Sara
D id I just hear this lady correctly? It sounded to me like she asked me to pretend to be her girlfriend for pay. To think that I was feeling sympathetic for her.
Lucille looks like she’s holding something back as she shrugs. “My family would be thrilled to see me with such a beautiful woman.”
My face burns with embarrassment and I’m glad we’re talking in the basement so nobody can the words that just came out of her mouth. “Are you insane? I know we've known each other for a while, but that’s the most ridiculous thing you've ever said."
“That’s why it’
s called pretending. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, just smile and nod and tell everyone what a great girlfriend I am so I can get my inheritance.”
Not only do her words anger me, but I also feel taken advantage of. Perhaps the only reason Lucille was being so kind to me was so she could use me for her little plan. “I don’t even know what to say, but now I know you’re crazy.”
“Just say yes.” Lucille corners me against a wall, the edges of her lips turning up into a smile as her hand moves to rest on the wall beside my head. She looks sort of attractive as the dim light flickers in her grey eyes.
I shake the thought away instantly as I regain my self worth. “No! Absolutely not, I have to leave.”
Disappointed, she drops the arm beside my head and frowns. “Come on, don’t be like that. I didn’t mean any offense.”
“I have to pick the kids up. Let’s just pretend this conversation never happened.”
“Alright go get your kids.” A flicker of desperation washes over Lucille’s face before she regains her icy disposition. “But if you change your mind the offer is still open.”
“It’s never going to happen. I know you wouldn’t stoop so low as to offer me money for a fake relationship.” With more confidence than I’ve ever had in my life, I push past Lucille and head up the stairs.
Before I completely storm out, I see the shame on Lucille’s face. She doesn’t say anything, and she doesn’t try to stop me. If I didn’t know her better, I would say she was sorry for even posing the question to me in the first place.
I can’t contain my anger as I get into my car and pull onto the highway. “The nerve of that woman!” I yell to myself, my grip around the steering wheel tightening.
Lucille’s heart wrenching story about her father and the will almost had me fooled. It aggravates me that I fell for it, and I urge myself to calm down for the sake of my nephews. The day has taken its toll on me but I know seeing them will make everything better.
I park in front of the school and hurry in, the anticipation of holding my little angels in my arms pushing me to burst through the doors.
Just as Lucas and Liam’s classroom comes into sight, a woman I vaguely recognize comes barreling towards me. “Oh thank goodness, Ms. Hamilton. We need you in the classroom down the hall right away.”
I realize the woman is one of the teachers, and her worried expression has me concerned. “Is everything alright, are the boys hurt?” I ask, beginning to think the worst.
“Well, they aren’t exactly hurt. But they’ve gotten into quite a bit of trouble.” She points me to the classroom, where the twins are pouting in a makeshift time out corner.
My face pales when I realize the condition they are in. Lucas is sitting across from a taped up window with a scowl on his face and scratches on his hands, while Liam is sitting beside him with dried dirt in his hair. His best trousers are now tattered and stained with mud.
“We’ve cleaned them up the best we could.” The young teacher looks worse for wear herself, and I can tell she’s struggling to divulge the details of the twin’s hectic afternoon.
“What happened here?” I rush over to the children and gather them into my arms. “What did you two do?”
“Everything was going well until recess.” The teacher starts, coming over to sit on top of a desk as she speaks. “Lucas had a temper tantrum and threw a baseball through the classroom window, and Liam decided to make his own mud puddle to play in.”
My eyes go wide and I stare at the woman incredulously. “Don’t teachers supervise the kids during playtime?”
She suddenly becomes stern, crossing her arms. “Ma’am, we had four teachers on supervision duty and not one of them could control your wild nephews. They’ve destroyed school property for goodness sakes!”
“It was an accident auntie.” Lucas looks up at me with his big brown eyes, but despite his cuteness I can see that he’s lying. They only call me auntie when they’re trying to trick me.
“Yeah auntie, it was an accident.” Liam tries to support his brother, but he bursts out in a fit of giggles as he tries to hide his crossed fingers. “We didn't mean it, Mrs. Erica."
“What did auntie say about telling lies?” I heave a sigh as I address the boys, realizing that I’m going to have to pay for the damages myself. “I hope you’re getting used to time out because there’s going to be much more of it once we get home.”
“Frankly Ms. Hamilton, I think this situation requires a bit more than time out.” Erica shakes her head. “This isn’t the first time they’ve acted out, and it’s extremely concerning to the staff.”