Short Stories For Short Attention Spans

Short Stories For Short Attention Spans - Ms. Rhodes

Dec 3, 2016 - 5:30AM

Ms. Rhodes no longer needs an alarm clock to wake her up in the morning. Despite the cold, frigid air, the darkness that lingers in her bedroom, and the quiet humming of her space heater, she wastes no time putting her feet on the floor. 

Tiffany Rhodes makes her way to the kitchen, a quick walk in her 650 square foot apartment, and pours water into the teapot her grandmother gifted her when she first moved in on her own. Tiffany has had her apartment for 2 years now and has fallen in love with having her own space. Although she has been teaching for 7 years, she spent the first 5 years of her career living with friends, her parents, and her ex-boyfriend she went back to one too many times. Her father still pesters her to go back to college and get a real job. He doesn’t understand why his daughter would waste away her good years repeating herself for students who lack discipline and motivation. She tells him, “Dad, you just don’t understand. I never worked a real day in my life because I have too much fun with my classes!”

Tiffany dresses in her outfit she laid out the night before. She is routine in that manner. She feels if you plan before, you don’t have to waste time in the mornings thinking about extra details. Her lunch is already packed, and she writes herself a note on a post- it to stick in her bag, keeping the same routine her mother had for her. “Never forget the difference you make.”

On the way out the door, she grabs her hot coffee, her purse, her teacher bag, her lunch box, and her gym bag, all on one arm. Teachers are gifted in that way. They are used to carrying a load no one expects they are capable of. 

Dec 3, 2016 - 6:15 AM

Ms. Rhodes places her bags in the trunk of her used 2012 toyota. She doesn’t like unnecessary clutter, especially in her car. She allows her camry to warm up as she finds a playlist to make her 17 minute commute run smoothly. She doesn’t have long to choose her music for the morning because she tells herself she will need those 3 minutes to grab her bags and walk to her school if she will be in the classroom before 6:35am. She enjoys spending the first 10 minutes in her classroom setting up before her contract time actually begins. 

Strangers In the Night will have to do, she presses play and makes her way to Newcastle Elementary School, “what were the chances..” She sings out loud and drives to her second favorite place, her school.  

“Still!?” She says more loudly than she anticipated as she pulled up to her school. The staff parking lot is closed as they continue the remodel. Mr. Thomas, Newcastle's beloved crossing guard waves to her and points to the dirt lot across the street. Tiffany Rhodes parks in the near empty lot, grabs her bags and begins the now 5 minute walk.

“Morning Mrs. Rhodes! First in again.” Mr. Thomas is just as enthusiastic in the mornings.

“Good morning Mr. Thomas, you know it’s Miss, I’m still not married. But first in, last out, as usual,” she playfully responds. Tiffany is uncertain if Mr. Thomas truly forgets she is single, or just has no care in the world. 

“One day, some lucky man will scoop you up! Ya have a good day now.” He responds with a head nod and continues to route the cars to the dirt lot. 

“When you retire will probably be the same time I get married,” she jokes.

“Well, that ain’t happenin’ no time soon!” They both chuckle. Mr. Thomas has been a crossing guard and janitor at Newcastle, NES, for 30 years now and a resident in Lancomb County his whole life. At the start of the school year, during an ice breaker activity, the faculty and staff were shocked to hear he still lives in the house he grew up in. Poor Mr. Thomas has only known what lies within the city limits. But according to him, he wouldn’t have it any other way. “People crave comfort and community,” he always says. 

Dec 3, 2016 - 7:00 AM

Students begin to trickle in as the front office opens its doors. Ms. Rhodes pulls out a granola bar and places it in her pocket. She waits outside her classroom door to greet each student. She has loved teaching 4th grade, and has no plans on switching grade levels or schools anytime soon. Teachers joke that Newcastle is like Disneyland. No one hardly leaves, which is why Tiffany was surprised they offered her the 4th grade Math position 7 years ago. She was a fresh new graduate, with an eagerness to learn and teach. That’s what they needed, Principal Mayweather told her. “That energy you bring is exactly what Newcastle is all about. We make a difference with the light we bring to each other and our kids.” 

