Thievery

Now is your chance to contribute to the bail fund I’m setting up for Ella.

Yesterday we had some cold weather and even a few snowflakes. I sent Ella to school wearing a warm sweater and her fleece jacket. Quite a few hours later, the van dropped Ella off at home and a very cheerful, smiling girl ran up the sidewalk.  Typically, she’s happy when she gets home. But she really had a little pep in her step and a giant grin. She was practically floating. Too add to the oddness, she was wearing a new winter coat.

I immediately felt guilty that her teachers didn’t think she was dressed warm enough and let her borrow a coat. Or worse, gave her a new coat thinking she was in need (she has a coat and parka and we’re moving to Texas, she’s fine)! And then I did some questioning. I asked Ella where she got the coat so I could return it to the proper school. First Ella told me she got it from Ms. Deb and it was Leah’s coat. There is no Leah in her class, either class. I then thought maybe the coat was donated by a prior student named Leah. I told Ella that she had a winter coat and we’d have to return this one. Then her excitement waned and her voice became firm. “No. I like this coat. I am keeping it.” I explained that she couldn’t keep it, it had to go back. “No. It has hearts. I like it.” Then I questioned her further and the most I could get was that it was Leah’s coat and she was keeping it because she liked it.

I marched Ella upstairs to her closet where I retrieved her winter coat. I had to get Lily’s too, which Lily thought was spectacular and then wore a parka for the next hour around the house. Ella was happy to have a winter coat to call her own. I then made a phone call to Garden of Hope figuring that Ella did not have “Leah’s” coat and this wasn’t due to the weather, but rather a four year old with sticky fingers. Debbie confirmed that Ella’s fleece was still hanging up. We had an idea of which student the coat belonged to. Now I had new guilt that that particular child would have to go home on that cold, windy night without her coat! And I had verification that my sweet little Ella was a petty criminal!

Interestingly enough, just that day they had heard a story at school about a child who wanted something and couldn’t have it. Turns out, the character wasn’t even named Leah. I have no idea where this Leah name is coming from.

We had a long conversation about taking things that do not belong to us. About how sad the other girl was to not have a coat to wear. When Loran came home and brought it up to Ella, she nearly crumbled into tears. Either she feels deep regret about going shopping from her classmate’s belongings…or she’s just starting down the path of crime.