"Alright, class." I announced. "Time to clean up your centers and wash hands for lunch." A mix of groaning and cheers rang back. "Table one will go first."
"Miss. Tayler?" A little red headed boy asked, pushing his glasses up his thin little nose. "Will you be back again tomorrow?"
My heart ached a little. "No," I sighed. "Remember we talked about how today is my last day?" I reminded him. "I can only do my work study here for a few months and now I'm done and I get to go work in the middle school instead."
"Oh." He frowned, pushing the glasses up again.
I walked out from behind the desk and I knelt down in front of him to tap him on the nose. "You want to know a secret?" I whispered quietly and his little face lit up as he nodded. "I like you guys over here in the elementary way better than I'm going to like the middle schoolers." I made a sour face. "And I promise I'll come back to visit whenever I can."
"You're the best, Miss. Tayler." He giggled, then he surprised me when he wrapped his arms around my neck and kissed my cheek before running back to his table to help his friends clean up.
I stood back straight, smoothing out my skirt and then holding my hand to my chest. I was definitely going to miss working with the first graders. They were the absolute sweetest and all so eager to learn anything you could possibly teach them.
I felt a hand on my shoulder and I glanced back to see Mrs. Tanner smiling broadly at me. "You're going to be an amazing teacher, Tayler." She told me. "The children just love you and we are certainly going to miss you around here. To show how much we all love you, we made you a special present." She told me, turning to pull a giant card out of one of the shelves behind her and passed it to me.
We love Miss. Tayler! Good luck! It said brightly across the front and the whole class had added a painted handprint and their names to it.
"I love this." I smiled, pride in all of the little boys and girls in the room building in me.
When I clocked out for the last time I walked the hallways, already feeling nostalgic about my time here. It had definitely confirmed for me that everything I've been working so hard for will be worth it in the end.
All the nights up studying instead of sleeping and all of the back aches and sore feet from standing and working double shifts all the time were going to pay off when in a couple of years I get to put my own name on one of these doors and have my own classroom full of little minds to help mold.
Aaron: Lunch at Ma's?
I had a lunch packed with me, but I decided I had enough time between now and when I need to get to the bookstore to have a quick bite with him.
My idea was starting to go a little off schedule when of course there was no parking downtown and I ended up needing to walk a block. I texted Aaron my order so at least he wasn't having to wait on me to order and the food might get out quick enough for me not to run late.
The streets were busy today, and the sidewalks were packed. The weather was nice out, so everyone was trying to get out to enjoy it after the nearly two whole weeks of nothing but rain. I had to admit, the breeze felt good coming through my thin white linen shirt and I didn't even care that it was tussling my hair all over the place.
"Um, Miss!" A woman called. "Oh, Tayler?"
I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and spun around, looking for someone I knew. I nearly got ran over by busy people who were in no mood to stop for me. I was about to turn back when I saw a little white glove waving in the air over the crowd.
I weaved through the crowd, going the opposite direction as everyone else, but when I got to the woman holding up her glove I froze, not even blinking.
"Oh, dear, I thought that was you." Hunter's mom smiled at me. I was in shock. She looked so different now. Her cheeks that had been slightly hollowed looking before and her eyes that seemed so distant were replaced by her cheery pink cheeks and bright striking eyes. "How are you?" She asked. Gone was the weepy and miserable woman from before. She reached out her gloved hand and pulled my by the elbow over to the store front where we weren't in the way anymore.
"I-I-I'm good." I shrugged.
"You look far more than good, dear." She smiled, tilting her head to one side a little while she looked me over. "Oh, Tayler, how do I even begin to thank you?" She asked.
I blinked fast, shaking my head in confusion. "Huh?" I blurted out, then covered my mouth. "I mean...huh?" I repeated again because nothing else made any sense.
She laughed, her hair shimmering in the sun light. "Can we go someplace to talk?" She asked. "I'd love to take you to lunch."
I shook my head, still feeling like I was in the twilight zone or something. "I'm sorry, I'm already late." I mumbled.
She reached over and took my hand. "I wish you had some time." She sighed. "But I do understand a busy life. Studying to be a teacher, correct?"
I was taken back all over again. "Oh, um, yeah...but how..?"
"Oh, my dear." She grinned, glancing up at the sky for a minute. "You have given me my life back and I will forever be grateful. Without you..." She frowned for a second, but it didn't last long. "I wasn't sure when I saw you last if you were going to give Hunter the card." She explained. "And then when so long had gone by without hearing from him I assumed you hadn't...but then." Her smile was blinding. "Thank you so much, Tayler."
My eyes watered at the edges. "Hunter called you?" I asked even though it was obvious.
Her own eyes looked wet too when she nodded. "It was after his accident and while he was in the hospital in Germany." She said quickly and my heart stopped beating. "It was nearly two in the morning but when I saw the number from out of the country I swear to you I thought I was finally getting that call to tell me that my only living child was gone too, but when I answered, already blubbering like a fool, it was him." She blinked away the tears. "He was so angry, and I don't blame him a bit, but having him call me at all, even if it was only to tell me how much he hated me and his father for what we'd done to him, it meant more to me than you can understand." She laughed. "He tore into the both of us, he didn't hold back a bit." She admitted. "When he got it all out, he hung up. But then the next day, he called again. And again." Her smile was contagious, even with the turmoil going on inside of me. "He's giving us another chance, and I owe it all to you."
I blinked fast, unsure of what to say. "I'm really happy to hear that." I told her truthfully. "But...accident?" I muttered weakly.
"Don't worry, dear, he's all patched up and back at it now." She told me, looking at me knowingly. "Hunter is a tough man."
"That he is." I agreed, nodding slowly. "I-I've got to go, I'm...I'm late." I muttered, pointing to my wrist that didn't even have the watch on it.
I turned to leave, but she pulled me back, wrapping me in a big hug. "Thank you so much." She said as she patted my back, then she leaned into my ear. "Don't give up on him." She whispered, then she released me and I quickly disappeared into the crowd.
I texted Aaron an excuse about getting called into work early and I drove mechanically back to my apartment.
I was splitting apart with different emotions about the whole encounter.
Hunter had given his parents another chance?
He'd been hurt?
Then she just had to add her last sentence in to really screw with my mind.
I've been doing so well with putting my past behind me and moving forward with my life. I couldn't risk going backwards, yet when I got home, I found myself going to check the mail for no particular reason at all. Somehow, like I knew it would be there, I pulled out the single envelope from the box. It was addressed to me in a handwriting I'd be able to pick out of any lineup.
Dear Kit,
I'm sorry, Tayler. I am so, so, sorry.
That was it. A whole year has come and gone, and I get two sentences.
I flipped the envelope back over.
No return address.
He might be sorry, but he still doesn't want anything to do with me or he would have given me a way to respond.