Page 12 of Blind Date with a #FIREFIGHTER
“You’ll get to pick from the ones that aren’t taken.”
“And I can bring my stuffie?”
“Yes. And you will have your very own locker to store things.”
I look up at Alex. “As you can tell we have little alcoves that are set back just a little for quiet play. We all need the occasional break from others. Kids are assigned a group leader, but we also have what you might call room monitors. Right now, we have more teachers per students than the national average. We hope to keep it that way.
“For the children in Aaron’s age group, all our age groups really, we work on pre-school activities as well as good social behavior. For our overnight kids, there is a bedtime snack, we read bedtime books, and a counselor stays in the room. The first few nights are an adjustment. But most of the kids adapt quickly.
“We do have TV time, but two rooms that are age specific. We provide a list of the shows so that if it’s not appropriate for your child they will not be on the list. We have twenty-four-seven guards at the entrance. All visitors must show ID to enter. There’s more and if you are interested, we’ll provide you with our brochure.”
“I don’t have to watch scary stuff?”
“No, sweetheart. No scary stuff here.”
We’ve made our way back to the bookshelf. Nicci is sitting beside Shelly.
“Aaron, would you like to look at the books with Nicci and Shelly while your dad and I talk for a few minutes?”
“Are you going to talk about pizza?”
“Maybe.”
“Okay.” He sits next to Shelly and looks at the books in her lap.
“We’re good here boss if you need go to the office.” Shelly shuffles the books in her lap. “You got twenty-three-minutes, but I can stretch to twenty-five if you need.”
I turn to Alex. “Follow me and I’ll show you the upstairs. I think you’ll appreciate the set up. I saw you checking out the fire alarms and their placement. To someone who knows are you comfortable with them?”
“Very. You have more than is technically required, which I appreciate from the early detection perspective.”
Upstairs he goes straight to the overlook then glances at the ceiling mounted screens.
“I can see everything from here and the security guard has a smaller version. If the guard is called to the back, the front door cannot be opened. I can open it from my office if necessary.
“Obviously, the fire department has the schematic of the building.”
I hand him one of our brochures and he leafs through it. “That’s yours to keep. Any questions, just call me. Also, I can’t give you the name of the other firefighter but ask at work. One of the other firefighters has a child in our care.
“The obvious advantage of our facility is there’s always more than one person on site at all times. Not like a single sitter at home who may fall asleep during a TV show. Or when they call in sick and you’re scrambling for coverage.
“Downside, the kids need to get use to sleeping here. But it’s kind of like summer camp to them once they get used to it. One thing we offer is a week’s trial to see how they and you adapt. Oh, and face timing with your child is encouraged under supervision.
“You’re very organized. I appreciate this.” He smiles. “What is your roll exactly?”
“I’m the director of this location. I worked with the developer of Safe Scape Child Care as an expert in childcare when they were developing. It’s a fairly new franchise, but it’s growing due to our understanding and attention to the needs of the child in the real world as well as the niche of unconventional work hours. I have a great deal of respect for the benefactor. I also take myturn in all of the rooms and positions. I feel I need to do so to keep in touch.
“I may be the director to parents, but I’m just Miss Thea to the kids.”
“There was nothing like this two years ago for me. It’s been a struggle and a concern.” He pauses. “Now can you explain the pizza half?”
I can feel my face heat. “When I put Aaron to bed, he wanted me to come back and read the rest of the books. I told him it was up to you, but I would talk to you about letting me come back onhisbehalf.
“He then asked me to ask you about the three of us going for pizza,on his behalf. Your son is very clever.”
“Yes, he can be. Too adult at times, too.” He grimaces. “So, what time do you get off?”
“Tonight, I leave at six.”
