Daisy's Perfect Word by Sandra V. Feder, Susan Mitchell Page B

kind after each student had answered.
    â€œEmma?” she asked.
    â€œHere,” Emma said.

    â€œYour shiny headband really makes your eyes sparkle,” Miss Goldner said. “And thank you for remembering to water the class plants.” Miss Goldner even had something nice to say to Samantha. Daisy usually looked forward to Miss Goldner’s comments, but today she could barely sit still. Finally, Miss Goldner put away her attendance folder. Daisy and Emma shot each other looks across the room. They could hardly wait for the big announcement.
    Miss Goldner stood up tall and asked, “Are you ready for my big news?” The children all answered together, “Yes!”
    â€œI’m engaged,” Miss Goldner said with a big smile on her face.
    Chapter Three  
    Daisy loved the sound of
engaged
. It sounded as if it must be splendid. And when Miss Goldner explained what an engagement was — a promise to be married — Daisy knew it was splendid. But it was also sad, because at the end of the school year, Miss Goldner would be moving away.
    â€œI’m very happy,” Miss Goldner said, “but I will miss all of you very much.” Then her eyes got misty and a couple of tears fell down her cheeks.
    That happened every so often, especially when Miss Goldner was talking about a favorite book or something someone had done that was particularly nice. When her tears slipped out, she always apologized to the children saying, “I can’t help it. I get very emotional.” Not only did Daisy like the word
emotional
, she thought it was part of what made Miss Goldner so special. This time Miss Goldner’s emotional moment passed quickly, because the children distracted her with questions.
    â€œWhat does your wedding dress look like?” Samantha asked.
    â€œIt will be white with little pearls and a skirt as big and fluffy as a cloud,” Miss Goldner said.
    â€œWhat kind of cake will you have?” Will asked.
    â€œChocolate, of course.”

    â€œDon’t you want to teach at our school anymore?” Ben asked.
    â€œI love this school,” Miss Goldner said. “But I will have to move to a new town and find a new school, so I can be with my new husband.”
    â€œThat sounds like a lot of ‘new,’” Emma said.

    â€œIt sure does,” Miss Goldner agreed, sighing.
    Hearing all this, Daisy felt emotional herself and was glad that the recess bell rang before anyone saw the tear in her eye.
    Chapter Four
    After school, all the children could talk about was Miss Goldner’s engagement. Samantha was talking so excitedly that Daisy forgot to hum and listened instead. “I’m going to get Miss Goldner a gift, maybe a vase or candlesticks,” Samantha said. For once, Daisy was glad she had listened to Samantha.
    Giving Miss Goldner an engagement gift was a good idea, although Daisy thought vases and candlesticks were kind of boring. The other children wanted to give her gifts, too. Will, who was good at art, said he would make a picture frame. Ben, who loved sports, wondered if Miss Goldner would like a football.
    â€œLet’s all bring our presents in on Friday,” Samantha said, and the others agreed.
    On the way home, Daisy was quiet, while Emma chatted excitedly.
    â€œI wish we could go to the wedding,” Emma said. “I bet Miss Goldner will look like a princess! And chocolate cake is my favorite.”
    It was Daisy’s favorite, too. Normally, Daisy would have loved discussing whether the frosting was likely to be buttercream or whipped cream. But today, she was thinking about other, even more important things.
    Daisy said good-bye to Emma and headed into her house to tell her mother the big news.
    â€œMiss Goldner is engaged!” Daisy said, dropping her backpack on the floor and climbing onto a stool at the counter. “That word is going on a new list of
Wedding Words
.”
    â€œWell,