One Shots 'The nursery nurse'

A missed Chance

The smoke danced around her face, Autumn was often here alone on the Nursery roof, always on her breaks or when she needed some time to think. She could hear the music. It was the annual Halloween party.

But Autumn ignored the music and preferred to watch the lights in the distance. London always looked so peaceful at night.

She took another drag and reviewed the evening. What a flop. She and Winter were no longer the same.

Everything had changed since she had the miscarriage. Autumn was stuck in the past, and she knew it. Therapy didn't really help her, she saw Winter and her brother move on, but she herself held on to the pain.

Autumn took another drag of her cigarette. How could this go on? Sometimes, she doubted whether Winter had been the right person. Whether they hadn't been too quick with everything.

When Autumn met Winter, she wanted to distract herself. Because she couldn't have the person she was actually in love with. But the little affair between her and Winter quickly turned into something more, and before she knew it, she was married.

But now she was at a crossroads. The fact that Winter could no longer understand her pain. That he didn't understand that she couldn't let go. And that she still had feelings for the person who was unattainable for her. Gave her the feeling that she just should give up on her marriage. Drop everything and disappear.

At the same time, Marjorie stormed out of a classroom. She was so angry. Reece had promised her that he wouldn't drink today. That he would drive them both home. But what was Reece, so drunk that he couldn't even walk straight.

Marjorie had confronted him, but every time he got drunk, he started talking about Mia. That she never had a problem with him, that he could do anything he wanted with Mia.

And if that wasn't enough, Marjorie now had to watch Reece just drool over Mia. Marjorie knew she had nothing to worry about. Firstly, Mia wasn't interested in men, and secondly, she was happy with Charlotte.

But it made Marjorie sad and angry every time. She would always be the second choice. She could never hold a candle to Mia. What's more, Marjorie knew exactly what Reece would say the next morning.

'I didn't mean it like that'
' I was drunk'

Always the same excuses. Marjorie searched for the person who would understand her best. Autumn was lighting her second, or perhaps third, cigarette. When she heard the roof hatch behind her.

Marjorie had opened it and squeezed through.

"I knew you were here," she said and sat down next to Autumn on the front roof.

"Why are you here, Marjorie? You don't smoke."

The manager pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around them. " Your brother is being a drunken idiot again..."

"That's nothing new." Autumn took another drag.

Marjorie sighed. " I know..." she looked into the horizon.

The two women sat next to each other in silence. They simply enjoyed the company.

Autumn kept looking at Marjorie, she looked even prettier in the dimmed light. She should have just asked back then, even though she knew Marjorie couldn't be straighter. But then she at least had an answer. Now she would always hoped for a small possibility,  off what could have been.

"Don't you want to go back to Winter?" Marjorie finally asked.

"No, he's probably talking about poetry again, and I can't hear it right now."

" Oh... Autumn, are you all right? You've looked so drained for months."

Autumn flicked her cigarette from the roof. Yes, she was exhausted, if not already burnt out. "I'm thinking a lot about my life right now... Sometimes, I regret a lot of my decisions."

Marjorie nodded understandably. " I feel like that a lot too.... I don't know if this with Reece is the right thing.... But I missed my chance back then."

"What chance?" Autumn asked.

Marjorie looked at her. " With you..."

" Me too... we both missed our chances."

" If we tried now, it would cause so much drama. There's so much behind everything. I could never do that to Reece, no matter what's going on between us," Marjorie said, looking up at the sky.

"And I could never do that to Winter..." Autumn muttered.

The manager looked at her deputy, she held out her hand and extended her little finger towards her. " In another life?"

Autumn interlinked her little finger with Marjories. "In another life."