Categories > TV > Joan of Arcadia > Fall of the Sparrow
Chapter Three
0 reviewsThe second episode for an imaginary season three. Ryan's changing relationship with Joan has not altered his approach to life. Joan realizes that sometimes, even painful connections should not be s...
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Back in her now-empty office, Helen noticed that Bonnie's portfolio was gone and her Bosch book had been returned. Great; now she might never have a chance to talk to Bonnie and convince her to take art for another term, or at least find out why she'd decided to leave the class. "Another lost opportunity," Helen said out loud, sitting down an d sighing deeply.
"It's a big responsibility," agreed a sympathetic voice, and Helen looked up to see a janitor had entered the room and was reaching for the wastebasket. "Teachers are told they're supposed to shape young minds, but that can take a lifetime-it's not something that happens all at once."
"Sometimes I feel like I've lost sight of the whole 'shaping young minds' thing," Helen admitted. "It's all I can manage to cover the course material and teach them technique; I don't know if I'm having any impact on their actual lives." She looked more closely at the janitor. "I don't remember seeing you before," she said. "Are you new?"
The woman chuckled. "Oh, I'm always around," she assured Helen. "You must just not have noticed me. Sometimes people get so busy," she shook her head, "it's just hard to connect." She headed out of the room, turning back at the door to add, "Of course, it's important to keep up the connections we've already made, too. Especially when it's with one of those young minds we were talking about-they take rejection so much to heart, at that age, and they're just so ready to see rejection even where none is intended."
Alone again, Helen found herself thinking about Adam. They hadn't spoken much in the past few weeks, and she'd been glad; whatever the particulars were of what had happened between him and Joan, Helen doubted her own ability to empathize with the boy who had, for whatever reason, cheated on her daughter. Now, though, having had a little time to absorb the shock, she found she had a little room for concern about Adam as well. Why had he done something so out of character?
With a small pang of guilt, Helen acknowledged to herself that Adam was probably hurting too, and that her own avoidance of him must have felt like an out-and-out rejection. Maybe, she thought, I should try to talk to him. It wasn't fair to blame him for not handling things maturely: he wasn't mature, he was a kid, a work in progress.
meanwhile
Adam, feeling numb, was at that moment clearing out his locker. It was weird, he thought, how much had happened since the last time he'd done this. Everything from the past few months felt raw, unprocessed, out of place, as if he hadn't stepped back and gotten the perspective he needed.
Things were calm between him and Joan, but still, he thought, out of focus. Nothing harmonious had emerged yet; they'd just stopped clashing. At least, he told himself, I've stopped trying to gloss over it. That's progress, right?
But things still felt so wrong. For some reason, Ryan Hunter's face kept flashing into his mind. There was something about that guy. It was like someone had thrown a brick instead of dropping a pebble, and now there weren't ripples: there were waves.
"It's a big responsibility," agreed a sympathetic voice, and Helen looked up to see a janitor had entered the room and was reaching for the wastebasket. "Teachers are told they're supposed to shape young minds, but that can take a lifetime-it's not something that happens all at once."
"Sometimes I feel like I've lost sight of the whole 'shaping young minds' thing," Helen admitted. "It's all I can manage to cover the course material and teach them technique; I don't know if I'm having any impact on their actual lives." She looked more closely at the janitor. "I don't remember seeing you before," she said. "Are you new?"
The woman chuckled. "Oh, I'm always around," she assured Helen. "You must just not have noticed me. Sometimes people get so busy," she shook her head, "it's just hard to connect." She headed out of the room, turning back at the door to add, "Of course, it's important to keep up the connections we've already made, too. Especially when it's with one of those young minds we were talking about-they take rejection so much to heart, at that age, and they're just so ready to see rejection even where none is intended."
Alone again, Helen found herself thinking about Adam. They hadn't spoken much in the past few weeks, and she'd been glad; whatever the particulars were of what had happened between him and Joan, Helen doubted her own ability to empathize with the boy who had, for whatever reason, cheated on her daughter. Now, though, having had a little time to absorb the shock, she found she had a little room for concern about Adam as well. Why had he done something so out of character?
With a small pang of guilt, Helen acknowledged to herself that Adam was probably hurting too, and that her own avoidance of him must have felt like an out-and-out rejection. Maybe, she thought, I should try to talk to him. It wasn't fair to blame him for not handling things maturely: he wasn't mature, he was a kid, a work in progress.
meanwhile
Adam, feeling numb, was at that moment clearing out his locker. It was weird, he thought, how much had happened since the last time he'd done this. Everything from the past few months felt raw, unprocessed, out of place, as if he hadn't stepped back and gotten the perspective he needed.
Things were calm between him and Joan, but still, he thought, out of focus. Nothing harmonious had emerged yet; they'd just stopped clashing. At least, he told himself, I've stopped trying to gloss over it. That's progress, right?
But things still felt so wrong. For some reason, Ryan Hunter's face kept flashing into his mind. There was something about that guy. It was like someone had thrown a brick instead of dropping a pebble, and now there weren't ripples: there were waves.
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