Oh, hell no!

Chapter 1.

Thank you #annelizetaljaard for the cover you made for me.

Chapter 1.

Grace Hayward sat on the concrete bench under the big oak tree, watching as the children played on the jungle gym in the park near the apartment block. She loved coming here with the children she babysat weekends. They’re a lively bunch, but it’s so welcome in her plain bordering boring life. She always kept to herself, never one to stand out. When with kids she could be totally different as if their energy overflowed into her.

The Simons twins Jimmy and Jane lived two doors down from Grace. Their father Jim worked for a construction company and had to work away most of the time. Their mother Anne worked in a diner down the street from the park. Grace met them when she moved into the building almost two years ago. The twins where only three when Jimmy came crashing into her as she came around the corner with her shopping bag full of the groceries she bought to bake cupcakes. Flour, eggs and milk decorated the floor as the two sat staring shocked at each other. Jimmy’s lip started to tremble as he looked at Grace the unknown women he never saw before. Grace immediately started to pull faces at the small boy, making him laugh, she never could handle seeing kids cry. Anna became like a sister and for the twins she became the aunt they never had.

“Twins, come let’s go!” She called out as she gathered her books from the bench beside her.
Grace was a twenty three year old teacher at the nearby kindergarten school. This is all she ever wanted to become. Since the end of middle school, she loved the idea to teach children and inspire young minds. In high school she used to tutor students for extra merit. Classified as a nerd it all came natural to her.

“Gracie, can we please go get some ice cream? Please, Please, Please?” Jane pleaded in her small five year old voice.
“Yes, please Grace?” Jimmy added as he came running from the slide.
“Okay, but then you have to promise me you will pick up your toys when we get home so mommy can have a relaxing day after work.” Gracie bargained knowing that the twins would have done it anyway as they loved being her little helpers.
“Yay!” the twins yelped in unison.
Walking hand in hand the three of them set off to the diner where Anne worked. A lively chatter surrounded them. Grace’s face lit up as she looked down at the two joyous kids. She loved it.

*-*

At the diner Anne came to sit with them as she took her brake for a few minutes. Anne always smiled even through the toughest times like when her dad passed away a few months ago. No one at work knew nor could they say that it was eating her inside. She believed in seeing the glass half full and being in charge of your own happiness. Her favourite motto in life is: “Happiness is a choice!”

“Greetings, my lovelies and what brings you lovely people to this little piece of food heaven?” Anne asked as she took a seat next to Grace.
“Ice cream!!!!” the twins yelled in unison (again). Sometimes it’s like they share one voice box.
Laughing at their excitement Grace asked, as if she didn’t know the answer already: “And what flavour would it be today?”
“Chocolate!” yelled Jimmy at the same time as Jane yelled: “Strawberry!” as always.
Lisa a co-worker of Anne knew them so well that the moment the words left their mouths she placed the ice cream on the table in front of the two children with the brightest smiles ever.

In fact all the employees at the diner knew the twins by heart and loved them as their own. Brad the cook was married to May the owner and cashier and Lisa their daughter who worked only weekends and school breaks. Anne work day shifts on weekends and morning shifts in the week so she can be at home when the twins get home after school. Chloe and Zane are the other two waiters that take over from Lisa and Anne.
Smiling at her children Anne shifts her focus to Grace. Grace is a beautiful brunette with the most soulful hazel eyes. If you ask Anne she would tell you that Grace is the kindest, humblest person she ever met, just a tad bit too shy for her own good, but she loves her all the same. She can never thank Grace enough for what she means to her kids. That day that Jimmy run into her was a blessing.

“Jim is coming back tomorrow for a few days.” Anne told Grace excited to see her husband again.
“Yay, Daddy’s coming home!” the twins said enthusiastically.
“I’m so happy for you Anne. The kids missed him so much the last few days. He has been gone a long time this time.” Grace said smiling at her friend.
“You know his brother is coming to visit along with him this time.” Anne said wiggling her eyebrows. She can never let it pass to tease her friend.
“Oh, hell no!” Grace said shaking her head already knowing what her friend had in mind, but no way is she going on a blind date ever again. Never as in ever spelled with a capital N. “Anne no, don’t even think about it! I can smell your brain working and it’s not going to happen. No.”
“Awww, come one Grace the last time was not so bad!” Anne said knowing all too well the last date she planed for Grace was terrible, not the worst yet, but really bad. Tom was a player and needless to say got caught during a date with Grace. In which the ‘other’ girlfriend had spilled wine on Grace’s seat while Grace was in the bathroom. The girl was gone by the time Grace got back. Although Tom tried to warn her not to sit, Grace sat down on the soaking wet seat, leaving a stain on her dress that looked like she got her period. The wetness made her jump up immediately tipping the table contents all over Tom. The restaurant roared with laughter. Needless to say the date was over and Tom got what he deserved.
“Not that bad, not that bad! She says. It was embracing as hell!” Grace exclaimed.
Snickering behind her hand Anne finally admits: “Okay fine, getting a red wine stain on your white dress and dumping the table on your date, which had a girlfriend, is really bad.”
“You think?” Grace asked sarcastically.
“Okay, fine. I will not set you up on a date with my brother in law, but I know this really cute guy that…”
“No!” Grace cuts her off. “Absolutely not interested!”
“Oh, you make it so easy to get you all worked up.” Anne teased again. “I was just joking, but seriously you need to go on more dates. You’ll never find the right guy if you don’t go out without trying the bad ones first.”
“Good to know you thought they were all bad too.” Grace said with a smirk.

The twin’s laughter caught their attention and with the look of horror they stared at the two children. Ice cream smeared all over their hands and faces. Toothy grins equally wide.
“Ice cream fight!” the twins yelled.

*-*

After the much needed bath, the twins picked up their toys as promised. All snuggled up in front of the television in the living room watching Toy Story 2, the twins talked about how excited they are to see their dad the next day. Grace wished that he could stay this time longer. They really do miss him a lot and she can see that Anne does too. The few times that she saw Jim around he was always kind and friendly. Not once did she hear him fight with Anne or the kids and always treated them lovingly. So much different than the house se grow up in. Her parents fought constantly. Yelling and swearing on a daily basis. When she started university she could not wait to get away. She went to visit over the holidays, but always stay only one night.  It’s not that she hated her parents; it’s just that the fighting got too much. Why her mother still stayed after all these years she’ll never know.
To Grace the example of love between a man and woman meant the woman has to be submissive to all the man says no questions ask. Truth be told that is the exact reason why she never really wanted or desired to look for ‘Mr. Right’. Why would she give up all she wants to be and all she is just to satisfy the person you ‘love’? Aren’t they supposed to ‘love’ you too? What is love? How do you know what love feels like? Doesn’t love mean different things to different people? Grace never really thought about what love really means to her as a person, but she sure does wish that when she finds it, it will be a lot like Anne and Jim and not like her mother and father.