Real Bond

The infant’s young voice rang loud and clear throughout the small trailer. Nobody came to comfort the delicate creature, so the ten month old  baby just continued screaming, knowing that if she kept at it long enough, eventually, somebody would come to quiet her.  She was right.  After a few long moments, bed springs creaked and seemingly exhausted footsteps padded across the cheap ceramic floor.  Even the distressed baby seemed to recognize the routine and started screaming louder as if to lure her mother toward her. 

         The source of the creaking bed springs, a tired looking woman emerges into her tiny living room and gathers her youngest child into her arms. “What is it now Ella?  Come on babe, I’ve got an interview tomorrow.  I can’t handle this, I just can’t.”  Yet, the woman still held her precious baby close until her screaming turned into a quiet whimper and her quiet whimper turned into an occasional grunt and her baby was once again asleep.  With that, the woman started back to her room, stopping at both doorways of her sleeping children on the way.  Knowing that they were all sleeping, she climbed back into bed and silently cried. 

         Just three miles down the road, a young, wealthy couple lived in a grand house and raised their only daughter.  She was only three months older than her neighbor, but her life was already dramatically different; of course, she however didn’t know that.  To her, life consisted of the love and affection of her still unsure parents.  Her mother, a typical first time provider, was more than a little overprotective, as well as her father, who seemed even less comfortable with the child. 

         The children have never met, their parents have barley ever spoken, and yet, fate will bond them in a way that does not occur with sisters or twins.  It will be a connection only created through pain and confusion. 

         The first day of school for a five year old child is one of the most exciting events.  Usually, they talk about it for months before it starts and weeks after.  Even so, there are always that few that are terrified rather than excited.  The little children that wrapped their surprisingly strong arms around the leg of a parent and held on until their new teacher had to come help peel them off.  This was the case for a little girl by the name of Madison, a small girl from a one of the few well off families in the neighborhood.  Little Madison was an only child and wasn’t quite sure how to interact with these strange children, running and hopping, squealing and playing.  She hadn’t ever been like that, she didn’t know how to be like that, and it was foreign and intimidating to her.

         Her mother, Annie Nelson, glanced around nervously, trying to track down a teacher.  Maybe if Maddie just meets her, she’ll realize this place isn’t all that bad, she thought. Just as she was just about to call out to one of the moms she recognized, an attractive man walked up to her, giving her an overly friendly smile.

         “You look like you’re having a bit of trouble, need any help?”  Just what I need, she thought, a cocky guy sitting around a school trying to pick up single moms, I’m already going to be late. Trying not to be too obvious, Annie lifted her hand, showing off her wedding ring, to move her swipe her hair from her face.  With an all business smile she asked “Actually, I was wondering where I might find the kindergarten teacher, Mrs.  Tracy Mac?  I kind of need to be going.” 

         The man gave her a smug smile that Annie simply couldn’t stand. “Hello miss, I’m Mr. Tracy Mac.”  She felt a blush rise into her cheeks as she took the hand the teacher offered. “Oh well, sorry” was her genius reply, “I’m Annie Nelson, it’s um, it’s nice to meet you. This little growth on my leg is Maddie. She’ll be attending your class this year, if I can get her off.”  Suddenly, the confident woman was gone, replaced by the slightly less attractive, less collected woman Annie.

         Tracy smiled at her and without hesitation, bent down to reason with the five-year- old.  “Hi there Maddie.  So, you like your mom do you now.  Well, you know what; I’ve got some cookies over there by the other kids, if you are a good girl, and let go of your mommy, you can come and have some. “He e slipped his had around the child’s waist and gave her a little tug.  Maddie easily released her mom and followed him.  For some reason, his ease at touching her child in such a way upset Annie.  A male teacher should be more careful, he shouldn’t do anything that could be misinterpreted.  So, instead of leaving the school and rushing to work, she lingered and finally decided to call her husband.

“Hi hottie, what’s up?”  Even with her mind wandering, she couldn’t help but smile at her husband’s enthusiasm.  Mark had always been this way.  In some ways, his attitude was the only thing keeping her going right now when everything seemed to be conspiring against them.  Becoming a mother was a lifestyle change she was still adjusting to, even after five years.  “Well, I just dropped Maddie off and, it turns out, her teacher is a male.”  There was a silence as Mark waited for the problem and Annie waited for the solution. “Mark…you still there?”

         “Yeah, I just, well, what’s wrong with guy teachers?” 

         “He just makes me uncomfortable; I don’t like him, ok?  I’m just not sure how appropriate it is for a male to be a kindergarten teacher. “As she said this, Annie realized how pathetic and sexist she sounded.  Sometimes, she was just a little overprotective of her Madison.  “I’m sorry Mark; I’m being ridiculous, right? I know, I just, well I guess I’m not ready for her to be off in school, so she’ll be wearing a bra and flirting with boys, heck, before we know it, we’ll be grandparents” 

         “Whoa there Annie, let’s not marry off our five-year-old daughter ok? I’m sure she’ll be fine.  I’ll talk to you later, ok?  Love you. “He hung up, knowing his wife was incapable of saying ‘goodbye‘and leaving it at that.  The job had to be done for her. 

