Sion's Time

Little Laurie, who has just started kindergarten, keeps his parents in suspense with more or less shocking stories about his fellow pupil Charles, who __________________ his teacher and classmates with his aggressive behaviour. Charles, for instance, hits the teacher, keeps pounding his feet on the floor during story time, or __________________ in class during story hour. Punishment obviously has little effect of him. Fearing that “all his toughness” may have a “bad influence” on Laurie, his mother “passionately” wishes to contact Charles‟ mother at the first Parent-Teacher meeting, but her plan comes to nothing because her baby‟s cold keeps her from going. __________________,
Laurie‟s daily reports about Charles begin to dominate both parents‟ consciousness. By the third week of kindergarten “Charles” has become a synonym for any kind of damage done within the family. After what seems a time of reformation in Charles when his teacher calls him her “helper”,
Charles __________________ to his usual misbehaviour. Among other things, he makes a little girl say an evil word and later says it himself “three or four times”. Anxiously, Laurie‟s mother attends the second Parent-Teacher meeting where no one, however, mentions Charles. When she approaches the teacher after the meeting and introduces herself as Laurie‟s mother, she is informed primly that her little son had “a little trouble __________________, the first week or so”, but now has become a fine little helper. With occasional __________________, of course”. Innocently Laurie‟s mother tries to attribute her son‟s __________________ to “Charles‟ influence”, but the teacher informs her that hey
“don‟t have any Charles in the kindergarten”. It is only at this point that she realizes that Laurie – give or take an __________________ or two – has been describing his own behaviour at school. One can only imagine her shock on realizing that she herself is “Charles‟ mother”.