Page 10 of Never Forget You

God, it’s pathetic, isn’t it? Ten years after I got my heart broken by the only girl I ever let in, and I’m still a cynical man who doesn’t want to fall in love. Iknowhow that sounds. I’ve been told by plenty of dates that I’m an old misery who seems to be weirdly afraid of commitment, and I get it, I do. But that doesn’t change anything. It started with Marcie the cheerleader with whom I shared a miserable milkshake, forced by Matthew, and it has been the same disaster ever since. No one wants to be with me because I’m not good enough for anyone.

The holiday romance that I thought was going to be the best thing of my life actually ruined me. The day I saw Georgia on the beach… I wish I’d stayed away. I shouldn’t have ever spoken to her. Maybe then, I would have a love life to speak of. A wife, perhaps, and some kids of my own. I like teaching little ones, but I would love my own.

I suppose I shouldn’t blame Georgia for everything bad that’s happened to me. It isn’t really her fault. I’m the one who hasn’t been able to get over the whole mess. I’m the reason that I am still too single for words. Maybe she was cruel, and perhaps she did shatter me by promising me the world and giving me nothing, but that was a decade ago now. There isn’t any reason for me to still hold onto any resentment. I shouldn’t even be thinking of her anymore. I bet she hasn’t thought about me for a day since she left. She’s been living her fancy life God knows where…

“Harry?” I snap from my thoughts as Terry, the dean of the school, calls out to me. “You got a minute?”

“Er…” I look up from the paperwork that I was only really pretending to look at anyway. “Yeah, sure.”

He comes into my classroom and takes a seat on the edge of my desk. He only does this when it’s something serious, so now I’m a little worried. I sit up straighter in my seat and wait for whatever’s coming next.

“Now, I know that you’re at a high capacity with your class at the moment, but we have a new student starting.” Immediately, I sag with relief. That isn’t bad news at all. There is always room for one more in my classes. “The family has just moved to the area, and I think there might have been some drama bringing them here, so the girl… Ella, her name is… might be a little nervous starting. I trust that you will be okay with that? I know you have been before when we’ve brought in children like this, in the middle of the academic year.”

“Oh, of course.” I smile widely and nod. “Ella, that’s a nice name. Is she coming in for a meeting with me?”

“Yes, in a moment.” Terry looks guilty. “Sorry. I know I should have warned you earlier.”

“Don’t worry. It’s no trouble. So, Ella and her parents will be coming in to see me soon?”

“Right, thank you.” He nods a few times, visibly relieved. “I appreciate it, Harry. You’re great. Always willing to lend a hand when needed. I will go and meet them at the front desk for a tour, then eventually bring them to you.”

“Perfect, sounds good, Terry. No worries. I will just get myself sorted to speak to them.”

As he leaves, I take a few moments to try and clean up the classroom a little bit. Not that it matters, I suppose. I’m sure that these parents know a classroom gets messy when there are kids in it all day long, but still, I always want to make a good impression. Parents trust me with their children all day long, and I need to prove that I can do it. Especially if these parents are coming from some sort of trouble. I don’t know what’s happened to them to bring them here, but I’m sure it can be troubling times and they will be anxious to get things right. Especially since it’s the middle of the school year and their daughter might have some trouble making friends. Although, as always, I will do what I can to facilitate some friendships to get her started. Luckily, at this age, it’s easy. It’s when the kids get older and more settled into their friendship groups that it can become a lot harder. I’m glad I don’t have that drama in my class. I’ve seen how the teachers in those classrooms struggle, and it doesn’t look fun at all.

I stop cleaning when I hear the voices of the people coming into the room in the hope that I can at least give a good first impression, and I take my seat back behind my desk. With a deep sigh, I try and prepare myself for what’s next.

Oh, my God. It’s a shock of blonde hair that makes my heart race faster. I’ll be honest, it isn’t the first time that this has happened. Every blonde woman seems to be Georgia for at least a second in my mind. It’s sad, and I feel pathetic about the whole thing, but I can’t seem to stop the instinctive reaction inside me. I need to gather myself up fast.

“And this will be Ella’s teacher, Mr. Jones.” I rise to my feet and extend my hand out to the child’s mother. The father isn’t anywhere around, which is also not unusual, but it gives me a little insight into the family dynamic.

“Hello there.” She turns to face me too and takes me hand. As we shake hands, there is a weird, all too familiar electrical sensation running up my arm. It might be familiar, but I haven’t felt it in a very long time. I guess my imagination is really running wild here, attaching everything of Georgia to this woman. “I’m Harry Jones.”

“Harry?” Oh, God. We look at each other properly for the very first time, and I get that feeling I had all that time ago when I was standing on the beach and I saw the stunning stranger standing in the sand. “Harry, it’s…”

She doesn’t finish her sentence. She stands in place and continues to look at me like she doesn’t know what to think. This time, it really is Georgia. This isn’t my imagination, nor is it a dream. After ten long years, she’s staring at me like she wasn’t expecting to come face to face with me and she doesn’t know what to do.

This can’t be happening,I try my best to convince myself.This is nuts. It makes no sense.

I mean, why would she be back here now, after ten years? Why would she be in my school with a child…oh, my God, she has a child. A child that doesn’t belong to me.Why is this happening? It’s more torture for sure.

And why is she surprised to see me? This is my home. This is where I’ve always lived, isn’t it? Why shouldshecome here and not to expect to find me here? It makes absolutely no sense. None of this does.

“I’m Georgia… Fredericks.” Finally, after all this time, I know her surname. Clearly, it’s come too late. “And this is mydaughter, Ella, who is going to be in your class as of next week. Thank you for accepting us so late…”

I lean down and chat to Ella a bit, trying to get to know her, but clearly, she is very nervous. I wonder why. Georgia never seemed nervous toward me when we were younger… but then, she was in front of her father.

I wonder what happened there with all of that. In fact, I have a million and one questions that I still want to ask Georgia, but I don’t know if I can, really. I mean, I’m a teacher and she’s a parent. It’s a bit weird.

“So, what do you think of the school so far?” I ask Ella, but my eyes can’t resist drifting upward to see how Georgia reacts. She doesn’t have any color left in her cheeks. This is clearly weird for her.

“Seems okay,” she mutters quietly. “I don’t know anyone here, though.”

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that. I have some lovely, very friendly people in my class. You will love them. In fact, why don’t we go and pick a nice seat for you now so you will be prepared on Monday?”

“Yes, I would like that, please.” She nods eagerly, glad of my suggestion. “Thank you.”

“I will sit you next to Josie. She’s a very friendly girl, and I think you two will get along really well.”

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