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Sunny Ruth, or Ms. Sunny as her students called her, was used to getting all sorts of questions from the class on what they could and could not bring for Show-And-Tell. After 10 years of teaching, she didn’t think there was much that could surprise her anymore.
“Can I bring my dog?”
“No, Simon, you know the rules, the only animal allowed in the room is the class pet, but you can bring some pictures of them or a short video.”
“Ms. Sunny, can I bring my mom’s perrunillas from our bakery?”
“Give me an ingredient list so we can make sure no one is allergic and that will probably be fine, Mateo.”
“Oh! Oh! Ms. Sunny! Can I bring my baby teeth? They are in a little treasure chest from the dentist!”
“Um, as long as they are clean, I don’t see why not…”
“Can I bring my rock collection?”
“Sure, just remember, everyone will probably want to touch them.”
“Ms. Sunny, can I bring my Captain America action figure?”
“Yes, that sounds like fun, Jamal. Just make sure that you bring it in a box or some type of container so none of the detachable pieces get lost.”
“Can I bring my lucky hula hoop?”
“Of course, I think that would be lovely, Akari.”
“Ms. Sunny, can I bring my brother?”
Sunny stared at the little girl who asked the seemingly innocent question. Kids loved to bring all sorts of relatives for show and tell – grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, and even siblings, which usually wasn’t a problem. Parents were usually encouraged to come and watch anyway.
But this little girl’s name was Morgan Stark.
As in heir to Stark Industries.
As in Iron Man’s daughter.
As in, only child.
“It’s always okay to bring family, Morgan,” Sunny smiled at her while internally debating how to handle this. As far as she knew, Morgan didn’t have any siblings. Unless her mom was expecting again?
“I can’t wait to tell Peter! What time are we having show and tell? He might get to miss school!” Morgan looked up at her expectantly with a huge smile.
“It’s – um, at 1:30pm tomorrow. Er, um, school you said? Your brother goes to school here?” Sunny wasn’t trying to pry exactly, but there were definitely not any other Starks in this school district.
Sunny had received a very pointed letter from the Superintendent (as did all the other teachers) about what an honor it was that the Avenger’s daughter was going to be a part of their student body and what high expectations he had for their curriculums. Sunny couldn’t have rolled her eyes harder at that, but she understood that the public gaze pretty much followed the Starks, especially since The Blip, which put a lot of attention on the school.
Morgan was a fantastic student and overall good kid. Which was why she was so confused. She didn’t believe Morgan would lie. And she was pretty sure she knew the difference between imaginary friends and real ones.
“No, mommy says we can’t go to the same school.” Morgan explained before running off to talk with one of her classmates, not noticing her teacher’s flabbergasted expression.
Sunny was having a minor meltdown.
Internally of course.
To her students she was soft words, guiding hands, and all smiles. They were only kindergarteners. They didn’t need to know that their beloved teacher was questioning her sanity and entire career.
While the kids were all doing a variety of eating, sculpting, and trading their carefully crafted lunches, Sunny went to stand by one of the other teachers on monitoring duty: Charlotte Murano, her good friend, well-known busybody, and more importantly, Iron Man enthusiast.
“Hey, Sunny, why the freak out face?” Charlotte inquired good-naturedly.
“How many kids do the Starks have?” Sunny blurted to her quietly.
“One. You know this… she’s in you class. Are you okay?” Her friend furrowed her brows at her with a slight tilt of her head.
“You know my class has show and tell tomorrow. Well, Morgan just asked me if could bring her brother. Yah, I know! Right?!” Sunny nodded emphatically to her friend’s stunned expression.
“Maybe her mom is pregnant?”
“She said, and I quote ‘he might get to miss school’!”
“What?? No way!” Charlotte’s eyes were huge and she grabbed her friend’s arm in excitement. “But why do I not know about this? How does nobody know about this??”
“And the other thing is,” Sunny lowered her voice even more as she glanced around the room, “she said her mom said they can’t go to the same school!”
Charlotte gave a small gasp. “No way! Ohmygosh. Do you think he’s some kid from Tony Stark’s playboy days that they are trying to keep under wraps? Or even from when he was already with Pepper Potts?! And the kids aren’t allowed to associate in public??”
“Would you lower your voice?! – Amelia! No standing on the bench! Please sit down! Thank you! – You would think they would tell their daughter that she cannot talk about her brother then. I don’t know what to think. Maybe I am overthinking this.”
