Now was just not the time. Sure, she seemed like such a friendly sort, but there was just so much to be done. Plus, if she was ever going to make good on her promise to try and lose some of the weight she put on this summer, she was going to have to pass up on such pleasures. “I’m sorry,” she said, “there’s just so much I have to get done, first day and all, and I just can’t. Maybe I can take a raincheck Ms…?”
“Reese, April Reese,” the new teacher answered, feeling just a little disheartened. “That’s quite alright.”
She was already leaving. “Don’t be a stranger,” Ophelia called back, trying to soften the blow. “Always feel free to ask me for help anytime you need it.”
April was already out the door, and she felt bad for having rejected the poor girl. Still, she went back to work, making final adjustments to the lesson for her next class. She pulled out the salad she had packed for lunch. It really did not look all that appetizing, but sacrifices had to be made. Maybe if she worked a little longer, she would actually be hungry for it.
Clacking away at the keyboard, she only came to a sudden stop when a notice of a new message in her inbox popped up. It was an email from him. She could feel her heartbeat in her ears trying to decide what to do. She had to remain strong, she told herself, as she deleted it without even reading the subject line.
That was always his thing; being surprising and spontaneous. At times, that was his best quality. He could always surprise her in the best ways, like their first date, when he convinced her they would be going out to an authentic Italian restaurant, only to find that unlike so many young bachelors, he could cook, and very well she would add. Or the Valentine’s Day he surprised her with a teddy bear as big as she was, or at least as big as she was back then. She was pretty sure she now was bigger than it. And she could always count on him sneaking up behind her, grabbing her by her love-handles, and kissing the back of her neck when she was upset.
But then there were the surprises that were not so pleasant, like how he would be suddenly in her Buttercombe home to welcome her, when he knew darn well that non-spouses were not allowed to be on campus. Or the time he wanted her to go on sabbatical with him right when she was in the middle of trying to manage a position on senior staff. Of course, there was the final surprise when she found him waiting on her bed, a big bouquet of roses, and no clothes on. Not that she had not been aroused by the prospect, but again, he rarely ever took the time to think about her feelings and just assumed.
She was only too glad to finish out the day. As usual, with the first day of school, the girls had piled her desk high with various treats and candies. Ophelia started sifting through them. Truth be told, she was always a sucker for the baked goods. It was so easy to go out and buy candy, but to actually take the time to make something from scratch warmed her heart when it came to her students. She could always count on her girls to have her well stocked for breakfast in the mornings. She would never want of the specialty bread loaves. There was banana nut, pumpkin spice, and even chocolate zucchini bread, one of her favorites. As she started loading them into her bag to save, or talk herself out of for later, she was tempted to reach for one of the chocolate chip muffins when she heard someone coming in.
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