         Annie went to work, over a half an hour late, still at little uneasy, spending her day worrying about her daughter.  As soon as she could leave, she rushed off to pick Maddie up from school.

         Another mother, Sarah Clarksfeild was picking her daughter up from her first day of school as well.  Ella, the youngest child of four, had a single mom with a low income lifestyle.  Yet still, they managed to get by.  Ella had been ever so excited for school that day and when she met her mother outside the main entrance, she was ecstatic.  “MOOOOMMMMMM!!!” She screamed “Look what I made today!” The little girl held up a picture frame made of popsicles sticks and glitter.  It was one of the ugliest things in existence, but of course Sarah just smiled at her daughter with pride.

         “Nice job baby, did you have fun today?”  They were now walking through the parking lot hand in chubby little hand.

         “Yeah, Mr. Howard was very nice and he said to give you this special letter.  Only two of the girls in my class got them…I was one of them.  Oh yeah, and there isn’t very many girls either, only seven” Ella held up seven fingers just in case her mom needed a visual.

         “Is that right sweetie?”  Sara lifted her daughter into her car seat and buckled her up, taking the letter with her.  “What do you say we go get your brother and sister from the high school?”  Ella’s brother and sister, Ryan and Maria, were twins.  Today was the first day of high school for them, and everybody was interested in whether or not they had lived through it.  So the little girl nodded excitedly, she couldn’t wait to tell them how much fun she had.  They drove down the road and sat in the parking lot of the high school.  While Sara was waiting for her children, she opened the letter from her daughter’s new teacher and was surprised to find it hand written and unprofessional.



Dear Mrs. Cameron,

      First, I would like to inform you that little Ella is a delight to talk to. She is very lively and outgoing. I know she will do great things in her life and I very much wish I was blessed enough to have a daughter as cute as her. Today, I wanted to meet all of my students and learn more about their level of reading. Times have changed since I went to school and many parents have started prepping their children, teaching them to read before they start school. I discovered Ella was a little behind, this isn’t a huge deal. I think we can get her back on track easily. To do this, however, I would like to suggest that she stays after school with some of the other children, just so we can give her some more practice.  Another teacher will be there Mrs. Keat. I hope you will consider participating and giving your daughter this opportunity.  You will be bettering her future and I have confidence in your love for her.

                                                                                                      Thanks for your time

Tracy Mac



When Sara finished reading this, she glanced back at her daughter. Ella was obsessing over her homemade picture frame.  She looked so happy, after the twins, nothing had gone right, her marriage was starting to fall apart and the bills weren’t being paid. Then, ten years after their birth, nothing was better and Sara’s husband had died.  Only a week after she announced her pregnancy. Ella had changed her life in ways unimaginable. Raising her and given Sara hope for the future and she was a little worried that her hope would someday be taken away. So maybe that’s why Mr. Howard’s letter had seemed so strange to her. Him referring to her as “cute”, it just seemed unusually and put her a little on edge. Yet, she pushed her thoughts aside, deciding she was being silly and paranoid.  Looking back once more at her daughter’s smiling face. Everything would be fine. “Hey Ella” She said, “Could you tell Mr. Mac you would be delighted to stay after school and work on reading please.  I’m sure you’ll have lots of fun right?” The child smiled and nodded.

A few hours later, in another part of the neighborhood, Annie was sitting on her bed next to her husband.  “Maddie was easy to put to sleep tonight, so exhausted from her big day” she informed him. Shifting a little bit to look at him. “Her teacher sent a little note home with her today” She didn’t say anymore; trying to look completely unconcerned. 

Annie’s husband looked at her over a book he seemed engulfed in. “Did he now, and what exactly does he want?”  Mark saw right through his wife’s little act and knew an argument was about to begin.

“Well,” began Annie, casually sweeping her hair behind her ear and turning slightly to face the man beside her.  “He thinks that Maddie’s reading skills need some help and he wants her to stay after school with him and another teacher, you know, to work on them.”  She looked down at her lap, knowing she was going to sound ridiculous, knowing that, he wouldn’t understand; it wasn’t possible.  “Mark, I don’t want her to go.”

         Mark slowly put his book down and set it on the nightstand beside him.  He looked at her, slipping into his professional, “let’s be reasonable” face.  “And why don’t you want to better our daughter’s future?  Is this about whatever happened today?  You having a distaste this man, because he hit on you or something?”  I was times like this when Annie saw the lawyer in him come out, and she never even pretended to like it. 

“God Mark…will you just shut up.  You have no right to even suggest I don’t care for Maddie.  I mean, if I’m so awful, why did you marry me and have a kid with me huh?”  But even as she let herself lose her composure and get mad, she knew he was right.  “She will go tomorrow and if she has fun, she may go again. Satisfied? “Mark gave her a smug smile and picked up his book once more.