“Good morning Marty, I am so happy you are here! Nice shoes Kam. How are you Dakota? Is your tummy better today than yesterday?” Ms. Rhodes doesn’t simply greet her students, she makes sure she starts their day with a positive interaction. One of her professors told her, it’s the small details that matter. “When you care, they care.” For some educators, this may be a challenge, but with Tiffany, it comes easy to her, because she genuinely does care. When Dakota tells Ms. Rhodes his tummy hurts again today, she pulls out the granola bar  from her pocket and hands it to him. “Can’t have your tummy empty,” she smiles as he graciously takes his breakfast. 

The classroom begins to fill, but the volume in her room is at a minimum. Students talk quietly to each other as they complete their morning work Ms. Rhodes set on their desk. She doesn’t mind if they talk to each other as long as its an inside voice and they are at their assigned seats talking to their neighbors. She keeps the lights dim, soft instrumental music on, and eucalyptus diffusing in all four corners of her room. When her Dad came in to help set up her classroom, he made it a point to let her know, “this isn’t a Spa Tiff. They don’t need plants and citrus to learn! Back in my day, we didn’t have all this technology and we turned out just fine.” Tiffany made sure not to comment back, she couldn’t reach the tops of her walls to hang her banners and needed him to finish what he started. 

“Good morning Newcastle Knights! Please rise for the pledge of allegiance,” the morning announcements begin. Ms. Rhodes turns and faces the flag, her students follow her lead. When the announcements are over, Ms. Rhodes heads to her desk to begin her first lesson of the day. Laying on top of her laptop, she finds a pink and purple string bracelet with a note on top. Open when you need a friend, it reads. Ms. Rhodes smiles and turns her attention to Melizabeth, who catches her glance and smiles immediately. Ms. Rhodes mouths, thank you, and ties her new friendship bracelet on her wrist. Ms. Rhodes knows how lucky she is to have her class this year, but even moreso, she knows the blessing of having a student like Melizabeth. It is very rare a student comes into your class well mannered, ready to learn, and a friend to everyone. Curiously one day, Ms. Rhodes asked Melizabeth if she was an only child. Melizabeth spent that lunch period talking about her younger siblings and family. She was the oldest and only daughter. Her younger brother Michael was born with glaucoma and lost his eye when he was a baby. Her baby brother Matthew has type 1 diabetes. She said she is used to helping her mom and taking care of others. Ms. Rhodes couldn’t believe the burden a 9 year old carried so well. “I don’t mind helping, they would do the same for me. Plus, my mom says to heal the world, we start with our own family.” Ms. Rhodes cried that day in the staff bathroom; how lucky she was. 

Dec 4, 2016 - 5:30AM 

Tiffany wakes again without the assistance of her alarm clock. She turns on her teapot, dresses, and grabs her bags for the day. Unlike previous days, Ms. Rhodes has one extra bag to carry. After school, Ms. Rhodes picked up a book for Melizabeth and string to make more friendship bracelets. The book included different designs and patterns she could practice. Tiffany picked up a copy for herself as well so she could practice over winter break and make her students bracelets for the New Year. 

Tiffany makes her way to her camry, 6:13…perfect timing, she says to herself. If they did finish the lot, she will just be earlier than expected. If they are still working on it, she will be just fine too. 

It’s Friday, so she opts for Closer. I was doing just fine before I met you… she sings. 

Dec 4, 2016 - 7:00 AM

“Mr. Mayweather, Ms. Rhodes isn’t here today and we don’t have a substitute,” Melizabeth says as she sits in the principal's office for the first time of her life. She doesn’t like how everything is brown and the only decor is basketball trophies from 1994. Mr. Mayweather is a big man, with big eyes and big hands. Melizabeth takes notice and shifts her weight in her seat. 

