A Second Chance

Chapter 2

Susan glanced at the clock. She had just enough time before the bell to assign the class their English homework.
"Okay class, I am going to pass back the rough drafts of our realistic fiction short stories." She announced. "Now I have looked over each of your papers and marked as many mistakes and/or suggestions as I could find. I want you to rewrite your papers, correcting all your mistakes and adding or taking out things to make it sound better. This final copy will be due on Wednesday. Oh! And remember, these are realistic stories, not fantasy. Make it believable." She began to walk around the room handing out the papers. "Yes Lila." She said to the little blonde girl in the front row with her hand raised.
"Why don't you ever let us write fantasy?" Lila asked.
"Because it's not realistic. Anyhow, pretending is for young children. You all are ten, eleven years old. The sooner you get that nonsense out of your head the better." Susan reasoned.
"But didn't you ever pretend Ms. Pevensie?" Susan stopped in her tracks.
"Yes. Yes I did." She said in a soft, shaky voice. "In fact I pretended a little too much and it only hurt me later in life." Susan looked the little girl in the eyes, so full of imagination. Oh how she reminded her of little Lucy, always daydreaming of a fairytale world where animals talked and dryads sang. What an innocent child she had been.
Suddenly the bell rang, yanking Susan out of her own daydreams. She looked up and saw Warren leaning in the doorway, but he jumped out of the way just before getting run over by the crowd of eager fifth graders. After they were all out the door, which didn't take long, Warren approached Susan who was at her desk putting away papers and such.
"So you're not big on fairytales huh?" He said stuffing his hands in his pocket. He had apparently overheard Susan's conversation with Lila.
"No I guess not." Susan sighed. She really had wanted to avoid this conversation all together, it was more painful than anyone realized.
"Because they're just not logical, am I right?" He guessed.
"Yes." Susan nodded. "Anyway, what brings you into my classroom?" She quickly pulled him off the subject.
"Can't a man simply come to enjoy the company of an old friend?" He said with more sarcasm. Susan laughed. They hadn't exactly been friends in high school, although that's exactly what Warren had wanted.
"No, actually I'm here to ask you something. You see the other night I was having dinner with my brother and his family, and I told him about how I had run into you again after all these years. And of course, as him and my sister-in-law always do, they invited us both to dinner tonight." He told her.
"Well that was kind of them. And yes, I would be delighted." Susan accepted the invitation excitedly.
"Great! I'll let them know. Pick you up around six?"
"Sure! Thank you!" Susan said.
~
Susan slipped the second pearl earring through her right ear just as the doorbell rang. Ding. Dong. She stood up and examined herself one last time in the mirror. Mum had always told her that this dress looked good on her. It was black with large white polka dots, and the skirt was the kind that pooffed out when you spun. Susan applied a quick layer of lipstick before grabbing her purse and heading down the stairs. She gripped the railing tightly so she would trip over her tall black heels.
"Hi. Come on in." She said, opening the door for Warren.
"Burrr! You can definitely tell fall is in the air!" He said, rubbing his cold hands together.
"Yes it is getting quite chilly." Susan agreed.
"You look quite lovely this evening." He complimented. Susan blushed and touched a curl of hair behind her ear.
"Thank you." Then she opened her closet and pulled out her long black coat.
"Shall we go?" Warren asked. Susan nodded and the two were soon out the door and in Warren's car headed to his brothers house. Susan was having such a pleasant time that she didn't even notice what part of town they were in. Then her heart skipped a beat as she looked up at the house they were pulling into. 1924 Auburn Bridge Avenue. It was the house Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy had all lived in from the day they were each born to the day they left for Professor Kirke's house.