A second chance to move on

°1•Painful memory

Alice

"Happy birthday, sweetheart," Scott tells me when he walks into our room with a tray full of breakfast.

"Is this for me?" I ask. I can't believe how caring he is towards me after all this time.

He places the tray in front of me and persists in kissing me gently on the mouth, being careful not to spill anything.

I still can't believe we've been together for six years now. I love him so much.

"So what have you planned for my birthday?" Oh my god, his pancake is so delicious! I tell myself when I took the first bite.

"No, no, don't try to get any information from me, woman. It won't work. Now finish the breakfast I made for you and let me worry about what's next." He leaves a kiss on my forehead while I continue to take bites on these perfect pancakes.

Once this delicious meal is over, I get ready to take a shower. I'm not surprised that as soon as I start washing my hair, the bath curtain suddenly opens.

"Yes, what can I do for you?" I can't help but ask him sarcastically.

"Don't play coy with me. You know exactly what I want!"

"I do? Really?"

"Sweetheart, don't play games with me. You know you'll never win."

"Oh but this time, lover boy, I think I have the advantage. If you want some of this." I point at myself to make my point. "You have to tell me what you planned for me today."

When I see he doesn't answer me, I start to close the curtain with a smirk. Just to prove my point.

"You don't play fair, Alice."

"Oh, but I do. I learned from the best."

"All right! All right. I can't believe I'm saying this but you win! I scheduled you for a spa all afternoon."

"Well, then I think you earned your reward."

I shouldn't have teased him because when he stepped in here with me let just say he showed him what it meant to tease him and I was happy to oblige.

As for my spa afternoon, it went heavenly. I mean the hot stone massage, head, face, neck massage, the hot water pool, they were all worth my time. I couldn't have asked for a better birthday present.

I think after that he went a little overboard because when I was done with my schedule, a limo driver was waiting for men outside to bring me to where I would meet him next. We aren't rich so that must cost him a fortune.

Now here I am at the restaurant that we had our first date while waiting for his arrival.

Thank god it isn't a fancy restaurant or I would be out of place with my outfit. I say to myself when I look around me.

Except for the limo. My conscience says to me.

Then my cell phone starts to ring.

"You are late mister," I say assuming it was Scott on the other side of the phone.

"Am I speaking with Miss Alice Green?" My heart stops beating and not in a good way.

"This is she," I answer in a low voice.

"Miss Green this is the hospital, we have you as his emergency contact for Mr. Scott Fuller..."

"Is he alright? What happened? Where is he?"

I didn't let her answer either of my questions as I hung up and started to run out of the restaurant like a maniac on the loose.

It's been two years since I lost the person who matters most to me. The information I was able to gather from what happened that day is that Scott walked into a jewelry store to get me a ring.

I'm furious at him because he played the hero and that's what cost him his life. Why couldn't he mind his own business if he did, today he would still be at my side. He wouldn't have left me alone in this world.

I know I sound selfish right now, but that's how I feel. I can't help myself.

Two years later, I wanted to change my life. I couldn't stay where I was and still have a reminder of what I had lost. It wasn't good for my health. I came to this town called Saint-Rock and found a job as a librarian in a high school town.

I'm sitting in the staff room concentrating on what Miss Creek is telling me when suddenly the door opens and Mr. Rheims walks in and he's not alone.

"Everyone, may I have your attention, please. I want to introduce our new substitute teacher, taking over for Miss Sutherland until the end of the year, Miss Tory Summer." Mr. Rheims says to all of us.

She looks at everyone in the room and waves to us.

When I look at her, I can see the pain written in her eyes. She tries to hide it but I can still see it. Maybe ever since I lost Scott I only see spin around me.

"Tomorrow morning will be her official welcoming among us, I just wanted to give her a heads up of what she'll be dealing with." Was he trying to be funny?

"You know I'm messing with you all, all of you, you know what a wonderful group you are to work with." Is it me or he's looking at me while he said that?

"Miss Tory, here is the coach of the football team."

Does she already know Mr. Salazar? I hope she knows he's a player. When I started here in my first year he tried once to seduce me but it didn't work. No one will ever be as good as Scott.

"Tory, I would like you to meet Mr. Levi Salazar. Levi, this is Miss Tory Summer, our new substitute teacher, to replace Miss Sutherland for the time being."

Mr. Salazar or Levi reaches out to greet her.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Salazar." She says to him in his turn.

Well, then my mistake, these two don't know each other.

"If you'll excuse me, I have to go now. It was wonderful to meet you all. I'll see you all tomorrow." Then she gets out of here.

And now it's Levi's turn to walk out of here without saying anything.

Good idea I should go back to the library. A ton of stuff remains to be done.

As I walk towards the library, a memory of the past emerges in my mind.

It's Scott's body lying on the hospital bed with a sheet covering his body as the doctor asks me to identify him.

I stop for a moment just to put this memory in the back of my head, trying not to cry at the same time.

"Miss Green are you alright?" I turn around and see Mr. Rheims looking at me with concern.

"Yes, thank you, I'm fine." I try to be as convincing as possible.

"Here, sit for a while. You seem disoriented." He persists as he reaches out his hand to lead me to the chair not far from where we are.

I was ready to do exactly that but when I touched his hand, I felt sparks cross my body.

No! No! No! Only one man in this world makes me feel that way and he is gone forever.

I walk away from him without saying a single word.

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