The seventh graders and I were setting up for a bingo fundraiser. During class I took them out in the school van. First, we went around town collecting food donations from families. Then we took the donations to the bingo hall, which was very close to the school. While we were there, we stayed to get the hall set up and turn on the heat. We also did the preliminary set up for the concession stand. As we were getting ready to leave, Calvin noticed a bike sitting out in front of the bingo hall. “Hey!” he said in his laconic way, “That’s Jimmy’s bike.” Jimmy was Calvin’s brother, who had complained of his bike being stolen recently. I replied with something inane to indicate that I was glad the bike was found. “I’m going to take it back to school,” said Calvin. I nodded absently, glanced at my cell phone clock, and urged everybody into the van.

After I climbed in, I looked back to count heads, and Calvin was missing. I blurted out, famously it turned out, “where the hell is Calvin?” The kids cheerfully reminded me that he was taking Jimmy’s bike back to school and reminded me also that he had explained his plan to me before he left. I rubbed my eyes briefly, and then looked out the window to see long tall Calvin on his brother’s tiny bike, disappearing around the shop building. When we got back, he was waiting for us. The kids were delighted that I had sworn, no matter how mildly, and wanted to know if I had ever done it before. I said there was that time in Naukati when a student tried to make a lamp out of a potato, and somehow managed to throw all the breakers at once, and that maybe I would tell them the story sometime.