Speaking of Tongues

Calculus had a new adornment to show me yesterday—a tongue stud. She handed me note as she walked in (10 minutes after the tardy bell) that said, “Do you mind if I don’t say anything today? I just got my tongue pierced and it hurts to talk.”

As I look up from the note, she presented the evidence to me.

“Aahhh…”

I know that these things are common, but I must say that I do find it uncharacteristic of Calculus. What bothers me is that she’s starting to behave to where a tongue piercing will be exactly what I expect.

It turns out that she didn’t show up until the fourth day of school because she didn’t want to end a vacation she took to Mexico. Which turns out her mother didn’t even give her permission to go on in the first place. She met a guy who’s “totally cool, even though he’s like ten years older.”

Little by little, she’s been revealing her time south of the border. Maybe a stab to the tongue is just the break I was looking for.