The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer EPUB & PDF – eBook Details Online
- Status: Available For Free Download
- Author: Mikki Brammer
- Language: English
- Genre: Family Life Fiction
- Format: PDF / EPUB
- Size: 2 MB
- Price: Free
The first time I watched someone die, I was five.
Mr. Hyland, my kindergarten teacher, was a cheerful, tubby man whose
shiny scalp and perfectly round face reminded me of the moon. One
afternoon, my classmates and I sat cross-legged on the scratchy carpet in
front of him, enthralled by his theatrical telling of Peter Rabbit. I remember
how his meaty thighs spilled over the edges of the child-sized wooden chair
he sat on. His cheeks were rosier than usual, but who could blame him for
getting excited over a good Beatrix Potter plot?
As the story reached its climax—when Peter Rabbit lost his jacket
fleeing the evil Mr. McGregor—Mr. Hyland stopped, as if pausing for
emphasis. We stared up at him, hearts thumping with anticipation. But
instead of resuming his narration, he made a sound similar to a hiccup, eyes
bulging.
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Then, like a felled redwood tree, he toppled to the ground.
We all sat motionless, wide-eyed, unsure if our beloved teacher was just
upping the ante on his usual dramatic storytelling. When he hadn’t moved
after several minutes—not even to blink his open eyes—the room erupted
with squeals of panic from everyone.
Everyone except for me, that is.
I moved close enough to Mr. Hyland to hear the final push of air from
his lungs. As the pandemonium echoed down the hall and other teachers
rushed into the classroom, I sat beside him, holding his hand calmly as the
last blush of red disappeared from his face.
The school recommended I get counseling following the “incident.” But
my parents, who were more than a little self-absorbed, noted no significant
change in my behavior. They bought me an ice cream, patted me on the
head, and—reasoning that I’d always been slightly odd—judged me to be
fine.
Mostly, I was fine. But I’ve wondered ever since what Mr. Hyland
would have liked his last words to be if they hadn’t been about the antics of
a particularly naughty rabbit
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