You Again (Completed) ✔️

4

I talk with the other teachers briefly before George walks into the classroom. "Julia, we should leave now."

"Okay, George. I'll be out in a minute."

He walks out of the room.

I hug the woman. "It was nice working and getting to know you all. If you're ever near Los Angeles, give me a call. I'd love to catch up with you." I give them my phone number, and then I leave the room.
I'm going to miss them.

When I exit the building, George has the door open for me. He has his phone up to his ear. "Okay, Darcy. We'll be there soon."

A smile spreads across my face. "Is Darcy giving you a hard time?"

He puts the phone in his pocket. "Yes, Darcy's afraid that you're going to leave before you have time to say 'goodbye' to her."

"She doesn't have anything to worry about regarding me. I'm not a horrible person who would think about leaving the girl she saved without a few ways she could contact me."

He wraps his arms around my shoulder. "You're going to be a huge part of our lives, Julia and I wouldn't do anything to change that."

I climb back into the car, which takes me to the house where Darcy lives with her family.

When we get to the house, I see Darcy run out, and I say to the driver, "Slow down. I don't want you to hit, Darcy. She's been through enough with the tsunami."

A smile spreads across George's face. "You're still caring for my daughter, and she's no longer in your care."

I open the door. "I know." I close the door and kneel at Darcy's height. "Hey, Darcy. How are you?"

A smile spreads across her face. "Good," she wraps her arms around me. "Do you have to leave?"

I lift her and carry her inside. "Yes, I do. I want to see my family, and after this, it makes me miss them." I put her down by the front door. "I'll come and visit when I can during the year."

"Promise?"

I place my hand over my heart. "I, Julia Harris, promise Darcy I will visit her during the year."

"Yay," she screams. "Can you bring me back something from the States?"

"Yes, I can. I'll bring back something for the school as well."

"Darcy," George scolds. "You can't ask people to bring stuff back for you. That's rude."

"Dad," Darcy whines. "I won't get anything if I don't ask for it."

George laughs. "Maybe I'll take you to the States, and you can explore the country. I think Disneyland and Universal Studios would be perfect places to visit."

Darcy looks at me. "Will you come with us, Julia? You live close to those places, don't you?"

"We'll see, Darcy. I don't know what I will be doing at home. If I can take time off, I will join you."

"Okay," she pulls me into the house. "I want you to meet Mommy and my brothers and sisters."

How many kids does George have?

The walls are painted light blue, and photos of the family are displayed along one wall as you walk through the hall.

At the end of the hallway is the kitchen and its open space. In the middle of the kitchen, George's wife is standing there with a spoon in her hand, singing.

"Mommy," Darcy yells. "Julia's here."

She jumps and turns towards us. "Darcy, how often do I tell you to stop scaring me like that?"

Darcy laughs and whispers, "When Mommy's in the kitchen, she forgets everyone who lives in the house."

A smile spreads across my face. "My Mom is the same way. When I was growing up, she spent time in the kitchen making cakes and cookies for us, singing and dancing to Don't Stop Believing and Abba songs."

George walks into the room, walks over to his wife, and kisses her on the cheek. "Maria, I want you to meet Julia. She's the one that saved our daughter during the tsunami."

She walks over to me and hugs me. "Thanks for saving my daughter. If it wasn't for you, I'd have one less child. She's my youngest, and I would be lost if I didn't have Darcy here with me."

I am led to the kitchen table and sit opposite George and Maria. Darcy sits next to me with a phone in her hand. "I couldn't leave one of my students on the beach while there was a tsunami coming towards us. I did everything to get her home safely to her family." I watch as a group of kids walk into the house.

A boy looks at his mother and says. "What's for dinner, Mom?"

Maria turns towards her son and says. "Pot roast. Kids, I want you all to meet Julia."

A girl with dark hair and dark eyes steps forward. She stops in front of me. "Thanks for saving my little sister."

After meeting all the kids, Darcy takes me to her room, which is like a princess room. The wall is painted pink, and a chandelier hangs from it. A pink curtain hangs across the window, and a pink tent sits on the other side of the room with a bookshelf behind it.

Darcy walks over to the bookshelf and pulls a book off the shelf. "Can you read me a story?"

"Sure," I say, taking the book from her. She opens the tent. We climb inside, and I put a bunch of pillows behind my back. Once I'm comfortable, I start reading the story.

Darcy lies down on the pillows, watching me read the story to her. She remains quiet while I read, and halfway through the book, she closes her eyes.

Once the book is finished, I kiss her cheek. "I won't be here when you wake up, Darcy. I just want to say thank you for the wonderful memories. I'm going to miss you." I stand up and walk over to the bookshelf. I place the book in its correct place before walking out of the room.

George is waiting for me next to the door. He gives me a cheque: "My wife and I want to give you this as an appreciation for saving my child. If you don't take it, I'll be highly offended."

I look at the cheque, and it says 1.5 million dollars. My jaw literally drops as I see the amount.

I don't want to offend him, but I can't cash this when I get home.

"Thanks," I put it in my purse. "Is the plane ready to leave?"

"Yes, it is." George leads the way to the car. Outside the house, I see all the kids standing out front except Darcy, asleep in her room.

I hug all the kids before telling them I will return soon. I'm about to climb in the car when Darcy runs out of the house. She rubs her eyes. "Julia, please don't go."