“This is Naomi’s school counselor, Peter Reinhardt.”
We exchange greetings, Naomi still clinging to me like we’re on the deck of the Titanic, not her principal’s office.
“Naomi, honey, why don’t you wait outside for a minute while we talk to your uncle,” Principal Leonard says, but my niece’s grip only tightens around me. She twists toward them, tears wetting her cheeks.
“Please don’t take me away from him. Please! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it. Please don’t take me away!”
My own eyes burn as I pull her closer. Over my dead body is that going to happen. The principal’s stern demeanor thaws slightly and she leans toward Naomi.
“We’re not here to do anything except make sure you’re in the best situation possible. Please give us a moment to talk to your uncle.”
Naomi’s fists bury further in my shirt, and I hate the thought of prying her away, but right now we need to play along and follow the rules. I reach around my back to gently loosen her grip. Then I crouch in front of her and grip her shoulders.
“Hey, look at me,” I say, searching her eyes. “We’re going to figure this out, okay? I love you and nothing can ever change that. See that woman there?” I motion to Darla. “She’s a lawyer who’s going to help us go to court and make sure you can stay with me forever.”
Her big watery eyes widen in shock. “You… you want to keep me forever?”
My heart cracks as I pull her close again. “God, Omi, you’re the most important thing in my life. Of course I want to keep you forever.”
She squeezes her arms around my neck, and I tighten her to my chest for a moment before forcing her back again. “So please. Right now, you need to wait for us while we talk, okay?” My voice cracks, and I clear my throat.
After several seconds, she finally steps back and swipes her sleeve across her eyes. She scans the other adults in the room, studying each one before landing back on me.
“I love you too, Uncle J. I’m sorry,” she whispers.
“It’s going to be okay. I will take care of this, I promise.”
She latches her arms around me one last time before slinking from the office and closing the door behind her.
The room is even heavier after she leaves.
I force myself to my feet, shaken by what just happened, terrified about what’s to come. From the look on the school officials’ faces, they weren’t expecting that exchange. Whether that’s in my favor or not, I don’t know.
“Please, have a seat, Mr. Campbell,” the principal says, motioning toward the two chairs in front of her desk. “You too, Ms. Ramirez.” We do as instructed, while she settles behind her desk.
My fists clench in my lap as I stare at the woman who could destroy my life in the next five minutes.
“Naomi was sent to my office today because she dumped a container of chocolate milk on another girl and said, and I quote, ‘I’d rather be Nasty Naomi than a raging bitch.’ End quote.”
Oh shit. I force away the smile threatening to crack my grave expression.
“Really. Wow,” I say, shaking my head with what I hope is appropriate shock and horror. Inside, I’m high-fiving the crap out of that girl for standing up to those bullies.
“Yes. We’ve made many allowances for her over this past year, overlooking her drastic change in behavior and appearance in light of the tragic loss of her mother, but this incident cannot be ignored.”
I nod and scratch my chin as I lean back. “I see. I’m assuming this is one of the girls who’s been bullying her and posting horrible things about her on social media?” I ask in a steady voice. My lawyer perks up beside me, like I hoped.
“She’s being bullied?” Darla asks.
“For a while now, yes. I believe they call her Nasty Naomi and make fun of everything from her appearance to the fact that her mom is dead. Nice girls,” I say to the principal, who’s shrunk a bit and exchanges a look with the counselor.
“We weren’t aware of a bullying situation,” Principal Leonard says, jotting something on a legal pad in front of her.
“I see, so you thought Naomi labeled herself Nasty Naomi and dumped chocolate milk on another kid for no reason?” Easy, Julian. I force a sigh when they stiffen.
“Look,” I say, leaning forward. “I get that her reaction was unacceptable and I’ll discuss it with her. If you have to give her detention or whatever, we’ll accept it, but that girl has been through hell this past year, and I’m going to guess if those girls are preying on Naomi, they’re probably picking on other kids as well.”
The woman clears her throat and scribbles more notes. “Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Mr. Campbell. We’ll look into it immediately and address it.”
“Great,” I say, relaxing back into my chair. I still can’t calm the panic in my gut, however. Something isn’t right, and I suspect I’m here for more than a chocolate milk attack.
“But that’s not the only reason we called you in today,” she continues, confirming my fears. “I’m assuming you guessed that based on the presence of your lawyer.”
I nod, my fists clenching in my lap again.
She pulls open a folder and scans it. “After the cafeteria incident we called the emergency contact on file. It’s listed as a Mr. Allan Hayes, her father. Imagine our surprise when he answered, clearly intoxicated, and said, again I quote, ‘You need to call her uncle. She’s his fucking problem now.’ End quote. We got your name and number from Naomi who confirmed she’s been living with you.”
Rage builds in my chest. My nails arc into my palm as I use every ounce of strength I have to rein it in. I should have murdered that bastard when I had the chance. “Yes, her father is no longer in a position to care for her,” I say through clenched teeth. “She’s been staying with me for the past six weeks or so.”
“I see.” Principal Leonard’s gaze crosses to Darla. “From piecing together all of this information, I assume you’re in the process of applying for legal guardianship?”
“Principal Leonard, if I may,” Darla cuts in, pulling a folder from her briefcase. “May I share these?” she asks me, and I nod.
She opens the folder and passes it across the desk to the principal. “Here are the forms we are preparing for the court, including the Petition for Appointment of Guardian for a Minor. Julian and I had an appointment this afternoon to complete these so we can file on Monday. As you just experienced, we are not expecting any resistance from Naomi’s father, though we will serve notice to him as required by law, and are prepared to fight for custody if necessary.”
The principal sifts through the pages, her face changing the longer she studies the documents. She passes the folder to the counselor who does the same.
“She’s very troubled, Mr. Campbell,” the man says, while flipping through the folder. “We’ve tried to talk to her here over this past year, but she should really be in more intensive counseling. This is a lot for a child of her age.” He looks up and hands the folder back to Darla.
“I know. We started weekly counseling with Veronica Rosen.” I can hear the desperation in my voice and pull in a deep breath. Please believe us. Please, please, please.