Day Four....11076

Chris came  from the front of the store and hung his red smock up in a little locker, grabbed a coat and some car keys.  "You about ready Mr. M.?"
    "I believe so," Mr. Morris said.  "Thank you for doing this."
    "No problem, Mr. M.  You know without you, i probably would have graduated.  Giving you a ride is the least I can do," Chris said leading Mr. Morris out the back door of the store.
    "You don't give yourself enough credit, Chris.  And you've graduated now, no need for extra formalities.  You can call me Mark," Mr.Morris said.
    "No sir, I don't think I can.  I have too much respect for you to act like we're on the same level," Chris said opening the passenger side door of his 1980 Mustang.
    Mr. Morris lowered himself into the seat and let his mind wonder as Chris carefully navigated the turns of town.  "Mr. Morris, i don't really know where you live.  I just know you live in town somewhere."
    "Take main, above the tracks and turn left on Alexander.  I'll be the third house on the right," Mr. Morris said, resuming his pensive reflection of his life.  He was glad that his teaching had impacted students in such a powerful way.  It gave him hope and encouraged him to do more.  He hoped and prayed that Lissa's night had gone better than his. 
    The thought of Lissa made him suddenly aware of the phone in his pocket.  He pulled out his phone and turned it on.  One new text: where are you? ~Lissa <3
    He quickly typed out that he was on his way home.  When the car stopped in front of his house, Mr. Morris turned to Chris and said, "Can I at least give you some gas money?"
    "No your money is no good here.  This is the least I can do," Chris said, looking past Mr. Morris to the house.  "Is that little Lissa?"
    Mr. Morris looked back over his shoulder and saw his daughter waiting for him on the porch.  She had changed from her provocative Halloween costume back into her normal uniform of sweats and an over sized t-shirt.  "Yeah, it's amazing how fast they grow up.  Thanks for everything Chris. And good luck with everything."
    "Take care, Mr. Morris," Chris said.  Once Mr. Morris shut the door, the Mustang sped off and disappeared into the night.  The house was framed in with the sidewalk that ran down the street.  Mr. Morris headed up the sidewalk that split the front yard in half.  Standing on the porch with her arms crossed was his little girl.
    He suddenly had the urge to run to her, but he feared he wasn't ready for running just yet.
    "Young man, you have some explaining to do," Lissa said mocking her father's tone that he reserved for her when she didn't follow the rules.
    Mr. Morris smiled and mounted the stairs, still a little unsteady.  He grabbed her when he could reach her and pulled her into a huge hug.  He broke into uncontrollable sobs, crying into his daughter's shoulder. 
    The scene looked very similar to scenes that take place on air strips when soldiers return from war.  Thankful to be alive and near their families again, grown men are reduced to tears.
    It's like all of the stress and pain that's been pushed aside so they could get their job done is suddenly allowed to be released, and the flood gates are open.
    "Daddy, what's going on?  Why are you covered in blood?" Lissa asked.
    Mr. Morris relayed the events of his evening.  How he had changed his mind and decided t go out for drinks.  How he had been attacked.  How an anonymous student had saving him from being robbed. 
    He glossed over some of the intense details and played up the fact that he was okay.
    "But Daddy, there's so much blood," Lissa began to cry as well.
    "Head wounds will do that.  Trust me, I'm okay.  Tell me about your night," Mr. Morris said.
    "Well we went and got desserts.  We talked about prom.  I think Jake was about to ask me to it, but he was cut short and the conversation went a different direction for a while.  Nothing much else to tell.  I've been home for a while.  I was really hoping to get a text back saying you were out with a woman and not to wait up," Lissa laughed pulling back from her father's embrace and heading into the house.
    "Ahh, do you really want a new mommy?" he asked mockingly.
    "Hahahaha very funny.  You know I just want my Daddy to be happy!" Lissa said.
    "I'm very happy that tomorrow is Saturday and I have two days to recover at home before I have to teach.  My head is throbbing, I'm going to take some vitamin M. and head to bed," Mr. Morris said kissing Lissa on the forehead.
    "Night daddy, i love you."
    "Love you too kiddo."

    By the time Monday had arrived, Lissa had all of the gory details of the attack.  She had been cleaning and dressing her father's wound all weekend.  It looked healed enough that he went to school without a bandage on Monday.
