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They reach the stairwell and begin descending to the basement. Mrs.
Roivas continues, "You shouldn't bother girls. Girls are delicate. Hold on
to the rail, Max." At the bottom of the stairs, Max hears machine sounds
and bubbling noises. He doesn't want to go any further.
 She opens the door and escorts the boy into a dark room, dimly lit
by the coal furnace. Pipes cover the ceiling and electrical machinery lines
the walls. Max shivers. Mrs. Roivas knows the custodian has gone home
already. She takes the boy through this hellishly lit dungeon, his wide
eyes taking in the unsettling details. They reach the back and stop before
a large steel door.
 The teacher stares down at her uneasy student a moment, then asks,
"Do you watch hockey, Max?"
 "Yes. My dad's a Kings fan," he replies as Mrs. Roivas fishes for her
keys. Thoughts of his father temporarily make Max feel better, but this
fades seconds later when Mrs. Roivas unlocks the door and swings it
open.
 She then states, "This is my Penalty Box."
 Max sees a gray room before him dimly lit by light coming through
a tiny window. The walls are covered with dirty, once-white tiles. The
floor is concrete and has a small drain. Faint stains color the bottom. The
room pleasantly reminded Mrs. Roivas of solitary confinement.
 "Go on in, Max." He doesn't want to. Mrs. Roivas nudges the boy
inside. As the door closes, Max feels very alone. He's |
shaking all over and
feels like he might wet himself like a baby. Max tries to be brave like a
big boy, but his eyes begin to water.
 Outside the room, Mrs. Roivas waits for a very long minute to let Max
understand what the Box means, what kind of punishment it represents.
Eventually she cracks the door open; her voice wouldn't be heard through
the metal.
 She watches the childish bully wipe his eyes and she speaks, "You
aren't going to be a bad boy and act up again, are you Max?" He shakes
his head vigorously. "You aren't going to pull any more hair?"
He immediately exclaims, "No, Mrs. Roivas."
 She bends down, gets real close to his face, and mutters, "Good. Next
time you are bad, you'll stay in the Box."
 The student and teacher quietly leave the basement and silently
climb the stairs. When they get back to the classroom, Mrs. Roivas notices
the time. She directs the children to clean up and helps them get ready to
leave. Howard escorts the kids out of the school. Mrs. Roivas watches
some of her students get picked up by their parents; others take the
school bus home.
 Mrs. Roivas studies Max's face as he sits in his seat on the bus. She
knows from his bleak expression she has made an impression. A satisfied
smile comes to her. As she stares out the window, the fulfillment she feels
dwindles to emptiness.
 Howard enters the classroom and tells Mrs. Roivas things were fine
while she was out with Max. He asks about Max. She tells him they went
to the stairwell and had a nice conversation. After a few more minutes of
chit chat, Howard goes home. Images of |
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