“That is so odd Melizabeth, are you sure she isn’t in the restroom? She did not put in a request for a sub.” Mr. Mayweather moreso says this to himself, than to her. 

“Mr. Mayweather, I am a lot of things, but a liar isn’t one of them.” Melizabeth stands firm. 

He looks at the young girl in her foggy glasses and says to himself, hmm. He follows her lead and stands, following her to room 207. He opens the door, and not surprisingly, the students are in their assigned seats talking amongst themselves and completing their morning work. 

“Well, she must be here today, there’s work on your desk.” He is proud of himself for taking notice. 

“Mr. Mayweather, we put the work out for the next day before we leave at dismissal. Of course there’s work on our desk.” Melizabeth corrects him. She can’t believe how unintelligent a principal can be. She decides it’s not his profession that limits him, but the fact he is a man. 

“Oh, I see. That makes a lot of sense actually,” Mr. Mayweather admits. He reaches for his walkie and begins talking to whomever will listen on the other end. “Start the morning announcements and get me a body to stand in room 207,” he states. Promptly, “All rise,” comes through on the loud speaker. 

Dec 4, 2016 - 9:00 AM

“Mr. Mayweather, it’s been 2 hours. I think we should really call the authorities. They can do a welfare check at least. This isn’t like Tiffany at all. You and I and everyone in this school knows this. She never misses a day. Hell, she hasn’t even been late!” Martha, the school secretary begins to panic. Martha has always adored Tiffany. She reminds her of the daughter she never had. 

“Ok, Martha, let’s call the police, have them do a welfare check. I will try her cellphone and email again.” Mr. Mayweather hustles back to his office, leaving his door ajar. 

“What car does she drive, Martha?” he yells from within his office, trying to gather as many details as he can. “And what was her slimy ex-boyfriends name? Was it Christian?”

“Tristian and a toyota!” Martha yells back. 

“Mr. Thomas, please go check the dirt lot for Ms. Rhodes car.” Principal Mayweather instructs the crossing guard. 

“Yessa.” he says and makes his way out to the street. 

Dec 5, 2016 - 8:00 AM

The Saturday morning news begins with breaking news. 

“Beloved elementary school teacher in Lancomb County is officially being reported missing. Anyone with any information on her whereabouts are encouraged to contact crime stoppers. Tiffany Rhodes is 5 feet 3 inches tall, with long dark brown hair. She was last seen leaving her gym at 6:45pm and was wearing black leggings, a grey tank top, and a black north face jacket,” the reporter states. 

“This is bullshit,” Mr. Rhodes, Tiffany's father, turns off the TV. “They didn’t even use the photo we gave them! Who uses a high school photo to look for an adult? They’re wasting precious time! I swear if these cops do not go to Tristian's house today, I promise you, I will!” He begins to scream at his wife who is crying uncontrollably. She did not hear a word Mr. Rhodes said. She just wants her daughter to be found alive. Her parents replayed every possible outcome, every possible situation that could have occurred. The police were not giving them much information other than her car hasn’t been located, and was it possible she needed to escape? 

“They should be getting more surveillance footage soon Jack,” Grandma Rhodes calmly states. She refuses to go to the worst case scenario. She knows her granddaughter well, she knows how punctual she is, how routine she is, how much she loves her apartment and her students. She knows she wouldn’t just run away from the life she has always wanted. Although fear creeps in slowly like a flu, she washes away the negative thoughts, because she knows people just do not vanish without a trace. Not people like Tiffany. Not her granddaughter. 

Jan. 6, 2017 7:00am

Students begin to flood the hallways for the first time in the new year. Many have grown taller over the winter break, some arrived with new clothes, others new hair cuts. They say coming back from breaks are harder than starting a school year. Students need time to relearn routines and procedures. It’s a great time to review and practice classroom and school rules and expectations. The transition is hard enough, but even harder when you come back to a long-term substitute and no news on where your teacher could be. 

