Maria was awoken the next morning by a small child sat on top of her, tugging at her hair and jumping up and down on her chest.
“Susie,” she grumbled, “what are you doing? Go back to bed-” Maria’s eyes snapped open. What time was it? Her gaze shot away from her daughter to land on the clock. The red numbers, designed to be easy on the eyes were suddenly burning in realization. It was 8 in the morning. They were late.
“Alright Susie, are you dressed?” she looked up at the girl who was still sat on her chest, making it rather difficult to breathe. Susie was wearing a purple frilly skirt and a lime green monster shirt, an outfit clearly chosen by the girl. It would do, Maria reasoned as she lifted the girl off of her and sprung out of bed. Susie getting to school on time greatly overshadowed Maria getting to work on time, for Maria didn’t have to be there until 9:15 at the latest. She rushed into the kitchen, Suzy trailing behind her as she pulled out a granola bar, and shoved it into Susie’s hands.
“Eat.” she urged, before sprinting over to the table and shoving her folder back into the backpack. Susie finished the granola bar, walking over to place the wrapper in the garbage.
“Go, brush your teeth. Quickly Susie, we’re running late.” Maria urged, pulling on a bra and throwing her hair up into a disastrous ponytail. Susie ran to the bathroom, reemerging a minute later wearing orange rainboots. Maria sighed, but at least Susie had the sense to dress herself.
She urged Susie out the door, barely remembering her backpack and rushing to the car. She buckled Susie up, hopping in the front of the car and pulling out of the parking lot of the apartment complexes. She took care to not drive recklessly, but still did not waste time. Susie was quiet on the ride there, understanding the gravity of the situation. She pulled into the school barely fifteen minutes late, and sighed. It could have been worse, she thought, as she ushered Susie into the office to sign a late slip. Susie looked up at her mother.
“Mommy, I don’t think that I know where to go exactly.” she explained worriedly, her brow furrowed in thought.
“C’mon Susie, you’ve been at the school for almost half a year. I think you can find the way to your class.” Maria explained, glancing at the clock. She really didn’t have the time to waste walking her down the kindergarten hall, even if it meant seeing Miss Schuyler again. Susie’s lower lip trembled, and Maria could see that if she didn’t help her daughter down the hallway, the tears would begin and everyone, including the woman at the front desk who was currently staring daggers into Maria’s side, would have their day off to an even worse start.
“I don’t know if I can, baby-” Maria began, looking questioningly at the woman.
“Go ahead.” she responded gruffly, looking away from Maria and turning back to her computer. Maria sighed in relief and took the child’s hand, exiting the office and starting to walk down the deathly quiet halls.
“Mommy?” Susie asked, tugging at her hand and looking up at Maria.
“Yeah?” Maria asked, not slowing as they continued down the halls.
“I can actually find my classroom just fine. I just thought you wanted to see Miss Schuyler again.” Susie admitted, beginning to skip down the hall. Maria blushed, her gut twisting as they turned onto the kindergarten hall.
“You know you don’t have to do that, sweetie. If you could find the room on your own you should’ve just gone by yourself.” Maria muttered, the blush becoming more and more prominent as they neared the room.
“I know Mommy. I just like the lollipops.” she said, stopping at Miss Schuyler’s door. Maria almost stopped completely after hearing this. Susie must have finally connected the dots, as the very reason Maria ever gave Susie candy was whenever she got in trouble and Maria had to come in and talk to her teacher.
Maria lifted a nervous hand and knocked at the heavy wood. The students inside appeared to be working in different groups while Miss Schuyler sat at her desk, grading papers. When she didn’t appear to hear the careful knock, Maria tapped at the door again, this time more forceful. Miss Schuyler looked up from her work and politely smiled before standing and walking over to the door. She grabbed the handle, twisting it and opening the door wide. Maria suddenly became very self-concious of how disheveled she was and met Miss Schuyler’s eyes.
“Why Maria, what are you doing here?” She inquired looking down at Maria. Maria realized that she was, in fact, shorter than the teacher and blushed even harder.
“Susie and I were running late to school today, and she insisted that I come along. I’m sorry if we’re disturbing your class Miss Schuyler, I tried to get her to go by herself but-” Maria was beginning to babble when Eliza cut her off, motioning Susie inside.
