anticipation

Yesterday was so long. Multiplication in a Week is labor intensive. No time for recess or lunch. Followed by after school crosswalk duty at what I lovingly call the corner of death. Then a two hour off campus meeting with the cute name Comprehension Club. Yes, that's the official name.

All through my day though was anticipation for our Fall Festival. I volunteered to be in the dunk tank from 6:30 to 7:00. We dunkees had been conferring all week about our misgivings. Still, dunking sounded better to me than pie in the face. I decided to wear my spring suit, which is a wet suit with short sleeves and legs.No white t-shirts, this is a school function!

The tank had bars around the upper half making it look like a cage. The bars protect against wild throws. I had seen them filling the tank earlier in the day. Water straight from the hose. It's not that I expected it to be heated, but seeing the hose made me shiver.

Once it was my turn in the tank I decided to duck in the water before taking my position. I wanted to get the first dunk out of the way. It was cold, but the suit helped a lot. Child after child paid their 4 tickets ($1) for 2 throws. Most didn't even come close to the target. A few hit it so lightly that it didn't release the seat. I started to relax and have fun.

Then I saw him. About 14, tall and lean muscles, baseball cap at a jaunty angle. I knew this was it! Throw and thwap! He missed, but that was a hard throw. The next...Wet, water in my nose, I'm under water and it's a shock! As I climb back on the seat I realize it wasn't so bad. Like most things the anticipation was worse than the reality.

Now I sit on the hot - no the cold seat and wait to be dunked again. And wait, and wait. I shiver and make cheery small talk with my students, parents, and staff as I wait for the next skilled pitcher. Child after child takes their shot. I hope one of my students succeeds, but none do. Then I notice another young teen in line. uh-oh he looks like he plays baseball. Sure enough, down I go. This is when I discover it's warmer to be be in the water than in the evening air evaporating.

I only got dunked one more time. Three dunks in 30 minutes. At 7:00 my 12 hour school day was almost over. I peeled off my wet suit in the staff bathroom and headed home. Now the anticipation was for my hot jacuzzi tub.