Melizabeth sits at her empty seat and fiddles with her friendship bracelet.There is no morning work, no eucalyptus in the air, no calm, steady music. Students whisper to each other, some begin to cry as they notice their substitute's name on the board. 

Mrs. Martha, Mr. Mayweather, and Mr. Thomas make their way into the classroom numerous times throughout the day to check on Ms. Guthrie, their long-term sub. Ms. Guthrie retired from Newcastle 7 years ago, as Tiffany stepped in. Ms. Guthrie said it was nostalgic to be in her old classroom, and “my, my, my, how much has changed in such a short amount of time.” Ms. Guthrie was now close to 80 years old. She was not anticipating returning to work, let alone her old class, but knew how dire the situation was in NES. “It’s the least I can do,” she repeated, more for herself than for others. 

Jan. 10, 2017 10:15 am

There is a knock on Mr. Rhodes door. Mrs. Rhodes answers immediately and sees Detective Jones and his supervisor Lieutenant Daniels. 

“No. No. No…” she gasps for air and takes a step back. It’s never good news when multiple officers arrive at your house. Especially when your daughter has been missing for weeks.

“Mrs. Rhodes, may we come in?” Lieutenant Daniels asks. She gestures to enter the house. 

“Come in officers,” Mr. Rhodes takes over, clearing a path for them to enter. “Have a seat,” he says as he points to the living room sofa. 

As the officers enter the residence, Grandma Rhodes enters the living room as well. 

“Well girls, what do you have for us? They say no news is good news, but not these days, in times like this. So please tell us you have something.” Grandma Rhodes sits up tall and looks the detectives in their eyes and nods to Detective Jones to speak. Grandma Rhodes is demanding in that way. She doesn’t have to say much, but she can get people to get straight to the point. “No need for filler, say what you have to say.”

“Well, we came here to tell you we have some new leads in the case. Initially, the only surveillance we were able to pull was from outside the school, and her gym. However, we were able to recover some additional footage. Tiffany’s apartment complex provided us video evidence that shows her leaving her apartment the morning she went missing. She did in fact make it home and was off to what we believe is work, although she was carrying several bags in hand,” Detective Jones says. 

“She’s a teacher, she would carry 10 bags if she had to. That doesn’t mean she just ran off,” Grandma stated. 

“So you know for a fact she left her apartment in the morning she went missing?” Tiffany’s mother reiterated. 

“Yes ma’am, that is correct.” Lieutenant Daniels answered. 

“With this new information, we checked the possible routes she may have taken to work,” Detective Daniels continued. 

“She takes the same route,” Mr. Rhodes interrupted.  “You could have asked us that.” 

Detective Daniels ignores him and continues, “We were able to follow her car along route 40 for approximately 10 minutes of her commute. But then the cameras go black. The day of her disappearance, all of our traffic cameras go black. We contacted tech support and tried to view footage of the days prior and days after as well. But the camera’s black out, for 7 minutes, at the same time, each day.”

“Well sounds like you have shit technology,” Mr. Rhodes is not interested in hearing about their lack of footage. He wants answers. 

“We have exhausted our resources and are still waiting on answers. We are not understanding why this blackout occurs everyday; but your daughter may have unknowingly helped us by opening our eyes to something we have missed for years,” Lieutenant Daniels says. “We sat and watched years worth of tapes over the past few weeks. Every day, at the same time, the cameras go black. A complete blackout. For seven minutes. We have no idea who is doing it or what it means, but we have heavy alerts on the interstate now at those times frames. Something must be happening that someone doesn't want us to see.” 

Jan 23, 2017 4:00 PM

Mr. Rhodes shuts off the news. “Finally an updated picture and description. These reports in Lancomb need to be replaced!” The Rhodes family bundles up in their winter gear, the meteorologist are calling for heavy snowfall; the first snow of the year. Mr. Rhodes, his wife, and his mother pile up in his minivan as he drives to Newcastle Elementary School. Hundreds gather to walk and scope out the area in hope of finding Tiffany, or at least her car which still hasn’t been recovered. 

