A teacher learns her pupil is skipping school and tending to his little sister alone when she pays him a surprise visit. Little does she know she’s about to discover a heartbreaking truth about the boy that would change their lives forever.
Mrs. Whittaker’s heart sank that morning when she returned from the school playground. For the first time that year Jamie had opened up to her about his family.
As a teacher, Mrs. Whittaker was aware of her limitations and that it wasn’t her job to pry into her students’ lives. But little Jamie was so different. Not because she had a soft corner for him but because he was the sweetest and kindest boy in her class.
Despite being only seven, he’d never been a trouble for anyone. And he’d always been too quiet for someone his age. So that day, when she saw him in the playground with a polaroid camera, she decided to have a little talk with him. If only she knew that talk would change her life forever…
“That’s a lovely camera you got, darling,” Mrs. Whittaker remarked, and the young boy turned to face her.
“Thank you…” he said quietly. “Daddy got it for me.”
“So, have you got any pictures in there? May I look?”
Jamie shook his head. “Not yet. But I know I’ll get some pretty clicks. Daddy was a photographer, and he loved taking pictures.”
“Oh, did he? Well, I guess that’s what smart daddies do!” she said with a smile. “You know, my daddy was a literature professor, so his talents were explaining Shakespeare and Dante and all those writers to his students! Not as fun as photography, you see!”
It was then she noticed the boy’s eyes well up. “But he can’t get me anything now…” he whispered. “Daddy’s gone… He went to the angels.”
When Jamie said that, something passed through Mrs. Whittaker’s heart. It made her stomach churn, and she wished she hadn’t asked Jamie about his father.
Since she’d started teaching Jamie, Mrs. Whittaker had always wondered why the boy never spoke about his family. She’d once seen his mother during the parent-teacher meeting but never got the chance to ask her if Jamie was happy at home.
After learning about his father’s death, Mrs. Whittaker’s heart sank. “You’re a brave boy, Jamie,” she told him calmly, “and I’m sure your father is telling the angels what a beautiful son he has! Isn’t that right?”..CONTINUE READING