I was afraid I’d dream again. And my mind was heavy with what I’d learned. The worst part was that I had no idea how to help myself. It was a science problem. But I didn’t seem to be able to think clearly about science. Maybe that was one of the parts that I’d lose forever if I stayed as I was. Maybe I was already losing it. Yesterday, the formula for force had flashed through my mind when I almost got hit by the cart. I tried to remember it now. It came, finally, but I had to work to bring it back. Right now, there was nothing I could do about that. At least, being up so early, I had plenty of time to walk to school. I really wasn’t even sure why I was going back to the school. But I didn’t know what else to do. And ever since I’d started teaching at Washington Irving Elementary, the school had been my second home. The other teachers had been my family. I guess the students had almost been like my children. Teaching was definitely more than just a job for me—it was my life.
