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◎ Paul Villard
Miss Benson was the kindest, sweetest, most beautiful creature that ever walked the earth. She
was my second-grade teacher, and I was going to marry her when I grew up—if she would wait. I
would sit squirming in my seat for the entire morning to keep from raising my hand. I could not bear
to miss one precious moment of her presence by leaving the room.
My hand was always the first to be raised, however, when Miss Benson called for volunteers to
clean the blackboards or to gather papers and bring them to her desk. That was the best chore of all. It
made possible getting near enough to her to close out the others in the classroom. I would arrange
and rearrange the papers. They had to be in perfect order before I would make my reluctant way back
to my seat.
never quite worked up the courage to say it was for my teacher, as I never quite worked up the
unobserved to the corner of her desk. And each day the response was the same.
Miss Benson would come in and sit down. “Good morning, children.”
“Why, how nice!” She would pick up the offering of the day, then look around the room. “What
thoughtful little boy or girl brought me this?”
No one claimed the honor, least of all me. I kept my head down, looking at my desk.
“Can it be that I have a secret admirer?” she would ask.
I would feel the red rising in my face. I was certain that everyone was looking at me, and I
would sigh with when Miss Benson put the fruit away and started the lesson.
One fall morning, the class was abuzz with excitement. Someone had discovered that the next
day, Friday, was Miss Benson’s birthday. Everyone wanted to get her a present. My heart gave a
leap, at last I could give her something openly. That afternoon was spent combing the fields for wild
flowers. Not many were in bloom at that time of year, but I found several kinds of bright berries on
In the morning I hung back as others presented their gifts. Finally I went to the desk and gave
the bouquet to Miss Benson. She exclaimed with pleasure as she took it, and held it to her cheek for a
moment. My reward was a smile and a pat on the head.
The next Monday, Miss Benson was not in class. About the middle of the morning, I was asked
to go to the principal’s office. When I arrived, I was surprised to see my mother. On a table was my
bouquet.
“Do you know where Miss Benson is today?” the principal asked.
“No, sir,” I answered.
“Miss Benson,” he said, slowly and clearly. “is in the hospital, and you sent her there!”
I sat, stricken, in my chair.
“Do you know what you gave her?” he continued.
I nodded. “Berries, thistles and pretty red leaves.” I listed.
cause a severe skin rash if touched) His voice was filling with anger. “How did you protect yourself
when you picked them? Gloves?”
I shook my head. “Honest, I didn’t know they were poison ivy.” I started to cry.
The principal stood up. “Paul, I am suspending you for ten days. What happens after that
depends upon your behavior when you return.”
When I went back, Mother was sitting in her rocker, she held out her arms, and I sat in her lap
while she rocked me for a new minutes. “Let’s have a party!” she exclaimed finally. “What would
you like to do the very most?”
“I’d like to go see Miss Benson.” I replied.
Miss Benson was sitting up in bed when we arrived. Her face was covered with bandages. Only
one eye was showing. Both of her hands were swathed as well.
wanted to give you something... ” I stopped talking and swallowed hard.
Miss Benson’s one eye studied me. “You wanted to give me something special, didn’t you
Paul?” I nodded.
“All those apples were from you, weren’t they?” Again I nodded.
“When I get these bandages off,” she said, “I am going to give you a great a big hug.”
I was filled with happiness. She was not mad at me.
“And I’ll tell you a great big secret, too, Paul,” she continued. “When I am married, if I have a
son, I would like him to grow up just like you.”
I wasn’t certain that I saw a tear in her eye as Mother led me out of the room.
