fortifying the immune system.
Soft voices filtered from down the hall as I set my keys and wallet in a bowl near the door. I carefully picked my way into the living room, eyes drawn to the figure curled on the couch. She had a blanket tucked under her chin, her fading pink hair splayed across a pillow and her glasses pushed askew at an odd angle, partly on the edge of the bridge of her nose and partly over one eye. I knelt in front of her, taking my time to study the delicate bone structure of her face. Her lids fluttered in sleep as I reached forward and gently took ahold of her frames and pulled them from her face. Their awkward placement couldn’t have been comfortable but hadn’t seemed to disturb her sleep.
I turned to set them on the coffee table when my gaze snagged on a piece of paper lying there. A few phrases popped out at me even though I wasn’t trying to read it. Atsugi, Japan. Department of Defense Education Activity. Permanent job.
My head swiveled back toward Molly. She snuffled in her sleep then settled quietly. Was she thinking of moving and taking a teaching position in Japan? I felt a gut punch in my solar plexus, stealing my breath from my lungs.
What about Chloe? What about me? What about us?
What about Molly? My conscience seemed to whisper.
Be hanged that! There were plenty of schools and teaching jobs right here in California. I would never stand in the way of her dream to become a teacher or douse her passion for the classroom, but I sure as shooting wouldn’t just stand aside and let her leave without first telling her how much she meant to me. How much I wanted to be with her.
I may have been out of the game for a long time, but now I was ready to fight.
19
Molly
My throat no longer felt like I’d moonlighted as an inept sword swallower. I could finally eat and drink without wincing in pain. The seven dwarves had gone on vacation, and the mining operation they’d ventured upon in my brain had been shut down—no more throbbing headaches. My lungs didn’t revolt to take deep breaths, and I finally had more energy than a sloth on Prozac.
The letter of a job offer from the DoDEA had spurred me to call my academic counselor at the college. The semester was coming to a close, and I needed to get confirmation on the school, grade, and classroom they’d placed me in for student teaching. That way I could get in contact with the cooperating teacher and work out a plan that would satisfy both their expectations and the course’s requirements.
I’d been pleasantly surprised to find the placement within my current school district. I wouldn’t have to hassle with the traffic of a long commute.
So, all in all, everything was looking up.
Then why did I feel so down? I slumped over the kitchen table. The answer to my current mood was not a hard one to decipher. Despite the crackling tension between Ben and me, he had yet to broach any subject that included either of us in the same space. If we were a Venn Diagram, our parallel circles would only ever overlap around the topic of Chloe. His daughter he had no difficulty discussing, and because I had promised myself that I would be patient and let him make a move only if and when he was ready, I forced myself to stay in my own little non-intersecting bubble.
“Chloe! Are you ready?” I called toward her bedroom. She’d gone to put shoes on minutes before, refusing my offer to help. All of her shoes were Velcro instead of tie so she could independently dress herself, but over five minutes to do so was a bit excessive even for a preschooler.
She emerged from the hall looking down at her feet. Bedazzled rainbow high tops with glitter and rhinestones encased her toes. She looked up at me and grinned. “Ready.”
Except she’d put her shoes on the wrong feet. I told her so, but she shrugged and said she liked them that way.
Really? Didn’t they feel funny and uncomfortable? Natural consequences, I supposed, so I let it go and helped her into the car. She’d been looking forward to the hospital’s fundraising picnic ever since Ben had told her about it. At first, I’d wondered why he hadn’t said anything sooner, since he obviously had some sort of role