Audio came home from school at the end of last week and told us excitedly that she was going to have a new classmate, or as they say in High 5, a new “friend.”  In Audio’s four-year-old English, she told us that that the new student would start this week and that the class was making cards for her.  Audio was very clear about the new kid being a girl, but the rest was a bit confusing.  Audio kept saying “Disney princess” about the girl.   

Over the weekend, my wife and I asked if the new girl had the same name as a Disney princess, or if they were using images of Disney Princesses on the cards for the girl, or why she was saying Disney princess.  Audio got frustrated with our questions and shouted, “Just Disney princess!” and refused to discuss the situation further.  We figured we’d figure it all out on Monday and quit bugging her about it. 

My wife was working short shifts for the week, so she was able to walk the girls to school with me in the mornings.  On Monday, after we watched Dee Dee and Audio go into the building, we saw the teacher who collects the kids at the front door and brings them to their room.  She stopped near where Audio and a couple other kids were waiting.  We decided to wait for the teacher to come outside so we could ask her about the new student and sort out what her name has to do with Disney princesses.  Unfortunately, we lost sight of the teacher.  With the kids going in the door and other staff walking out of the door, we didn’t see where she went, but she wasn’t coming outside.  So, we left.   

When we picked up the girls at the end of the day, we asked Audio what happened to her teacher that morning.  She said that the teacher greeted the kids who were there and then bent over into a trash can and threw up.  Audio also told us that after the teacher threw up, she went home.  We asked about the student with the Disney princess name.  Audio made a funny face, like she was trying extra hard to look angry and let us know that she didn’t want to discuss the situation. 

On Tuesday morning, there was a substitute teacher that came to collect the kids who go in through the front door.  By the time we realized that the teacher who could clear up the Disney princess problem wasn’t there, it was too late for us to catch the other teacher who collects kids at the other door, near the street.  So, we just went home.  After school, we asked Audio if the new student had started yet.  Audio rattled off a lengthy story that we understood little of. She talked about where kids sit on the floor, carrying lunch trays, changing for recess, and of course, a Disney princess was at the center of all of this. My wife and I started to wonder if Audio had been confused about there being a new student and maybe the teachers had just discussed what it would be like if a Disney princess joined their class, for some reason. 

On Wednesday, I went with Dee Dee to the front door and watched her go inside.  Then, I joined my wife at the other door, where she was waiting with Audio for the other teacher.  Only, that teacher never showed up.  We stood with other parents and kids for a few minutes until the teacher who threw up on Monday came out to collect the kids.  It was pretty chaotic, but we did discover that the barfing teacher was collecting the kids because the other teacher caught whatever this teacher had and now, she was out, sick.   

Without knowing what Audio was talking about with the whole Disney princess business and trying to avoid looking stupid in front of everyone, we didn’t say anything to the other parents or to the teacher when she arrived and then departed with the students.  As my wife and I walked back home from the school, we joked about how much effort we’d put into finding out why Audio had been associating the new student with Disney princesses.  We joked about what the kid could have been named; Cinderella, Moana, Rapunzel.  We agreed that Belle or Ariel were realistic guesses.  But we agreed that the whole thing was probably a misunderstanding of some sort and not worth thinking about any further. 

On Thursday morning, my wife and I both stood with both of the girls at the front door.  After the girls were inside, we saw the barfing teacher. She greeted some of the kids who had gone inside and then she made her way out to where we were standing, to collect kids who arrive by bus.  We were finally able to ask the teacher if they were getting a new “friend” in High 5. The teacher smiled at us and then turned her head towards a young girl who was making a beeline for her and said to the girl, “Good morning, Disney Princess!”