We Meet Again

Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Zara Manson pulled open her apartment door, holding onto Maya's arm securely.

"It's really cold baby, we need to make sure you are wrapped up securely!" Zara commented and Maya just nodded. It was her first day in nursery and she wasn't happy to leave her mum.

Zara pouted, "you'll enjoy it, I promise and mummy will be there waiting for you when you're finished okay? We can even go see Nora and Aunty Naila." Maya's face brightened as she smiled widely. Nora was her best friend and cousin.

Zara hurried them out, as time was getting tight. Not only was it Maya's first day, it was also Zara's first day back in the work force. Now that Maya was old enough, Zara could go back to work with a little more ease and time than before. At the age of 28, Zara successfully completed her degree in English and completed her PGCE. She also managed to find a job in a local school as a primary school teacher. It wasn't her ideal career but it paid that bills, which is one of Zara's bigger concerns, as well as being a relatively easy job. Zara did a quick check and once she was satisfied, she locked the apartment and power walked down 2 flights of stairs with Maya in tow. She arrived into the car park where her black Volkswagen awaited. She strapped Maya in and got into the drivers seat.

She reached Maya's school, parked up rather haphazardly and walked her baby girl to the entrance squeezing her into a tight hug. She felt herself getting slightly overwhelmed at the thought of her daughter in school alone.

Maya held her face and kissed her nose, "bye mummy. I can't waited to see Nora." Zara let out a slight chuckle and stood up. Maya ran in with a few other children whilst Zara waved to her back. When she was no longer in sight, Zara jogged back to her car and sped off. After exceeding a few speed limits, she made it to work in the nick of time. Finding the first parking spot she saw, Zara manoeuvred in. She let out a sigh of relief and made a mental note to organise her mornings better. With both hands full she exited the car, struggling to lock it and walked the distance to the entrance. She approached the school office doing her best to look friendly. She set her things down and waited for the person at the desk to notice her.

Clearing her throat she began "hi, I'm Zara Manson, teaching year three."

The lady at the office beamed back at her, "yes, hello Miss Manson, we have been expecting you here. I'll show you to your classroom where your documents are waiting for you. I hope you settle in quickly." The lady was easily in her mid 50's and very grandmotherly. Zara followed her to the classroom she would be in for good and listened as the lady, Patricia, quickly filled her in on how the school operates. They arrived to the classroom shortly and Zara thanked her. She set her things down around her desk and quickly settled in.

"You're going to be fine, they're just kids. You have your own, for Gods sake" Zara muttered to herself. The bell rang and the children started pouring in. She was particularly fond of seven to eight year old children and as the day went on she was enjoying it more and more. Lunch arrived and she went to the break room. Her eyes doing a quick sweep she spotted a clean mug and a coffee machine. She wasn't even a heavy coffee drinker but she needed some sort of an energy booster. She rinsed the mug quickly and started the coffee machine. A teacher who looked around thirty years old approached her.

"Hi, you must be the new year three teacher?" He asked, with a welcoming smile.

She nodded and smiled back, "yeah that's me. I'm Zara." She extended her hand to shake his.

"Zara? Pretty name for a pretty girl. I'm André, I teach the other year three class." Zara blushed. She wasn't used to guys commenting on her appearance but it wasn't bad to hear and he was rather good looking.