Page 10 of Shifted

"I don't think I've ever heard anyone over twenty-eight use the word 'L' in a sentence like that." He drops his jaw slightly and raises his hands in defense.

“You just wish your vocabulary was woke like mine.” Sometimes, I forget that Lucas is technically a millennial; well, I technically am one. But he sometimes picks up on younger terms later. “What about work? Do you need any help?” Of course, he’d use this opportunity to get on this case when I was emotionally vulnerable. I wasn’t going to hand over an inch to him, knowing he’d take a mile.

"I'll finish my work at home; my baby needs me." The doors opened, and I excused myself, entering the lobby and going out front as I made my way to the parking garage.

?

After a ten-minute ride, I parked and saw the colorful Young Learners sign. As I pushed open the glass doors, I heard the sound of kids screaming. I watched three of them run around playing some sort of inside tag game while others painted or read with a teacher. Amanda’s head pops out from the back as she sees me and walks over.

“Hope.” She smiled at my presence. “Sorry for the chaos; it's activity time. Follow me.” She gestured to the hallway she came from, and I went ahead of her. Children’s artwork was displayed along the light blue walls as we walked. The yellow lighting reminded me of some back room, and the maroon carpet felt almost uneasy.

"Thank you for calling, where is she?" As I turn to face her, she points to the room at the end of the hall.

“She's in my office. I was calming her down, but she just wanted her mom." I understood. Most days, when I was upset, I wanted my mother to. But that simply wasn’t an option, and this was my opportunity for her to know it was. Though I couldn’t always be there for her, some days I could, and I’d show up.

Pushing the oak door, I see her curled up on the gray sofa, crying while hugging her knees. The sight of it all almost breaks my heart seeing her like this. She probably felt embarrassed by it or just upset. But it was better knowing she didn’t make a scene. Instead, she came back here alone. But I understand; I’d be sad to see all my classmates get a cupcake except for me.

"Joely?" Her head poked up as her eyes bubbled with tears.

"Mummy!" she whimpered as she remained in the same position, too worked up to even think about moving an inch. "I'll leave you two," Amanda whispered, and she stepped out of her office to give us privacy. Walking over, I sat next to her as she processed my presence. But within seconds, she broke from her comfortable position and wrapped her little arms around me.

“Let's get out of here," I whisper.

I wasn’t one to take her out of school, especially for something like this. I worried it could make a habit of it. But she was young, and today, it was mainly hard. Personally, I hated lemons for restricting Joely from enjoying certain childhood activities. An orange juice stand in Boston wasn’t quite popular, to say the least.

Grabbing her little yellow raincoat and backpack from the corner, I had Joely open her arms. Then I slipped them through the coat and zipped it up. “Come on, let's go. I have a fun surprise all planned out for you.” I wiped her loose tears, and a tiny flicker of hope shined through her honey eyes.

Lifting her into my arms, she wraps hers around my neck. Swinging her purple backpack around my arm, we swiftly exited the daycare, but the kids remained distracted by their activities.

“How does a bakery sound?” I expected her to be excited by the idea, but she shook her head in disagreement. "Oh, well, where shall we go off to?" She giggled slightly and mumbled 'ice cream' in the smallest little whisper.

“Ice cream? In the middle of the day!” she giggled and shrugged, trying to hold back her mischievous grin. At times, when needed, I did a reasonable job of saying no. But at that moment, I, too, wanted some ice cream. So, as she snuggled her little puffed face into my chest, I sighed as I caved.

"Alright, fine, but only because I want some to!" I didn't want her to think of this memory as a bad day. I wanted her to think back and remember that Mom came and brought her out, that I comforted her and made her feel better, and that my parents would've never thought of something like this. I then walked her to my car and opened the back door, lifting her into her car seat.

“Mummy, what flavor?” She asked in a small, excited voice as I secured her buckle.

"Hmm... I don't know. I'll decide when we get there.” I shut the door and made my way to the driver's side, sinking into the seat. I pulled up my navigation, locating the nearest shop on Arlington Street.

As I glanced back at her in her car seat, her once excited face seemed to dull slightly in thought. Though children hold short attention spans of things, I knew she was still upset. When she was born, her allergy tests showed she was allergic to lemons. It was bizarre, but I never thought it would be a huge problem. But as she aged, I knew lemonade stands and Girl Scout cookies would become more frequent, and it would make her sad.

At just three years old, she felt left out from her friends. They all were enjoying lemon cupcakes while she sat empty-handed. She had just to sit and watch. I'd also probably cry as a three-year-old. She doesn't understand allergies all too well—why should she? But when she was born, I suspected she would be allergic; I just hoped she wouldn’t be.

July 3, four years ago

The waves on the beach crashed down as the stars aligned above us. The smell of the ocean soothed every single nerve in my body as he chased me down the beach. I squealed as he caught me, holding me captive in the comfort of his strong arms.

“Hey, no fair! I have little legs that don't go so fast!" He chuckled, releasing me from his grasp, and before I could complain, his arms wrapped around me from behind. I felt his lips press against the top of my head before he rested his chin against it.

“Excuses, excuses, Hope." I giggled as he teased me, and his arms wrapped around me tighter. We faced the ocean. The sea was so vast that the moon shined down on it, creating a glimmer of light. It was endless. There was no line in sight to where the ocean possibly ended, and it was open to any possibilities or your imagination to make up.

I sink deeper into his chest as we continue gazing out into the broad sea. I had never been here before. Yet, at this moment, it felt like I’d been here a million lifetimes ago.

“Why did you bring me here?" I pondered. In response, he pressed our intertwined hands tightly against my chest and the sound of the waves breaking filled our silence.

"It's the one spot in the world where I can get away from everything.” He whispers as his lips touch the back of my ear. I feel his warm breath against my skin. “It's a private beach, so I sneak in once in a while." I freeze for a moment, and then I shove him away, breaking a part of the moment.

“Did you just say private beach?” I then quickly glance around to see the coastal homes surrounding us in pitch black, not a light beside the moon in sight. My eyes land back on his devilish grin as I stand panicked: “We are committing a felony as of right now? We are trespassing. What were you thinking?" He steps forward, interrupting my small bubble of panic, and brushes his fingers through the loose strands of my hair as his lips capture mine.

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