Wherever You Are

One: 15 Years Later

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December 20th, 2014

Writing in fine cursive, I went through the alphabet, slowly and carefully. Starting with A and ending in Z, the letters filled up the entire white board in the end, as the kids traced what I had wrote and practiced for themselves.

"Cursive is used widely across the world, which is why it is very important for you all to learn it," I spoke, placing down the black marker I used to write on the dry erase board and turning to face the class. Bright colors of greens and reds popped into my eyes then, as the classroom I had decorated for the holidays was nothing less than colorful. Even the students dressed vibrantly, as they were first graders.

"For homework, I would like you all to write your Christmas list in cursive. Due after break," I told them, getting nods in response, before the bell for the end of school rung and released each one of them. "Have a great Christmas!" I shouted with a smile before they ran out of the classroom, books and papers barely grasped in their hands. Sighing, I did love my job as an Elementary school teacher, but it was stressful at times due to teaching in a private, advanced school in the small city of Clarkfield, Minnesota.

"Mrs., Mrs.," I heard softly from behind, making me turn from watching the students run out of the classroom to see Annalise, the youngest in the class, looking up innocently at me. "My mommy said it would be nice to get you a present, so I picked one out," she told with a smile, extending her dark skinned hand and giving me the small, Santa Clause wrapped present.

"Oh my, thank you very much! Tell your mommy thank you too!" I cheerfully replied, looking back to the small face of Annalise. She was cute, I had to admit, with her naturally curled brown hair and blazing gold eyes, which stuck out against her dark skin. It made me want a child...

"I will, have a good Christmas!" she chimed back, before rushing out of the room like the others and leaving me there by myself. Sitting down upon my wooden desk in the front of the room and placing the present beside me, I looked out some more into the classroom to see the mess in which I would have to be cleaning up today. Colored papers laid askew nearly everywhere from a craft we had done earlier, as glitter and glue coated about ten out of the twenty three student's wooden desks. The downside of being a teacher. I thought to myself, although there was a fair share of things I did enjoy, such as the kids smiling faces and their energy that brought me to life- as well as destroyed me some days. It all depended really.

"Hello Mrs. Realer," I heard a familiar voice say, sending me to push away my thoughts and look to the voice at the door. Leaning against the door way was my husband, Luke. I had met him about three years after I moved to Clarkfield while I was walking home from teaching. It was nothing special, nothing worth talking about really. It just happened to happen and eventually we got married after a year. 

"It's Mrs. Levinstin here, actually. Maiden name over married one, even if I got married two months ago," I said sharply, since I always used my maiden name with the kids. I just didn't want to confuse them...

"Either way, I'm here to pick you up," he smiled back gloriously, before taking off his blue, knitted winter hat and brushing through his short brown hair. He was definitely handsome, that was for sure, from his blazing blue eyes down to his muscular, pale, toned body that was shown more with each movement he made. However, Luke did have his flaws, such as being way too dependent on his looks and caring more about his job unfortunately than his wife. And due to that, we never really held the greatest of bonds, one that affected us romantically the most. So, we just lived, never really acting much like a couple, but as a complicated mess that tried to support each other.

"I can't yet. The kids made a complete mess today. I have to clean..." I drifted, looking out once again to the mess the students had made.

"Charlotte, today we have to go to your parents' house up in North Dakota. You can clean this when you get back from break before school starts. We need to leave now if we ever want to make it there by tonight," Luke ended, shifting his posture against the door. My parents had invited Luke and I up for Christmas at their home, which somehow in the mess of work I had forgotten. Maybe work wasn't even the problem, though, for going back to the town that left so many bad memories was definitely something I did not want to do...

I groaned, pushing back my long brown hair behind my shoulders and looking out into the classroom once more. I guess it will have to wait after all. I thought, before smiling upon realizing it and going over to collect the few things I needed over break, along with my white coat, for Minnesota winters were always full of snow and cold weather.

"I got a gift from a student today," I told Luke as I was reminded of it, before grabbing the small thing on my desk still and unwrapping it.

"That's sweet," he said, as I took in the item that Annalise and her mother had bought for me. It was a small woman figurine, with a child holding her hand. It was cute, but for some odd reason made me sad in the same moment. I knew when Annalise and her mother had bought it, they most likely saw it as a teacher holding a child's hand, but when I looked at it, the only thing I saw was something missing from my life: a baby. Looking at Annalise earlier was only a quick reminder of my dying urge to have kids, but seeing the figurine was making it worse.

"Yeah, it was," I hesitated. "Do you have our suitcases all packed and loaded in the car already too?" I quickly asked Luke, placing the figurine out of sight on my desk and looking over to him. I knew Luke didn't want kids, which was the main reason I wanted to change topics so fast, since I didn't want him to see my sadness or even question it. I knew he would get mad...

"Yes, they are all set. Are you ready now?" he asked, before grabbing onto my cold, pale free hand. Turning off all the lights and locking the door behind me, I nodded and followed as he led us both out the back door to the school and to his parked gray, Honda Civic. Buckets of snow, however, covered the ground in fluffs of white, making me groan as I did not want to get wet today.

"Why couldn't you just have parked in the front?" I questioned him with a laugh, as I ran through the snow as fast as I could, where the safety of the warm car invited me in.

"I like adventure," he replied, handing me the roses he had bought once hopping into the driver's seat and starting up the car. Scoffing at his response, I knew he was joking, for he was not one bit into anything that involved creativity or fun at all. His job for sure showed through with that, as he merely sat in a cubical all day long calling people about some dumb discounted sports memorabilia.

"Whatever you say, lazy," I jokingly whispered, because that was for sure the one reason he had parked in the back- an exit nearest to my classroom.

"Say all you want, but I'm the one driving around five hours to North Dakota," he butted back, sending me to immediately be reminded about what was going on once again. Yes, I was visiting my parents that I loved dearly, but going back to the state- and town- that caused me so much pain just really wasn't something I would have done any other time. However, it had been fifteen years since I had last been there, so how bad could it really be?