Don't answer that phone

What a day! I've been screaming busy at work all day. Meetings and people vying for pieces of my time and expertise. I shouldn’t do it but I keep answering my phone even though I’m meeting with someone in my office but I’m the only one in the department today and I feel like I have to catch the calls. Its 10 am.

“Hello”

“Is this Mrs. Queen, Big Princess’ mother?”

“Yes”

“This is Mr. Principal from your daughter’s high school.”

My heart drops into my stomach. I’ve never been called by the principal in 13 years Big Princess has been in school. My first thought is that there has been an accident.

“Yes, I’m sorry to have to tell you this but (I’m still thinking the worst) Big Princess has been picked up by the campus police.”

“Oh dear, where was she?”

“She was across the street at the Taco Hut.”

“May I please speak with her?”

Big Princess says hello with all the gusto of a dead man walking. I mention that we’ll discuss this when I get home (and I might have said a couple of other things). I get the principal back on the phone:

“Sir, what are the consequences of her actions?”

‘Well, usually I suspend them but since I’ve been able to talk to you and the fact that she’s never been in my office before… I’ll have to think about this.”

I’m a little ticked off but mostly amused by how afraid I know Big Princess is going to be all day until I see her. I can picture her wringing her hands and saying over and over, “My Mom’s gonna kill me!”

Yeah, I’m gonna have to put on a stern face and have the “I’m disappointed in you” speech. But hey, she wasn’t smoking or doing drugs or having sex in the parking lot. She was hungry and skipped 1st period for tacos. There are worse things an 18 year old high school senior with 3 weeks of school left could be doing.

3 pm my office, the phone rings.

“Hello”

“Is this Mrs. Queen, little princess’ mother?”

“Yes”

“This is Mrs. 5th Grade Teacher from your daughter’s school.”

Oh no, here we go again!