Hurricane Child

Kalinda and Caroline hide in the empty classroom next to Miss Joe’s office. They overhear Missus Wilhelmina tell Miss Joe one of the overhead fans isn’t working, and Miss Joe follows her back to the classroom. Caroline and Kalinda run into Miss Joe’s office, and Caroline looks through her desk and finds a photograph: “One yellowed photo of two young women, only slightly older than me, and one of them is undoubtedly Miss Joe, and the other is just as clearly my mother” (139). Kalinda says her mother is beautiful and that Caroline looks like her. She asks why Miss Joe has a photo of Caroline’s mother. Caroline tells her they were best friends and that she’s going to steal the photo because she doesn’t have any pictures of her mother, and she doesn’t care if Miss Joe notices.

The girls hear Missus Wilhelmina and Miss Joe returning to the office, and they run back to the classroom. Missus Wilhelmina runs after them, but they are too quick and are already in their seats. Kalinda begs everyone to lie for them and they agree. Missus Wilhelmina asks Caroline where she was, and Caroline says she was always there. Anise agrees and says loudly that Caroline has been there stinking up the room, and everyone laughs.