When Mr. Vitalo left Miss Poster's class that day and the second he closed the door, she gave me daggers. As I watched both his brown pin-striped suit disappear out of one eye, I looked at Poster with the other. I think she wanted to strangle me! She was like that. I remember one time she got so mad at a kid named Bobby after she finished embarrassing him, she took him by his face , squeezed his cheeks so hard with one hand, his face reddened more that his usual red face. Poster was always inappropriate with the kids in the way she talked. She would do air kisses to kids, and say things like, smooches, oh you are sooo cute. We were sixth graders! Another time she was mad at bobby, she had him at the blackboard and took his nice dark wavy hair at the front and banged his head against the board. Bobby was such a good kid, polite, handsome, smart and all around a nice person and he grew up the same way. His mom was just like him, so that's who he learned from, but his mom was also very quiet, almost mousy, as I heard adults describe her.
Mary, Bobby's mom didn't know what was happening in Posters class except that she was a flirt and we would never expect Mary to do much anyway except talk in her nice quiet way, so one day during class, Mary walked in as red faced as her son usually was. Boy were we all surprised! Hands on her hips, walking to Poster, Poster stopped her and said, I beg your pardon, you have to go to the office! We are in class. Oh this was so good to witness. Poster was getting put in her place all over again and by sweet Mary. Quietly Mary said, I am Bobby's mother. Poster smiled, did dumb chit chat and said you will still have to leave. Mary stood her ground, No I am not leaving until I have said what I came to say. Suddenly hand in the air I thought Mary was going to belt Poster, but she was mad, boiling mad and kept talking-if you ever so much as lay a pinkie finger on my son again, I will be back and you will get this, raising her hand again. Poster tried to act huffy saying, I don't know what you're talking about, I never...and Mary asked any kids who saw what Poster did to Bobby to stand up. I stood, and most of the class followed. Mary said again, how would you like me to pull your hair and put you against the blackboard banging your head, and squeeze your face?
Poster denied it all ever happened saying kids stretch the truth. Just then Mr. Vitalo walked in seeing a strange adult in the class. He quickly stepped in the middle and asked Mary if he could help. She was overcome with emotion and started to tear up, commenting on things happening in Posters class. Mr. Vitalo hugged her, patted her back! My Mr. Vitalo was hugging Bobby's mom! But as I watched a little closer he was giving a gentleman's hug and assuring things will change, that she had his word. He walked her out and turned to Poster, Miss Poster I'll see you in my office after three. She said, Mr. Vitalo, I have things to do. In a swift look he said, if you want to report to school tomorrow, you'll be in my office today. All I can say is, we sure got a lot of homework that day, and I was even more proud of this new guy, this Mr. Vitalo.
At three o'clock as kids left school, we noticed Poster hesitating as she left her room for Mr. Vitalo's office. A friend of mine and I decided we would run back into school to see if we could hear what Mr. Vitalo was saying to Poster.
Just as we got to the second floor we were stopped by the office secretary, Mr. Hazel. He was awesome with his bow ties and plaid suits. Quiet plaids, but classy, but still he wore a lot of plaid three piece suits and he smoked a pipe. His name was Mr. Hazel. His suits were usually brown, but a lighter shade and he wore glasses. Mr. Hazel was a very thoughtful man in the way that he answered kids questions. He take his pipe out and say, hm mm let me see. So now here he was asking us where we were going. Both giving a different answer I said the bathroom, and my friend said to see Miss Poster get in trouble. Yes, of course he believed her, but I said I still had to go to the bathroom. He let me pass, and that day, was the start of something new.
Passing Mr. Vitalo's office I heard him yell, hey MAC! I froze. Did he just call me? Was I in trouble? I didn't do anything, so I kept walking and in two seconds heard another, Hey MAC! It was me he was calling. I backed up slowly, tapped on his glass door, and said, yes Mr. Vitalo? Mr. Vitalo never missed anything I would learn. Then he said it, "tuck in that blouse". Straight-faced I said yes, and left smiling. He noticed.
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