“Over here, Sara!”
Sara turned to see Mr. Hoffman waving wildly while walking up the hallway.
“Sorry I’m a little late,” said Mr. Hoffman. “I had to spend a few minutes after class with a student who had some questions about the homework assignment.”
“That’s okay,” said Sara. “I’ve only been here a couple minutes.”
“Well, I bet that stomach of yours is growling for one of Jimmy’s famous burgers,” said Mr. Hoffman smiling. “Let’s check you out and we’ll head out.”
Sara turned in her release form at the office and signed the attendance book, noting she’d be off campus for an hour. She and Mr. Hoffman jumped into a shiny metallic blue Ford Mustang, Mr. Hoffman’s pride and joy.
“I’ve always like Mustangs,” said Mr. Hoffman. “Even when I was a kid. I finally decided this summer to turn in my old boring Honda Accord and get a Mustang. As you can tell from class, I like to talk about the importance of being true to yourself. So, one day this summer I said, ‘Self, you’re not an Accord guy, you’re a Mustang guy!’ and I went over to Johnson Ford and picked up this baby!”
Sara laughed. One thing you could never say about Mr. Hoffman is that he lacked enthusiasm.
Mr. Hoffman gradually pulled out of the Newberry faculty parking lot.
“So, things aren’t going so great in your new hometown yet?” asked Mr. Hoffman.
“Things are pretty good,” said Sara but she could tell she hadn’t put much heart in her answer.
“Well, I know it’s tough having your life changed dramatically when you’re young,” said Mr. Hoffman. “My family moved 500 miles away when I was 14, just a little older than you are now.”
“Really?” asked Sara with a sudden jolt of interest. “Were you okay with moving?”
“Oh no!” exclaimed Mr. Hoffman. “I hated it. I thought it was the end of the world. I fought it as soon as my parents told me we were moving ‘cause Dad got a new job. Sound familiar?
“My mom said it was a great opportunity for Dad and that we’d all be better off because our financial situation would be better. Well, I didn’t know anything about family finances but I knew I didn’t want to leave my best friend, Barry Tippett. And I knew I didn’t want to leave my school and all the sports teams I was on to go to someplace I’d never heard of, Lincoln, Nebraska.”
“Where were you before you moved?” asked Sara.
“Westminster, Colorado,” said Mr. Hoffman. “It was very similar to your situation. Westminster’s a suburb of Denver, just like Littleton, your old town. Only difference is I had to move 500 miles away and you only had to move 60!”
“But it feels like 500,” said Sara. “I’m in a different school where I really don’t know anybody. I can’t play on my soccer and basketball teams anymore and it seems like there’s not much to do in Greeley. And I miss my friends ….”
Sara didn’t like to whine and she sure wasn’t planning on telling Mr. Hoffman that she wasn’t very happy at Newberry but for some reason she felt safe sharing her thoughts and feelings with Mr. Hoffman. She sensed that she could tell him anything and he wouldn’t judge her.
“I’ve seen you in the halls talking with Maggie, Angie and Maddie quite a bit,” said Mr. Hoffman. “Could you be friends with them?”
“Oh, they’ve been really nice to me,” said Sara. “They invited me to go to the mall with them and Maggie invited me to a sleepover.”
Sara turned away from Mr. Hoffman. Her head dropped and she was staring at the floor of Mr. Hoffman’s Mustang. She felt sad and could feel tears welling up in her eyes but she didn’t want to cry in front of Mr. Hoffman.
Mr. Hoffman looked at Sara and felt a twinge of pain in his stomach. He could tell she was struggling in her new environment. It brought back a flood of memories from the time in his youth when his family had moved to a strange place.
“Let me guess,” started Mr. Hoffman. “Maggie, Angie and Maddie are nice but they’re not quite your type. They don’t really have the same interests as you. But you don’t know anyone else and it’s no fun being alone so you keep hanging out with them even when your heart’s telling you something’s wrong. Am I close?”
