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person I saw when I got off the bus that day. And that story wasn’t the sort of thing I could keep to myself. I found Grandma on her hands and knees in the garden. She kept pulling weeds while I got all the words out. Then she sat upand wiped the sweat from her brow with her already dirty handkerchief. She’d been working all day. She and Grandpa never slowed down.
    “Danielle, I don’t recall school bein’ so unbelievable when I was there. Course, not much about your school is like mine was, but still, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of children havin’ the kind of days you seem to have in that room with Mr. Terupt.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Well, this isn’t exactly the sort of stuff that happens in school—teachers almost dying and abandoned babies being rescued. Heck, I don’t remember much of anything from my schooling days, ’cept gettin’ rapped on the knuckles with a ruler when I didn’t do as I was told. I got to think the good Lord has something planned out for you kids in that classroom, ’cause these aren’t simple things you’re experiencin’.”
    Mr. Terupt had said something similar. We’d been forced to grow up, and we were certainly a special group because of all we had gone through together. I figured if I could handle the truth about a little baby after watching him almost die, then I ought to be able to know about the man who walked across our fields. I told Grandma as much.
    “Danielle, sometimes ignorance is bliss. Do you know what that means?”
    “No, ma’am.”
    “It means you get away without needing to worry so much when you don’t know or understand all the details about something. And that’s good, ’cause you don’t need to be worrying all the time. The adults can do that.”
    “If I’m experiencing such grown-up things in school, I think I ought to be able to deal with them at home.” My voice rose more than I meant it to. “And besides,” I added, “I’m already worrying about it.”
    “Then stop,” Grandma demanded, the gentleness in her voice gone. She threw her weeds down and stood up. “There’s nothing you can do about it if I do tell ya, so I don’t see any point in tellin’ ya. And that’s the end of it.”
    “Yes, ma’am.” I didn’t like her answer one bit, but I didn’t talk back. I knew not to push Grandma’s buttons. She wasn’t going to bend—not today, anyway. I dropped my bag and got down on my hands and knees and started pulling some weeds. I yanked at the green shoots hard enough that my hands started to burn.
    “Danielle,” Grandma said after some silent weeding. “How’s that baby doing?”
    “I’m not sure.”
    “We best pray for him tonight.”
    “Yes, ma’am.”
    “And Jeffrey too,” Grandma said.
    I nodded.
    Dear God
,
    Jeffrey carried a baby into our classroom this morning. A baby that was thrown away. Dropped in the weeds and left there to die. Mr. Terupt did all he could to help, then the ambulance came and took the baby away. Please take care of him. Don’t let him die. Jeffrey was his savior, but I’m sure he needs your comfort now, too
.
    God, I’m not sure why such terrible things need to happen in this world. And at this point, I don’t think I’ll ever have an answer. But I do know that whoever threw a little baby away like that, must also really need your help. So I want to pray for those people, too. Please help them find the right path. Amen
.
    Oh, and one last thing. I’d still like it if you could help me find out the truth about that man who was in our fields this summer, but don’t tell Grandma. Thank you. Amen
.

T erupt offered to take me to the hospital with him and Ms. Newberry the next day after school. He was going to check on the baby. Everyone wanted to know how he was doing, and I think Terupt sensed that I especially wanted to know. I couldn’t think about anything else. But I had to say “No thanks” to his offer. Hospitals still brought back too many bad memories for