“Susie, why don’t you put your backpack in your cubby and join Angelica at group number four?” Eliza asked. Susie nodded and rushed inside, placing her bag in the cubby before joining a tanned girl with slick straight dark hair at a group of desks. Miss Schuyler shut the door behind her, creating a barrier between them and the groups of young children.
“Eliza.” she said abruptly, pushing her stray hairs behind her ear.
“What?” Maria asked. She knew it was her first name, but why would she being saying it to her?
“My name. It’s Eliza. If I can call you by your first name, you can call me by mine.” Miss Schuyler- no, Eliza stood in front of Maria, looking at her thoughtfully before pushing more of her stray hairs behind her ear.
She gave up temporarily fixing her hair and pulled the sharpened pencil from her messy bun. Maria watched, mesmerized by the way her hair fell in loose waves that framed her face. Eliza reddened when she realized Maria was watching her, and Maria snapped her gaze away from her hair. She wanted to capture that moment indefinitely, the way her hair flowed down her back like a river of silk before she twisted it back up into a tighter bun. Eliza cleared her throat.
“I need to get back to my class, but thank you for getting Susie here, albeit a little late.” Eliza stammered out, before turning back to the door. Maria’s gut felt like it has just jumped off a cliff the way that it writhed inside her.
“Alright, E-Eliza. I’d best be on my way too. I’m already probably late to work.” Maria stopped herself before she could began to babble again.
“I hope to see you again soon, Miss Maria Lewis.” Eliza responded before turning back to the door, twisting the handle and walking back inside her classroom. As the door shut behind her, Maria let out a long breath that she hadn’t realized she had been holding.
As she stumbled blearily out the school, Maria felt truly shaken. Her cheeks were still tinged red, that she was sure of, and her stomach was doing backflips all the way back to her car. The clock read 8:45, beaming at her in a soft blue light, a color that was very similar to Eliza’s nail polish as her fingers ran through her long dark hair. Maria shook her head, starting her car and pulling out of the school.
Her drive home you quick and uneventful, her thoughts consumed by both Eliza’s face and the anxiety that coupled itself with being late. She reentered her apartment after parking her car, hastening herself to get ready. She decided that she would have to shower later in the day and brushed her hair out, braiding it back and she pulled on a dress shirt and blazer, and slipped on dress pants and simple black heels. A swatch of lipstick on her lips and a touch of mascara completed her look and she packed her bag, feeling more calm than she had before.
She sat back down in her car for what seemed like the millionth time today, and being her daily commute to her office. On this trip, however, she allowed her thoughts to wander. Her thoughts took this as their cue to look back and analyze every small moment that had happened not even an hour ago. The way Eliza’s face reddened whenever she noticed that Maria has been staring. Was that a blush? Or was it embarrassment? It couldn’t be blush, why would Eliza, her child’s kindergarten teacher, be blushing around her? She had looked like a mess, the bags under her eyes probably prominent, her hair no doubt disastrous.
She arrived at her workplace, the clock revealing that she was only about twenty minutes late, which was easily explained by having a child. She entered the automatic doors with her bag slung over her shoulder, clocking in and heading up to her office. She stopped to get coffee, hoping that no one would notice that she had been missing. She poured herself a mug before turning back with the intention to retreat and continue working. It was to her major disappointment that she was suddenly face-to-face with her overachieving co-worker, Alexander Hamilton.
“Maria!” he exclaimed, pouring himself what she assumed was yet another cup of coffee. “I haven’t seen you yet today, where have you been?” Maria sighed. She hated being forced into small talk.
“I was late getting my daughter to school. We overslept.” She decided to keep it simple and omit the part about running into her daughter’s undeniably attractive schoolteacher.
“Oh.” Hamilton said. She thought that he had children of his own, although he never spoke of a wife or being married. He also didn’t wear a wedding band, although Maria was fairly certain she’d heard him talk about having children before.
“Well,” he continued, “I hope you started on your next project, I was the one that had to finish the one that was due yesterday because you had to leave early.” Of course Hamilton had been the one to take over on the project, he probably did triple the amount of things that the average worker did within the company.
