Claudia C. Bowker
Published: 2013-04
Total Pages: 204
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"Lock down the building and call 911! He's got a gun!" Doris ran out of the office to intercept Senor Sanchez, the father of first-grader Maria and third-grader Carlos. She had to stop him before he reached the classroom hallways. "Senor Sanchez, what do you need? How can I help you?" "I want my children. That vile judge gave her custody. I want my children." He raised the gun and pointed it at her. Doris froze. "Don't make things any worse for yourself. Give me the gun," she said reasonably. She slowly resumed her approach toward him from across the lobby, with her hand extended to accept the gun. "Don't come any closer or I will shoot!" She took another few steps toward him with her hand out. "Give me the gun, and we will walk out of here together. Everything will be fine." Without warning, his grip tightened around the trigger. She spun sideways away from the muzzle, and he fired. A look of horror flooded Raul's face. His mouth screamed a silent "no" as he realized what he had just done. Doris Butler, the beloved principal of George B. Williams Elementary School, lies near death in the Intensive Care Unit at University Medical Center. As she struggles to survive the gunshot wound, her estranged daughter, Jennifer, learns of the love and respect the community has for the mother whose love she has spent her life rejecting. As Jennifer learns from her brother and sister-in-law, and her mother's colleagues, students, and community leaders of the impact Doris has made on their lives, Jennifer wonders if there is any hope of recovering the love she has chosen to isolate herself and her two young daughters from. If Doris survives, will Jennifer ever be able to repair the damage she has caused and give her daughters the grandmother's love they deserve?"