When Dana walked in, the atmosphere in the office was grim.
«Hello, Mrs. Kostoff,» Dana said brightly. «Kemal.»
Kemal was staring at his shoes.
«I understand there's a problem?» Dana continued.
«Yes, there certainly is, Miss Evans.» She handed Dana a sheet of paper.
Dana stared at it, puzzled. It read:Vodja, pizda, zbosti, fukati, nezakonski otrok, umreti, tepec. She looked up. «I—I don't understand. These are Serbian words, aren't they?»
Mrs. Kostoff said tightly, «Indeed they are. It's Kemal's misfortune that I happen to be Serbian. These are words that Kemal has been using in school.» Her face was flushed. «Serbian truck drivers don't talk like that, Miss Evans, and I won't have such language coming from the mouth of this young boy. Kemal called me apizda. »
Dana said, «Api —?»
«I realize that Kemal is new to our country, and I've tried to make allowances, but his—his behavior is reprehensible. He's constantly getting into fights, and when I reprimanded him this morning, he—he insulted me. That was too much.»
Dana said tactfully, «I'm sure you know how difficult it must be for him, Mrs. Kostoff, and—»
«As I told you before, I'm making allowances, but he's trying my patience.»
«I understand.» Dana looked over at Kemal. He was still staring down, his face sullen.
«I do hope this will be the last incident,» Mrs. Kostoff said.
«So do I.» Dana rose.
«I have Kemal's report card for you.» Mrs. Kostoff opened a drawer, took out a card, and handed it to Dana.