    It was the middle of third block when Mr. Morris looked at his door and saw the uniform through the tall slender window.
    It was the Sheriff.  While Mr. Morris really wanted to know who had saved him, He was not in a hurry to find out he had been wrong about Leo Savage.
    There are some things in life that you'd just rather not be proven wrong about.  Sometimes, you just can't handle being wrong about a person or an ideal.  It's like suddenly realizing that you don't agree with an interpretation of a holy text that you spent a life time believing.  It rocks you to your core.
    Mr. Morris already had enough rocking for one year.  His head still ached.  "Well Sheriff, did you find anything out?"
    "Yes and no, Mr. Morris.  I did find out who your good Samaritan was, but we've had no luck on your attackers," The Sheriff said.
    "Well, probably random.  So was it Leo?" Mr. Morris asked.
    "Mr. Morris, the kid who came to your rescue would rather stay anonymous.  I have to give the kid credit, he didn't want any credit.  Have a good day," the Sheriff said touching the rim of his hat.
    Mr. Morris watched him walk down the hallway.  He leaned his back against the wall and rubbed his eyes.  He knew.  He knew that Leo had saved him from being robbed and most likely his life.
    He didn't want to think about it.  But he had no choice.  It wasn't something he could just ignore.  But how do you repay someone who you don't really know, or like, for something like saving your life.
    He'd have to do some research.  If he could find a way to learn more about Leo then he could properly repay him. 
    "Ummm, Mr. Morris?"
    Mr. Morris had totally forgotten about his class.  "Sorry, what?"
    "Ummm, Dan set something on fire."
    Sometimes having his own lab in the back of his classroom was very convenient other times it was just a fire hazard.  "Again?"
    "Ummm, yeah.  Oh and the whole lab smells like butt."
    Mr. Morris rushed back through the door of his classroom to assess the damage.  The butt smell he knew was just sulfur, the fire not too out of the ordinary during a lab.  Dan always seemed to be "accidentally" setting things on fire. 
    Some days you knew you were making a difference, other days you weren't sure you were cut out for any of it.  Mr. Morris thought back to his first year teaching and how an incident like a fire would have had him all panicked and flustered. 
    Mr. Morris thought about firing the fire extinguisher at Dan, but then he thought maybe that would be pressing his luck.  He grabbed a pair of tongs and moved the flaming paper towel roll into the sink and turned on the water.
    The class soon normalized and continued working through their lab as Mr. Morris circulated around the room.  He'd done the lab for years and didn't really need to pay attention to answer questions. 
    Mostly he just wondered around the room stopping periodically to look down a lab row and think.  Maybe he could just get Lissa to hang out with Leo.  He could pull his record or check with the guidance department, but since Leo wasn't his current student it would look weird.
    He'd send Lissa.  As long as Leo would want to hang out, Mr. Morris would encourage it.  Lissa seemed to be interested in Leo.  She was asking questions, so perhaps Mr. Morris could fabricate a situation that would make it naturally happen.
    Mr. Morris was struggling with the idea that he was somehow trying to come up with ideas of how to hook his daughter up with a kid that he still didn't fully trust.  He began to question his own motives.  Why would he want to know more?  Was he really just trying to determine the best thank you present?  Or was he really trying to prove his earlier inclinations about the boy correct?
    It was difficult to say, but he knew that he couldn't lay it to rest until he did something about it.  The question was how you got kids together who wouldn't normally be together.
    "Dan," Mr. Morris said.
    "I didn't do anything," Dan said jumping back from his apparatus.
    "Did I say you did?" he asked.  Dan shook his head back and forth.  Mr. Morris swore he could hear the marbles roll.  "Say you wanted to hang out with a girl, but didn't want to ask her for some reason.  How would you get a chance to hang out with her?"
    "Oh whoa, Mr. M.  You crushing on a hottie?" Dan said excited.
    "I'm researching," Mr. Morris said. 
    "Well, you could do anything from like, just show up where she hangs out or like have a gathering, you know, at your house when your parents are out of town," Dan said winking at Mr. Morris and nudging him in the ribs.
    "I really worry about you, Dan.  But thanks," Mr. Morris shook his head and walked to the back of the class, "Well class, that's about all the time we have.  I need you to reset your lab station.  Check the diagram on the counter and put everything back the way it was when you walked in."