Chapter 35

For awhile, Miss Krinsky was the only person who would freely talk with Adele on a regular basis at school; unlike her teachers and other faculty members who would only speak to her when warranted…or the students when they were teasing her. Adele always remembered her first day of school, when her grandmother dropped her off in the office; and she had to wait until Principal Davis and several others conferred to decide where she should be placed. She was frightened…almost petrified…and just wished that Grandma would come back and take her home. But then something wonderful happened. This kindly, sweet little old lady, who she had never seen before, approached her with a tin of cookies and the warmest smile… barring Grandma's of course…that she had ever seen; then addressed her as ‘sweetie' and offered her some of those sweet tasting morsels to eat while she was waiting. Grant it, they were store bought and not as delicious as Grandma's home baked delicacies; but the gesture behind it made those cookies received with just as much enthusiasm and appreciation. And even if there weren't cookies involved during their first encounter, that smile and acknowledgement alone would have been enough to solidify their bonding. For at that moment, Adele had made an instant connection with Miss Krinsky. From then on, whenever Adele was having a difficult time at school…which she usually had a couple of times a day…she would always seek refuge by making a quick stop at the office to visit Miss Krinsky; who would always welcome her company. And Miss Krinsky would always acknowledge and spend a moment or two with Adele whenever she would run into her at school. Even after Mr. Trudeaux began speaking with her in the hallway at the beginning of her sophomore year…and she made kind of a connection with him…it was always Miss Krinsky who Adele would seek out when she needed comforting. And although this year Nadine has taken over Miss Krinsky's role as Adele's confidante and ‘lifeline' at school…with Adele spending most of her time with Nadine… she would still stop by the office every day and have a quick chat with Miss Krinsky; even if only to say hello. In essence, one could liken Miss Krinsky's new role as being Adele's proverbial ‘favorite pair of old shoes'. Though her closet may become full with new pairs of shoes, she doesn't throw away that pair; because they provide that special relaxing, comfortable fit. And even if she hardly ever wears them, it's assuring to know that they're still around; always on hand to wear when the desire arises. But now Miss Krinsky is gone, and Adele will never be able to ‘wear that favorite pair of old shoes' ever again; even if she wanted to. And she's totally heartbroken over it. For the next few days following the news of Miss Krinsky's death, Adele stood home; for the pain was too unbearable for her to attend school. How could she go…knowing that Miss Krinsky wouldn't be there to greet her with that graciously kind smile and warmly sincere addressing to of as ‘sweetie'. And now that she has returned to school, Adele seems to have regressed back to her old self; becoming extremely introverted and distant…even with Nadine somewhat. Adele still has lunch with Nadine, Sarah, Trish and Janice, but barely speaks; even when spoken to. She remains silent and no longer participates in class. And the most troubling behavior exhibited by her now, in Nadine's opinion, is that Adele begins to sob and becomes temporarily withdrawn from everything every time she passes the school's main office. Because of this, Nadine makes a conscientious effort to guide Adele on alternate routes between classes; being sure to avoid passing the office as much as possible to keep Adele's sullen transgressions down to a minimum. Seeing how Miss Krinsky's death affected Adele has reaffirmed Nadine's belief that she made the right decision by not telling Adele that she's more than likely going to die herself. Nadine's worried about what Adele's reaction to her death might be. She's scared that even if she can get Adele back on track and be comfortable associating with others again…what if when she dies, Adele becomes so distraught that she reverts back to the way she was before they became friends…and everyone who started to see and appreciate Adele for who she really was instead of the perceived "Retard" or "Freak" once again starts looking at her in that manner; causing the ridiculing and mistreatment to begin all over. This is Nadine's greatest fear…but not the only thought preoccupying her mind recently; because Miss Krinsky's death has also had an affect on Nadine as well.