Annie tried to control her apprehension as she pulled into the elementary school parking lot. After all, it wasn't like this was a common occurrence. Overall Max was a well behaved boy. Sure he could be a little rambunctious at times, but generally he was very polite and respectful. But even if this was his first offence it didn't exactly make her feel proud to be called into the principal's office.

She pushed the front doors opened and walked into the front office. "Hello, I'm Mrs. Winger. I'm here to see Ms. Harper."

"Yes, of course, she's expecting you." The receptionist gestured to the closed door over to the right. Annie went over and loudly knocked on it. Just then she noticed Max sitting on a wooden chair against the wall, an angry pout on his little face. Before she could say anything the door opened, revealing a very stern looking woman with silver gun medal hair.

"Mrs. Winger. Please come in."

Feeling like she herself was in trouble Annie walked into the office. "Have a seat." The principal gestured as she closed the door. Annie sat down as Ms. Harper walked over and sat down behind her desk. "I called you in because it seems your son was fighting with another boy, Samuel Tanner, on the playground during recess today."

Annie sighed deeply as she took the information in. "I'm shocked. Max is usually such a good boy. He never gets in trouble."

"Well be that as it may, Riverside elementary takes a very strict policy when it comes to physical altercations."

"May I ask what happened?"

"It seems both boys are being tight lipped on the specifics of the incident. The only thing I've been able to learn is according to Samuel, Max was the one who 'started it'. Nevertheless of who started it, both boys are being suspended for the rest of the week."

Annie gasped as she took in the news. "Isn't that a little excessive. I mean, I'm in no way condoning what happened. But Max has never gotten into trouble before. Can't you show some leniency? He's only six."

"I'm sorry Mrs. Winger. But our policy is to suspend children if they get into a fight, regardless if it is their first or twentieth offence, or how old they are."

Annie looked at her; sadly able to see that there was no way she could change the woman's mind. "Fine. If that is all I'm going to take my son home then."

"I hope you will spend this time making sure he knows what he did wrong Mrs. Winger."

"I can assure you Max has a well developed sense of right and wrong." Annie said in a cool clipped tone, annoyed that her parenting skills were being brought into question. She rose from her chair, putting on a smile that didn't meet her eyes. "Thank you for your time Ms. Harper." Without another word to the woman she walked out of the office. "Let's go Max." She took Max's hand as they walked out of the building.

She looked at him through the rearview mirror as she drove home. His head was pressed against the window as he breathed on the glass. "Max, are you going to tell mommy what happened?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing happened? You're telling me you're being suspended for three days for doing nothing?" She found that the best way to confront an issue with Max was to approach it logically.

He squirmed in his seat as she continued to look at him through the mirror. "Sam's a poop head."

"First of all, we don't use that kind of language Max."

"Even if he is one?"

"Even if he is one." She tried to keep herself from smiling at that remark. "And second, I doubt you two got into a fight just because of how you feel about him."

She waited for him to answer as she drove through the streets in their neighborhood. Just as she was about to wait until Jeff came home she heard him ask "What's a gold digger mommy?"

Annie pulled over to the side of the road as she turned around to properly look at him. "Where did you hear that from?"

"Sam. He called you a gold digger. So I hit him."

"You hit him for saying something even though you didn't know what it meant?"

"I knew he meant it was something bad. Like when you and daddy spell things in front of me. I don't know what it means but I know it's something you don't want me to know. What does gold digger mean mommy?"

Annie desperately tried to think of a way to avoid answering his question that wasn't an outright lie. "It means you're married to someone you don't truly love."

"That's not you and daddy, right?" Max said, his eyes going wide.

"No, of course not. Your father and I love each other very much."

"You're always kissing each other. It's gross."

She smiled at his typical childish declaration. "When you're older you won't think it's so gross." She pulled the car back onto the road and continued driving home.

When they arrived home she told him to go in his room. She went into the kitchen and filled the teapot with water to make herself a cup of tea. Once it was heated she poured the hot water into a cup and sat at the kitchen table, absentmindedly dunking a tea bag as she thought over what Max had told her. Obviously that boy he hit had been talking about the age difference between her and Jeff, insinuating that she was married to him for reasons other then love. Though she didn't want to think this way, if she had to guess she would bet someone told the boy this (possibly his parents), which caused him to think it. She couldn't believe people would think that about them.

First of all, the differences in their ages weren't THAT great. Hell, at parent teacher night Suzy Johnson's mother was TWENTY FIVE years younger than her father (at one point someone asked if he was the girl's grandfather and he had to explain that Gwen was his wife and Suzy was his daughter.) So it wasn't like she was the only one who was a bit younger than her husband. And second, she was married to Jeff for no other reason than the fact that they madly loved each other. What he made at the law firm didn't factor into it at all.

She continued to sit in the kitchen holding her cup of tea. She didn't even realize how long she had been sitting there until she heard the front door open. "Annie!"

"In here Jeff!" She got up as Jeff came over and kissed her. "Hey Sweetie, how was work today?" He glanced around the kitchen, noticing nothing was being prepared. "Was it my night to cook? I completely forgot. I'll make spaghetti if we still have that jar of red sauce we didn't use last week."

"What? No, it's my turn to, you know what, we'll just order in or something. But I have to talk to you first. Max was suspended from school today for getting in a fight with another boy."

"Really? What happened?"

She sighed deeply as she looked at Jeff. "The other boy called me a gold digger and Max fought him over it. He said he didn't know what it meant, but could tell it was something bad."

Jeff frowned as he took that in; clearly not happy with what he was hearing. "Would it be so terrible if I praised him?"

"Jeff! We're teaching him it's wrong to hit others."

"I know that. But he wasn't being a bully. He was defending his mother."

"Be that as it may, he shouldn't hit people just because they insult him or us."

"Ok, let's go talk to him."

They went upstairs and opened Max's bedroom door. The boy was sitting on the floor playing with his toy cars. Annie sat on the bed as Jeff sat down next to his son. "Hey Max. I heard you got into a fight today."

"Yea. With Sam Tanner. He's bigger than me and in third grade, but I fought him."

Jeff tried not to look proud as he took that in. "Well regardless, you don't fight with others. If someone is making you angry you tell them off with your words. Or you simply walk away. Now, what did he do to make you want to fight him?"

"He called mommy a gold digger. And said you were a dirty old man. I yelled at him that you shower everyday and he just laughed."

Jeff tried to contain his annoyance as he mulled over what to say. "Well, that wasn't a nice thing for him to say. But you shouldn't have hit him. Max, throughout your life people are going to say mean things to you. If you fight everyone who does you won't get far. Because of this you got suspended and can't see your friends until next week. Next time you could get in even more trouble. Do you understand?"

"Yea."

Jeff glanced up at Annie, who smiled to let him know he was handling it well. "Good." He watched his son play with his trucks for a few moments. "Max, you don't think daddy's old, do you?"

"Yea. You and mommy are both old."

Though he didn't turn around Jeff could tell that Annie was desperately trying not to laugh over that one. "Well, maybe compared to you. But overall I would say neither of us are that old."

Just then the phone rang. "I'll get it." Annie ran out to answer the phone. A few minutes later she stuck her head in the bedroom. "Jeff, can you come out here."

She waited until Jeff was in the hallway before cupping her hand over the phone. "It's Sam's parents. They want to talk to us about what happened."

"Oh they do? Do they know how this fight started?"

"I don't think so. They want to meet with us sometime this week. I have a meeting tomorrow after work. Is Thursday good?"

"Yea, I don't have to be in court until next Monday."

"Ok, I'll tell them we'll meet with them Thursday evening."