“It is just so bizarre.”
“I know! But you know what, I can get to the bottom of this! I will just ask if her parents are coming to show and tell,” Sunny nodded to herself in affirmation. “Because if her parents are coming, then they would obviously know if some long-lost son is coming.”
“Good idea! Keep me posted – Ali! I won’t tell you again! No spoon catapults!”
The teachers went to round up their students before heading back to class and prevent any more food from flying.
Sunny was grading papers while the students were working on their math worksheets. Predictably, Morgan finished hers first and went to turn it in at the teacher’s desk, leaving the perfect opportunity for another harmless inquiry about her brother.
“Oh, Morgan –, “Sunny caught her attention as the little girl turned to go sit back at her desk.
“Yes, Ms. Sunny?”
“Did you tell your parents who you were bringing when you showed them the flyer I sent home with everyone last week that gave all the details for show and tell?”
“No, I want it to be a surprise!” Morgan grinned.
Ms. Sunny smiled back at her and willed herself not to vomit.
“Oh….well isn’t that nice. Don’t you think they would like to know though?”
“But then it wouldn’t be a surprise” Morgan looked at her teacher quizzically.
“Well, they will find out on the ride over though, right? Because they will give him a ride here?”
“No, he will probably just swing – um, I mean, get here on his own.” Morgan a little distressed at this statement, like she said something she shouldn’t. “Because he would probably like to surprise our Daddy too,” she explained looking more confident.
“How nice,” Sunny said with a smile through clenched teeth trying to contain her panic.
“Can I go back to my desk now?”
“One more question sweetheart. Um, did your parents introduce you to Peter?”
“Oh no, we met by ourselves! We had so much fun last summer! Daddy had no idea because he was still sleeping in the hospital, ” Morgan smiled broadly.
“I see,” Sunny said faintly, because she was going to indeed faint. “You can go sit back down now.”
Sunny was a nervous wreck by the time it was time to dismiss the students for the day. After all the kids had been either picked up in the carpool line or stepped onto their bus, she went over to where Charlotte was checking off the last kid on her attendance sheet after waving goodbye to one of the parents.
“It’s worse! It’s so much worse!” Sunny grabbed Charlotte by the arm and whirled her around to face her.
“Would you calm down? What could possibly be worse?”
“Her parents are coming.”
“Perfect! How is that bad?”
“They don’t know that the kids know each other.”
“What!?” Charlotte practically yelled.
“She told me her parents never introduced them, she just met him when her dad was still in a coma! And they spent a lot of time together all summer!”
“Well there! If they spent time together, her mom would have had to know they know each other!”
“Would she? Because this is already too crazy to believe! What if he paid off the babysitter – I don’t know!”
“Are you listening to yourself? Why don’t you just ask her parents?”
“Have you lost your mind? What if it is some illegitimate kid that the Starks don’t know about? Or what if they already know and then I just basically accused Iron Man’s kid of lying?!” Sunny had her hands on both sides of her face as she imagined both scenarios, neither or which ended well for her.
Charlotte scrunched her face in contemplation while her friend had a minor meltdown next to her.
“I think you are just going to have to call them and give them a heads up,” Charlotte looked at her friend sympathetically. “Either they know about this kid and it isn’t a big deal, or they don’t know about this kid, and it is going to be A Very Big Deal. In front of everyone.”
“You’re right. You’re right… I’ll go grab her parent’s contact information.” Sunny reluctantly agreed.
Sunny set back at her desk and stared at the phone before dialing Tony Stark’s number. It rang once, before a very distinct voice said “Hello, Tony Stark speaking.”
“Um, hel-hello Mr.Stark. This is Sunny Ruth, Morgan’s teacher.”
“Oh hey, she was just telling me how excited she was for show and tell tomorrow! Did she forget something in class – I can turn around.”
She heard a little voice say, “Is that Ms.Sunny?? Hi Ms. Sunny!” in the background.
“Oh no, I don’t think so. I, um, did she tell you who she was bringing for show and tell tomorrow?”
“No, she told me she wanted it to be a surprise - right baby?”
“Yep, you’re going to be SO surprised!” Morgan exclaimed in the background.
“Well, I think it is really important you know who it is. I know she wants it to be a surprise, but sometimes surprises aren’t what you expect.” Sunny grimaced at her own wording. How was she going to say this with Morgan right there?
