Her office on the second floor permitted Mrs. Haliburton a view of the front entrance.
She was reluctant to give up this view. She was able to observe everyone, students and
staff, coming in, and report on their morning disposition. Case in point, the incident
that developed from the fracas in the car park across the street, where a student was
stabbed while onlookers jumped on the cars for a better view of the fight.
The car park had been used by some teachers without formal permission. It was
intended for residents of the apartment building but since they owned very few cars
there were always spots available. For years teachers, glad for the feeling of security
the enclosure offered, drove in and parked in the empty spots.
Imagine their surprise, the shock, one morning, when they arrived to find the
entrance blocked.
A group of residents, mainly women, were walking up and down in what seemed a
kind of protest action. They lowered a chain to let a resident car out; they raised it to
block teachers from entering.
Mrs. Haliburton was at her desk observing the situation, and reporting developments
blow by blow to Noreen at the Board of Ed.
"Here comes…I think it's Mr. Estwick…teaches Biology…a young man, he started
last fall, his wife had a baby the other day…um hmm…he drives in from the Island…
he's been parking right outside the front entrance which nobody in their right mind
would do, these kids don't think twice about sitting on your hood when they want to
hang out after school…well, he had his sideview mirror broken, and the antenna bent
…you'd think he'd learn his lesson by now…no, he continues to park there…on the
same spot…um hmm…Now wait, this is interesting…Mrs. Karnipp just drove up…
they've raised the chain…she's getting out the car…she's speaking to them… My
goodness! she's really upset…she's backing away!…Lord knows where she'll park today."
Later Mrs. Haliburton couldn't resist asking Mrs. Karnipp about the encounter. They
were in the teachers' cafeteria. Mrs. Karnipp was sipping coffee and pulling on her
cigarette.
"I noticed you had some trouble this morning…with the people across the street…in
the parking lot?" she probed.
"You know, I've been parking there for years…never had any problems with those
people. It never occurred to me I was taking someone's parking spot…I mean, there
are more spaces there than people own cars."
Mrs. Karnipp's eyes were wide open with pain and distress for all the world to see.
Her fingers with the cigarette scratched the air. She searched Mrs. Haliburton's face
for some understanding of the chaos she'd been thrown into.
"Well it is their parking lot. They can do whatever they want with it," Mrs. Haliburton
said matter o' factly.
FARJOURNEY CARIBBEAN 