Unwanted child - стр. 14
One of the mothers helped Theodore up off the ground and took him inside the centre, where the group assignment and introduction to the teachers had already begun.
Right in front of the entrance, not far from the principal's office, were happy parents waving to their children, who had already been assigned to groups and assigned to specific teachers. A couple of metres away from the parents were three rows of newly formed children's groups, headed by teachers. Between the parents and children, on a small step, the headmistress of the centre stood on a small step, solemnly announcing the names of the newly arrived students and then assigning them to a teacher.
The mother who had brought Theodore inside the building squeezed through the crowd of adults and turned to the director, pointing her finger at the child and explaining that she had found him near the entrance to the CEC. The director descended from her low stepladder and bending over the lost boy said: ‘Say, what's your name? Remember, we saw you yesterday. And we were sitting in this office.’ She pointed her finger at the door leading into her small office. Theodore turned his head in the direction she pointed. He wasn't frightened or agitated. He just couldn't understand what was wanted of him. The headmistress straightened to her full height and began to glance cursorily at the long piece of paper from which she had previously sounded out the list of enrolled kids.
Headmistress: ‘’Let's find you by the method of elimination. Who I haven't had time to allocate yet…’
An indignant whisper ran through the crowd, saying ‘how can this be?’, ‘where are his parents?’. ‘how can this be?’
The headmistress went over the entire list again, from beginning to end. She spoke loudly and clearly, pausing for long pauses between words, ‘I will ask for silence! There are still a few students left unassigned. When I call out their names, I will ask their parents for feedback. And so, let's begin! Derek Wanger!’
Almost instantly, a waving mum and her son appeared from the crowd. She shouted loudly: ‘That's us!’
Headmistress: ‘The boy is assigned to Mrs Donova's group.’ The mother led the boy to his assigned group. The headmistress made a note on her sheet.
Headmistress: ‘Susie Rauktree!’
A large man stepped forward from the crowd, holding his daughter by the legs on his shoulders. He pronounced: ‘She's here!’
Headmistress: ‘The girl is being assigned to a group in Mrs Santerini.’ The man gently and lovingly lowered his daughter to the ground and took her by the hand to the teacher's group.