In Spades

Chapter 2-Walk of shame

The school bell rang, signaling the end of another workday. I helped a couple of students with their coats and wished them all a good weekend before I grabbed my briefcase and headed for the door. I locked the door behind me and scurried down the hall to Mrs. Anderson's first grade classroom to pick up Abby. She gave me her infamous heart-melting smile and raced into my arms.

"Whoa there little one! You almost knocked me over. I take it you had a good day?" I scooped Abby up into my arms and smothered her chubby cheeks in kisses.

"I gotta cowlor allll day, Mommy. It's a pwetty picture." She looked at me excitedly and handed me a folded-up piece of paper.

I gently unfolded it to see a stick figure drawing of a girl with long blonde hair and big blue eyes.

"It's you, Mommy!" She grinned from ear to ear.

I had to stifle a laugh. I covered it up by giving her another sloppy kiss on the cheek. She wiped at it with her little hands, "Blegh," she mumbled out. I cracked a smile and set Abby firmly on the ground.

"I have to talk to Mrs. Anderson for a minute, sit in your chair and be a good girl." I looked her straight in the eye with as much of a serious face as I could muster. She gave me a swift nod of her head.

"Otay, Mommy," she whispered as she promptly sat in her chair and pulled out her crayons to begin coloring some more.

I walked up to the desk where Mrs. Anderson was patiently sitting. She looked pensive, with a bright red pen in hand.

"Mrs. Anderson, is Christina still able to babysit for me this weekend? I won't be heading out until eight or so for my shift." I asked, snapping her out of the daydream state she was currently in.

I studied the worn face of Abby's middle-aged kindergarten teacher. I didn't have Abby in my class because I didn't specialize in special needs children. Abby loved Mrs. Anderson and more specifically, Christina, who is Mrs. Anderson's seventeen-year-old daughter and my regular weekend babysitter.

"Yes, just like the last three weekends, dear." Mrs. Anderson began to laugh. "The girl is saving up for a car and just loves little Abby to pieces, babysitting two days out of every week won't hurt her any, she needs the responsibility."

"Thank you, I'll have snacks available for her. I really appreciate the help and Abby loves Christina, too." I waved at Mrs. Anderson, grabbed Abby's hand, and headed toward the car.

Abby fell asleep on the drive home. A full day of school always knocked her right out. We spent the rest of the afternoon eating junk food, after a wholesome dinner of spaghetti of course, and cuddling in front of the television.

Christina arrived just after seven. I hurried to grab a shower and get ready for my shift at Louie's.

I took as quick of a shower as possible before throwing on some tight-fitting jeans and the tight blue and gold top that read Louie's across my bust. All employees were forced to wear the top as part of the uniform, much to my chagrin. I brushed the tangles out of my long blonde mane, but left my hair curly. I quickly smudged some lip-gloss on and was ready to go. I glanced in the mirror for a quick tooth check and hurriedly rushed away. Mirrors always left a bad taste in my mouth.

I was a pretty girl with porcelain skin, big blue eyes, and small but full lips. I was of average size and sporting those baby-making hips that most guys seemed to be so fond of. I didn't really care about my appearance, so I didn't fuss with makeup or hair styling which ultimately left my skin clear and blemish free. I was finally ready by eight, so I went in search of the girls.