there's any left. Everybody's been out picking."

They talked a little longer before deciding they'd accomplished enough for one Saturday.

As they gathered their things, Emma felt pleased. She'd made real progress in the classroom, and she was looking forward to getting to know Nicole better.

Back at the house, Emma finally had time to enjoy some of the groceries she'd bought that morning.

She made herself a simple dinner and sat at the kitchen table, looking out at the fading afternoon light.

It had been a busy day.

She'd spent the morning shopping with Katie and Noah, made a good start on her classroom, and met the woman who would be working beside her every day.

Not bad for a Saturday.

After dinner, she washed her dishes and was thinking about settling down with a book when someone knocked at the door.

She wasn't expecting anyone.

When Emma opened the door, she found several children standing on her step

"Can we visit?"

Emma hesitated for just a moment. She hadn't expected a group of children to turn up at her door on a Saturday evening.

"Sure. Come sit on the steps."

That was all the invitation they needed.

Within minutes, Emma found herself surrounded by children of various ages, all talking at once.

"We have a dog," he announced proudly.

As though summoned by the conversation, a shaggy dog wandered over and settled comfortably beside the steps.

"Is that him?" Emma asked.

"No," the boy said. "That's somebody else's dog."

Emma laughed.

Eventually, as the evening grew cooler, one of the older children stood up.

"We gotta go."

The others slowly followed.

Emma watched them wander off down the road, the dog trailing along behind them.

She remained on the steps for a few minutes, enjoying the quiet evening, then headed inside.