Back to You(5)

And as Lauren shook his hand, she thought, I’d like to see you at least two times a week too.

The next morning, Lauren arrived at work an hour before her shift started so she could get herself acclimated to the new structure of Learn and Grow’s program.
Deb walked her through the paperwork she’d be exposed to: registration forms, incident reports, and memos, before she introduced Lauren to Delia and Janet, the two women she’d be working with in the pre-K room. Delia was a Hispanic girl a few years older than Lauren with a head full of long dark curls and beautiful caramel-colored eyes. Janet was a special educator, slightly overweight with graying hair and the most inviting demeanor Lauren had ever encountered. She warmed to both of them instantly.
Delia showed Lauren the three different rooms—the infant room for children under the age of one, the tot room for the one and two-year-olds, and then Lauren’s room, the pre-K room, for the three and four-year-olds.
Then both Delia and Janet sat with her, and they explained what a typical day in the pre-K room looked like.
“Do you have any questions?” Janet asked when they were done.
“No, not right now,” Lauren said, “but I’m sure I will as the day progresses.”
“That’s what we’re here for,” said Delia as she patted her on the back. “You’ll be great.”
“Are you done hazing her yet?” Deb said from the doorway.
“We decided not to haze her, although the kids might not be as kind,” Janet said with a wink in Lauren’s direction.
Deb laughed. “I just need to borrow Lauren for a minute before the kids get here.”
“We’re all set,” Delia said, walking over to the wall of books to choose a story for the morning reading circle.
“Great. Come with me,” Deb said to Lauren. “I’m gonna walk you through the registration process. You picked a great day to start; we’re registering three new kids today.”
Lauren followed Deb behind the front desk and watched as she opened a file drawer. “These are all our registration forms, divided alphabetically by room. These forms are filled out and mailed in { display: block; text-indent: 0%; her voiceso with tuition prior to the students coming here, but on their first day, what we do is take out the forms and go over them with the parents to ensure that none of the information has changed. And then, you have a brief sit-down with them to answer any last-minute questions. Parents of first-timers can be a little nervous.” Deb made a face and Lauren laughed, remembering how anxious some of her kindergarten parents used to be.
“The most important thing is to make the child feel comfortable, because then the parent will feel comfortable.”
“Right,” Lauren said with a nod.
“In fact,” Deb said, glancing up with a smile as the front door opened. “Here’s our first one. Why don’t you stay here and watch me do the first one, and then if you’re comfortable, you can try the second?”
“Sounds good,” Lauren said, smiling over at the young mother who was walking in with the most adorable little boy.
The first half hour was organized chaos, but it couldn’t have run more smoothly. Lauren watched Deb go through the registration process with Micah, the two-year-old boy who looked like he walked straight out of a commercial, and then hurried back to the pre-K room as the other students began arriving. They were fascinated with her, as children usually are with new people, and spent the first part of the morning asking her questions and fighting over sitting next to her.
Lauren took to them with ease, and by the end of that first hour, she, Delia, and Janet had fallen into a routine that made it look as if they’d been working together for years.
“Hey, Lauren?”
She looked up to see Deb popping her head in the door of their classroom. “Our second registration is here. You want to give it a shot?”
“Sure,” she said, looking over at Delia, who nodded and absorbed the two kids Lauren was working with.
“This one’s coming to your room. Call me over if you need anything,” Deb said before walking back into her office.
Lauren walked behind the desk to see a man with his back to her, holding a little girl and pointing to some of the drawings on the bulletin board.
“Hi,” Lauren said sweetly. “Welcome to Learn and Grow.”
He turned then, and Lauren felt her smile drop. For a second, her vision got sort of fuzzy, and she reached down and placed her hands on the desk to steady herself.
There was no way it could be him.
But even as her mind chanted that mantra, she knew that it was. She hadn’t seen him in eight years, but his face was still the same.