I didn’t feel the desperate pressure to reach out to her. I could get a few more things done.
All I knew was that I couldn’t remember the last time something felt so right.
And I wanted to see where this went.
TEN
Harper
I gotto work early the next day. It wasn’t easy getting up and out of the house after having two more drinks than I anticipated the night before, but to my glory, I made it on time.
Samantha, one of my star students, asked if she could come in a few minutes before school started to talk to me that morning. I told her I would be happy to see her. She was a foster child, and I knew she didn’t have a lot of people to talk to in her life.
While she didn’t seem to be neglected in her foster home, I didn’t get the impression she had a lot of company, either. Her parents were always doing something to give back to the community, but there were times I felt like they did that at the expense of those they were already supposed to be caring for.
Still, Samantha was far too young for me to talk to her about those things. I would keep an eye on her growing up, and if there was reason for me to intervene, I would. However, right now, I was happy to play the part of someone who was able to help her, but not someone who would embarrass her for asking.
Sure enough, I had barely taken off my jacket before she appeared in the doorway.
“Can I talk to you?” she asked.
“Come on in,” I said. “What can I do for you?”
“Well, I wanted to talk to you about a boy I like, but I’m not sure if he likes me back. I mean, I’m not sure he even knows I exist,” Samantha said.
“Oh, I see.” I nodded.
I felt bad for her. I remembered what it was like to be in school with boys who were so cute, but it was impossible to know if they liked you back. It would really be a tough thing for a girl like Samantha. How was she supposed to find out the answer?
I was proud of her for coming to me for a solution to this problem instead of going to other kids or trying to take matters into her own hands. I took a deep breath, hoping I would be giving her the best advice she could use at her age and for what she wanted.
“I would keep doing what you’re doing,” I said. “And show him you don’t care if he notices you or not.”
“But I want him to notice me,” she replied.
“But that’s the funny things about boys,” I said. “The more you try to show them you notice them, the more they don’t want to pay you any attention. There’s a boy right now that I like, too, but I’m not letting myself talk to him yet.”
“Why not? If you like him, you should tell him so,” she said.
“I think so, too, but I’m not going to do it right away. I want him to see that I have my own things that I like to do, and I want him to come to me and ask me about them. If you do that with this boy, I promise you, he’s going to come to you,” I told her.
“Really?” she asked. “Do you think the boy you like is going to come to you?”
“I think so,” I said. “He’s a doctor, so he’s busy with his own work right now. But I bet you when he has a minute later on, he’s going to send me a text or something.”
“I bet you he’s going to marry you,” she said.
“What?” I gasped, then laughed. “You silly girl, you really think I’m going to get married?”
“I do,” she said with a nod. “And I think this man is going to be the one to do it. He’s going to make you his princess.”
I wanted to laugh with excitement at the thought, but I just smiled and thanked her for her optimism. She was just a little girl, but the fact that she was so confident that I would get married to Trevor was enough to make my mind soar.
“Well, if you have anything else you want to talk to me about, please do it. I love being able to talk to you about anything you want,” I said.
“Thank you,” Samantha told me. “I’m going to go play with my friends now before class.”
“Okay,” I said.