Page 31 of Twenty-Three Years of Longing

Ziva accepted my answer. “I’m sure if you still have any questions, he’ll find the time. Even though he’s the Vice President now, this place will always hold a huge part of him.”

I hadn’t gone to him with anything in regards with the school yet. Not that I couldn’t have, or maybe should’ve, but I was stubborn and didn’t want to rely on anyone else. This trait was what had gotten me where I was. I’m a survivor. If I had chosen to lean on my ex-husband, I probably would have never finished college. When he walked out on me and Joey, I had asked him, ‘What about me and Joey’? His last words were, ‘You shouldn’t have had him if you couldn’t take care of him,’. From that moment on, I hated that man. But he ignited a fire in me to fight, fight hard, for Joey’s sake. I had to remember that this wasn’t all about me. I was doing this for the best future I could give Joey.

“You’re right, Ziva. He loves his students like I love my son. He’d do anything for them,” I replied. I could only imagine what he’d be like if he had children of his own. With how busy he was, he might not ever get the chance to find out.

“Besides the school, how have things been? You must be missing your son like crazy. I know my three can drive me up the wall sometimes, but I miss them anytime we travel without them. Charisa is fourteen now, and you’d think she wanted us the least. It’s the opposite. She is the one that calls the most. Jaxson, our youngest is nine and he is fine as long as he can go off riding bikes or playing some sport outside with his big brother, Jason.”

“Girls and boys go through different phases at different ages,” I said.

“That is true. It’s so hard to get my sons to stop long enough to have a conversation where my daughter and I can sit and talk about so many things together that we lose the sense of time.” She looked at her watch and got up. “Which reminds me, I better let you go. School will be released shortly, and you must have things to do. I’ll go wait for them in my car.”

“You can wait here.”

Ziva laughed. “I don’t want them to think I was called to the principal’s office.”

I wasn’t the principal, but I got the joke. “Well, we could always have your three children called my office after if you prefer,” I offered, jokingly.

It looked as though Ziva was pondering the idea but declined. “No, that is okay. I am in the middle of a book, and this is the only time I seem to get to read. Like I said, my daughter likes to talk. I’ll know all about her school day even before we make it home,” she laughed.

I stood up as well and said, “And with Joey, I have to ask probing questions and hope to get something for an answer.”

Ziva smiled. “I think he will fit in great with the boys. But either way, we will be the last to know.”

That’s the truth.

She left my office, and I made my way through the halls one last time making sure everyone was set for the end of the day. As I passed by each classroom the teachers gave me a nod. Another day completed without issue. That was great. No need to call Orion. Unfortunately. We’d be seeing each other soon enough. Unless his Vice-Presidential duties get in the way.

CHAPTER 11

Orion

“I’m really sorry that I couldn’t show you my place yesterday as promised,” I said to Raya as she got into my car. “Things went haywire so quickly.”

“I should’ve just told you we could do it another time once I knew what the meeting was about. The media might not be as aggressive here as it is in the States, but they have just as many questions. Maybe more. Have they stopped calling you yet?” She asked.

We pulled out of the school parking lot, and I replied, “Haven’t had one in almost an hour. Maybe they have run out of things to ask. With any luck, we won’t have any interruptions.”

“Please don’t worry about it. You’re the Vice President now. That takes priority over showing me your house. We can make it a quick tour and then you drop me back off at the resort if you would like,” she suggested.

“I wouldn’t like that at all.” I reached over for her hand and pulled it onto my lap while I drove. “I’ve been thinking of you all day.”

“I’ve been wanting to see you too,” she replied, softly.

Good.

“Before we get to my house, I need to ask, is there anything work-related we need to discuss? Because if there is, I would like to get that out of the way so we can just enjoy ourselves the rest of the time,” I said.

She giggled. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I have nothing but good things to report today. I do have some photos and videos that I would like to show you. But since you’re driving, they will need to wait.”

“Videos? Of what?” Thankfully, her tone didn’t have me worried.

“You seem to be the superhero at the school. They couldn’t be prouder of you. I must admit, I wasn’t sure what to expect when they all started to arrive this morning. But my mind was set at ease when I overheard their conversations about ‘their Mr. Moyer’. You might be Vice President, but you are still theirs.”

Smiling, I said, “Thank you for sharing that with me. I...I miss them a lot.” Even more than I expected to. “When I accepted this position, it wasn’t easy. I knew I was going to give up something I loved; something I believed in. Helping the youth become the best they could be. Help them believe in themselves so they can achieve their goals, chase their own dreams, and not the ones that were expected of them.”

“I love that, but it’s an...unusual way of thinking for Tabiq. What made you feel so passionate about that?” she asked.

We hadn’t shared much about our personal lives, and for good reason. I wasn’t sure about her, but I tried to keep my personal and professional lives separate. We’d crossed that line yesterday and I was hoping to cross it a lot further if she was in agreement. Why not share my past with her? Maybe it will help her open up more with me. Like what happened to Mr. Davison. Divorced? Dead? Questions I wanted to ask. Hopefully, I wouldn’t need to.

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