Front in center of the pact is Melizabeth, her parents, and her younger siblings. “We are so sorry for these circumstances,” Melizabeth’s mother grabs Mrs. Rhodes hands and squeezes them tightly. 

“Thank you for being here, I know how much your family means to my daughter. She would be happy to know you are here.” Mrs. Rhodes manages to say through wet eyes. 

“She would do the same for us,” Melizabeth’s mother says with a tired smile. No mother can sleep  when their child is sick or hurt, let alone missing. 

Jan 23, 2017 4:40 PM

As the community continues their walk in search of Tiffany, Melizabeth looks up at the sky. A single snowflake gently floats down and lands on her cheek. Normally, Melizabeth would be ecstatic for the first snowfall. However, this flurry makes her stomach drop and knees go weak. She knows it means they will have to turn around and stop looking. 

Mr. Thomas leads the pack of adults and students throughout town. He knows Lancomb County like the back of his hands, he says. The detectives agreed to let him take the lead. 

Snowfall picks up quickly, and Mr. Thomas suggests it's time to call it a night. “These roads will be tricky if we get the amount of snow they are calling for,” he insists. 

“Meterologist never get it right, WE are going to keep looking!” Mr. Rhodes says. 

“I think Mr. Thomas is right sir,” Detective Daniels agrees. “These roads are no joke at night.” 

Community members begin to turn around, and say their farewells, drive safely, and pass around words of encouragement and hugs. On their way back, Melizabeth notices a chained fence that leads to what appears to be a back road. 

No trespassing. Intruders will be shot. A worn and faded sign hangs slightly to the left of the fence.

“We didn’t go down here yet Momma,” Melizabeth points and says to her mom. 

“It says no trespassing honey, it’s someone’s private property,” her mom says. 

“Well wouldn’t you think someone who is hiding something wouldn’t want people to come in Momma?” Melizabeth has always been a quick thinker. Her mom looks down at her daughter and nods in agreement. They rush over to the detective. 

“Excuse me officer, we haven’t been down this way,” Melizabeths mom points to the no trespassing sign.”

“Hmm, we sure haven’t. Thank you ma’am.” Detective Daniels walkies to her fellow officers. Melizabeth’s mom knows that their hands are tied without reasonable cause or a search warrant, but Melizabeth feels a sense of pride that she spoke up and directed the adults. The search team continues to dispurse to make their way to their cars to drive home. Melizabeth lets go of her mothers hand as she is talking to a few other parents and wonders to the sign. 

“What are you doing over here kiddo?” 

Melizabeth jumps! “Mr.Thomas! You scared me!”

“Sorry ‘bout that kid. But you shouldn’t be over here alone. Not at times like this,” Mr, Thomas offers Melizabeth his hand to walk her back over. She looks down and sees the mans aged hands. 

“Mr. Thomas, you’ve lived here all your life,” she begins. “But where exactly do you live? You seem to know this area really well.” She has always been a curious little girl.

“Well, funny you ask that little lady. I was just making my way back to my house, right up the road here,” he points to the chained fence. 

“You don’t like visitors Mr. Thomas?” She looks up, moving her gaze from his hands to his eyes.

Mr. Thomas chuckles. “I love visitors. I just love the company that I invite. No one wants unwelcomed guests,” he says. 

“Melizabeth! We are leaving now sweetie!” Melizabeth’s mother calls out to her and gestures for her return. Melizabeth starts to make her way back to her mom.

“Drive safe,” Mr. Thomas yells back towards her and waves. Melizabeth turns back around as Mr. Thomas unlatches the chain link fence. That’s when she sees it floating in the cold winter air, hanging on by a thread; a pink and purple friendship bracelet waves in the air. 

“Ms.Rhodes.” Melizabeth gasps and runs into her mother's arms.