“Um, I am not sure I am following. But now you have me a little worried. I think as long as it meets a few parameters, it is fine if I don’t know exactly who it is – let me ask. Hey baby, have I met this person?”
“Yep!”
“Do I like this person?”
“You love him!”
“I think we’re okay, Ms. Ruth, but thanks for making sure everything was alright. We will see you tomorrow!” The call ended.
Sunny just laid her head on the table. She was so screwed.
Show and Tell is usually a really fun day. The kids get to share something they love with the class. Lessons get cut short. Parents get to participate. The atmosphere is really relaxed. It’s an overall good time.
Sunny was wishing she agreed to try some medication that her psychiatrist had recommended for her anxiety because she felt like she was on the verge of a panic attack.
Jamal had passed around his Captain America toy and everyone had pressed its sound button until the words “Avengers Assemble!” were almost not audible from the dying battery.
Akari had hula hooped for a minute straight and then given the other kids a chance to try. Even a few of the parents joined in on the fun.
Everyone had stuffed themselves with perrunillas. Sunny had even managed to swallow one down to not disappoint Mateo even though now it set in her stomach like a piece of lead that might make a reappearance if she wasn’t careful.
Tony and Pepper Potts were seated in the chairs with the other parents that she had put in a semicircle around the room. All the students were sitting with or standing by their parents chatting excitedly.
“Morgan, it’s your turn,” Sunny looked at the little girl who looked around the room worriedly.
“Umm, he’s not here yet. He might have gotten stuck in class.”
“Class?” the intense question came from her father. Oh god. He knew who she was talking about now. And he didn’t look happy. Sunny was going to pass out. She braved a look at Ms. Stark to see her reaction. She surprisingly didn’t look surprised? At all?
Morgan smiled innocently up at her dad. “He said it wasn’t a big deal, Daddy.”
Mr. Stark pulled out his phone and started texting rapid fire. “Yah, his idea of a big deal and your daddy’s idea of a big deal are vastly different, baby.”
Morgan looked upset. “Are you telling him not to come?”
Mr. Stark stared down at his daughter who looked about two sentences away from crying depending on where the conversation was headed. “Baby, you know why he can't come. We can still do something fun for show and tell. How about I have Friday send an Iron Man suit you all can climb all over? Or I can have another Avenger show up? Maybe Uncle Rhodey is nearby.”
Pepper rubbed her daughter’s back whose lip had started a precarious tremble. Before the tears could fall there was a thud on the classroom window.
Everyone turned their heads in unison to see Spider-Man sticking to the outside window.
There was instant chaos as all the kids rushed over to the window saying variations of “Hi, Spider-Man!” while the parents were pulling out their smartphones to snap photos.
Sunny’s eyes were on the Stark family. Morgan’s tears had dried up instantaneously at the sight of the New York hero, while Mrs. Stark smiled in barely concealed amusement.
Mr. Stark on the other hand put away his phone, shook his head, and sounded like he muttered “I’m going to kill that kid.”
Sunny’s heart was pounding and she let how a shallow breath. So nobody was supposed to know about the secret son. Thank god Spider-Man showed up. Mr. Stark did say he was going to see if another Avenger was in the area… I mean, that was an insanely fast response, but whatever. What a good distraction!
Morgan had run over to push the window open to let Spider-Man in. All the kids backed up as he crawled in. “Hi everyone! I heard it was show and tell today! Is it okay if I join in?”
After Spider-Man had done some acrobatics, given everyone a high-five, and hugged Morgan goodbye (it makes sense that Iron Man’s kid would be close with the Avengers), things calmed down. Sunny was pleasantly surprised by how things had turned out. She hadn’t been witnessed to the paparazzi’s dream story and Morgan didn’t seem let down that her alleged brother never showed up.
The Starks were trailing the other parents out of the room each holding one of Morgan’s hands as she walked between them. Sunny was getting the chairs back in order as she overheard their quiet conversation.
“Morgan, you know your brother isn’t allowed to just miss school.”
“He said study hall doesn’t count.”
“Well, I mean, the kid has a point,” Mr. Stark shook his head, “but you cannot promise people that Spider-Man will just show up whenever you ask him to.”
“But I didn’t mean for him to come as Spider-Man! I just wanted him to come as my brother.”
A hard thud had the family turning their heads in unison.
“Oh my gosh, I think Ms. Ruth just passed out!”