work pants, one hand over his face, his thermos hanging forgotten in the other. I do not think he understood how many people had come until the applause kept going and going and going.
The principal walked up first and shook his hand, but Mr. Walter barely managed to nod.
Then the children swarmed him. Each one wanted to hand him a card, hug his arm, or tell him happy birthday before somebody else did.
Ben reached him early with his own card and said, very seriously, “I didn’t want
