Back to This Later

On his first school morning Evan sat on his bedroom rug and fastened his shoes twice. The first time they had felt too loose. The second time they felt too tight. Beside his bed stood a cardboard tower he had made during the summer. He knew where every piece belonged in this room. At school he did not even know where to put his coat.

Mum sat beside him while he loosened one strap. “School finishes after story time,” she said. “I will come to the classroom door to collect you.” Evan nodded but kept looking at his tower. Being old enough for school felt different from knowing how to be there. Mum stayed beside him until he stood up.

His teacher Ms Reed showed him a peg with his name. Inside the classroom there were pencils in pots and a table covered with cardboard. Evan chose two boxes and began a castle. He fitted a little doorway between them. By the time he started the tallest tower his shoulders had dropped. Cardboard bent in the same way here as it did at home.