Maria tried to stop the conversation and ended up telling Hamilton that she had some important business to attend to, push him out the way and walk into her office, shutting the door behind her. She breathed, relieved to have escaped the conversation, and unpacked her bag. She sat down and opened her laptop, refreshing her email and burying herself in her work.
Maria had a tendency of doing just that, blocking everything else out and hunching down over her look, answering email after email and working to an extreme amount. This affliction had a flip side as well, if she wasn’t focused or not in the mood to work, nothing got done. She was too focused on her tasks that she didn’t hear or see her boss walk into her office until he tapped her desk and cleared his throat impatiently. She looked up, surprised.
“Yes sir?” she asked, looking up at the tall bald man.
“Maria, why were you late today?” he asked, leaning on her desk. Maria sighed. Of course, she had to explain herself. She decided to offer the same explanation to him that she had to Hamilton.
“I was late getting my daughter to school. We overslept.” she explained, searching for any hint of empathy in her boss’s eyes. He looked down at her, making her feeling carefully scanned for any hint of a mistruth. He grumbled.
“You had to leave early yesterday as well.” he pointed out, pausing.
“I am well aware.” she responded, meeting his gaze.
“Is everything okay with Susie?” his voice softened. Maria sighed, trying to figure out how to explain her current situation.
“She’s been acting out at school recently.” She started, “Refusing to follow directions, not listening, you know. I had to go in and talk with her teacher. That’s why I left early. The sleeping late was my mistake though, and I apologize for being late.”
Her boss, Mr. Washington, looked her up and down again before rubbing his hand over his bald head. Maria braced herself for the worst, hoping that she wasn’t too seriously reprimanded.
“Be glad you get work done, Maria. You’re off the hook for the lateness today, but don’t let it happen again.” he finally admitted, standing up from her desk. He waited, turning to face the door and leave before Maria realized she hadn’t properly thanked him.
“Sir?” she asked. He turned to face her. “Thank you for understanding.” He nodded and exited, letting the door fall shut behind him. Maria put her head in her hands, realizing how exhausted she was. Even though she had technically gotten extra sleep, all of the stress and emotions of the day must have worn it off early. She answered the last email, deciding she was going to take a well needed lunch break.
Powering down her laptop, she grabbed her purse and clocked out, noting that it was way later than her normal lunch. She took her car to a local market and ordered a panini, looking around the store and rubbing her eyes. She spotted a large display of lollipops, and plucked out the biggest one, laying it on the counter to be rung up with her sandwich. She paid the cashier, taking her lunch and sitting within the outdoor seating, pulling out her phone to check her emails.
She had no new work emails, which was surprising, but as she was just about to turn off her phone and slide it in her pocket, it started vibrating violently. She looked at the number, discovering it to be local but not identifiable. She answered it.
“Hello?” she asked, trying to figure out who was on the other end of the phone.
“Is this the parent of Susan Reynolds?” Maria recognized the voice, but couldn’t place it. The number hadn’t been the normal one that the school used to make announcements, for that number had been affectionately saved in her phone as “monotone assholes.”
“Yes I am, but who is this?” She inquired.
“This is your child’s teacher, and I would like to talk with you whenever you come and pick her up.” Maria finally placed the voice as Eliza, whom she had spoken with only hours before. Maria knew that she couldn’t get out of work early again.Why she was using such a formal tone Maria did not know, but she hoped that everything was alright.
“I can’t leave work early today, and I normally pick Susie up at the PSPM program around 5:30. Will you still be at the school?” Maria hoped she would, but had her doubts. What teacher in her right mind would stay at the school for over two overs late? There was silence on the other side, and Maria crossed her fingers that she would be staying.
“Yes, that will work fine. See you then,” Eliza pauses, almost as if to say something else, but instead hangs up, and as the line goes dead, Maria pockets her phone and throws away her sandwich wrapper. She placed the lollipop in her purse, candy down, and the stick stuck awkwardly out of her bag. She hoped no one would notice it or find it out of place. She staped back in her car, finding that she was going to be early returning to the office. That definitely would hurt, Maria thought. Despite having just eaten, her gut was twisting again at the thought of seeing Eliza later that day.
She felt like a lovesick teenager, fawning after an impossible girl and willing to bend any way to make her happy, but Maria didn’t mind. In fact, it would be a lie to say she wasn’t enjoying every second of it.
(a/n: these gays Give Me Life)