Years ago, when I taught at a different school, there were two students who often ate lunch with me. They were usually happy, and almost always giggled. I called them the “Giggly Girls”.
They graduated years ago and should be most of their way thru college by now. They did stop by my classroom once last year, but otherwise they’ve gone the way that most students do … launched their own trajectories into the future with us cheering from the ground, proud of their ascent.
Today a student came into the classroom before school started.
“Mr. Hasan,” she said. “I think you know my sister.”
“I know your sister?”
“You taught at Cedar Creek, right?”
“Yes…”
She told me her sister’s name. It took several seconds for the neurons to fire — longer than it should, but not as long as it usually does.
“You know,” she said, smiling, “one of the Giggly Girls.”
…
So here I am standing around the launch pad as these trajectories rise into the future. Some have long since transformed into orbits with the students circling the earth, doing whatever it is they’ve decided to do. And today, one passes over, and the sister points up to the sky, and lo there is Bella waving as she passes overhead.