班森小姐是世界上最亲切、最甜美、最美丽的人。她是我二年级的老师，我长大了一定
要娶她——只要她愿意等我。我常常一整个上午都坐在座位上扭来扭去，就是不举手。她在
教室里的每时每刻都很宝贵，我舍不得出去。
但是，当老师问谁愿意擦黑板，谁愿意收卷子交到讲台上，我总是头一个举手。这可是
最美的差事了。可以撇开班上的其他同学，越来越接近她。我会把卷子一遍遍地重新整理，
放得整整齐齐，才依依不舍地回到我的座位上去。
这学期开学不久，我就开始缠着我妈要她在我的午餐里多加一个苹果或桃子。我总是没
能鼓起勇气说这是给老师的，也一直没敢当面送给老师。每天都有好吃的东西偷偷地放在讲
台的角落里。她每天的反应也都是一样的。
班森老师走进教室，然后坐下来。“孩子们，早上好！”
“班森老师早上好！”全班齐声回答。
“哈，真好！”她拿起当天的礼物，环顾四周看了看，“是哪个周到的男生还是女生送给我
的？”
没人承认做了这件好事，我就更不用说了。我一直低着头，两眼盯着自己的书桌。
她问：“难道我有一个神秘的爱慕者吗？”
我觉得我的脸发红了。我肯定大伙都在盯着我看，只见老师把水果放在一边，开始讲
课，我这才松了一口气。
一个秋天的上午，全班都兴奋地闹腾起来。原来有人发现，第二天星期五，是班森老师
的生日。每个人都想要送个礼物给她。我的心都快要跳出来了，我终于可以大大方方送她东
西了。那天下午，我一直在田野里搜寻野花。那个季节还在盛开的花不多见了，但我还是在
灌木丛里找到了好几种明亮鲜艳的浆果，摘到些干枯的蓟花头。最后我还看到有一小块地
里，有好一片艳丽的深红色的叶子……
第二天早晨，大家都纷纷献上了他们的礼物，我却退缩了。最后，我走上讲台，把一束
花送给了老师。她接过花，欣喜得叫了起来，又把花捧在脸颊上。她对我报以一笑，还轻轻
拍了下我的头。
接下来的那个星期一，班森老师没来上课。到了快中午的时候，我被叫到了校长室。当
我进去时，惊讶地发现我妈也在。桌上还放着我那束花。
“你知道班森老师今天去哪儿了吗？”校长问。
“报告，不知道。”我回答。
“班森老师，”校长说着，声音缓慢而清晰，“在医院里——是你害了她！”
我坐在椅子上一动不动，完全被吓坏了。
“你知道你送她什么啦？”他又问。
我点了点头。“浆果、蓟花，还有漂亮的红叶。”我一一数道。
“小家伙，那些‘漂亮的红叶’是有毒的常春藤！”（有毒的常春藤是一种苏模叶，可触发严
重的皮疹）他的声音充满了怒气。“你摘的时候是怎么保护自己的？戴手套吗？”
我摇摇头。“真的，我不知道它们是有毒的常春藤。”我哭了起来。
校长站起来。“保罗，我罚你停学十天。之后怎么办就看你十天后复学的表现了。”
我回来后，妈妈正坐在她的摇椅上。她伸出双臂，把我搂在怀里摇了一阵。“我们找点什
么来玩吧！”她最后问了我一声，“你最想做什么？”
“我想去看班森老师。”我回答。
我们到达医院的时候，班森老师正从病床上坐起来。她的脸上缠满了绷带，只露出一只
眼睛，两只手也裹着绷带。
“我不知道那是有毒的常春藤，”我脱口而出，“我不是有意要伤害您的。我只是想送您一
点东西……”我说不下去了，强忍住不哭。
班森老师用那只眼端详着我。“你想送我一点特别的东西，对吧，保罗？”我点了点头。
“所有那些苹果也都是你送的，对吧？”我又点了点头。
“等我拆掉绷带，”她说，“我要给你一个大大的拥抱。”
我感到幸福极了。她没有在生我的气。
“保罗，我还要告诉你一个大秘密，”她接着说，“等我结了婚，要是有个儿子的话，我就
要他长大了像你一样。”
我妈领我走出病房的时候，我仿佛看到班森老师的那只眼睛正闪着泪花。
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