PERRIE
It’s been a week since the day I met that Jade and I haven’t been sleeping much. I have been staring at her portrait. I even had it moved to the wall right in front of me whenever I sit up in bed. I want to make her come out of that painting and come lay with me. Not like the way I laid with the others before. I’ll admit, I’ve used some women to get myself off. Not this girl. This was an angel. Her eyes in the painting are as real as they were when I met her personally. I wish I wasn’t in my car then and that she had nowhere to attend to that I would have had the chance to know her better.
“Perrie!” Ellie’s little voice came through my door. “Are you up?”
I blinked my eyes from the long stare on the painting (creepy isn’t it?).
“I am. Coming down in a while.” I answered through the locked door.
“How long is a while?” Ellie could be annoyingly smart at times.
I huffed under my breath. “Maybe forever.” but answered, “Ten minutes.”
“‘Kay” she just chirped and I heard her footsteps down the hall.
So it is time to get up and go to work again. The past few weeks have been busy for me. There have been lots of meetings to attend to and some investors to negotiate with. That was why I haven’t been able to pick up Ellie from school. She expressed to me one time that she wanted me to pick her up because the driver just annoyed her with his choice of music to play in the car ride home.
Lucky day today though. I looked at my calendar and found that I have no more meetings. The only Friday this month that I could say TGIF. Seriously. This means I get to pick up Ellie and, as I had wished several days now, to meet Teacher Jade again.
I cheerfully went on to do my morning routine, then chose to dress up in comfortable jeans and a shirt and leather jacket, and meeting my little cousin downstairs afterwards.
“You look badass, Perrie!” she noticed.
I raised a brow. I’ve always looked badass, and acted that way too, I’ll say. But I am a softie for this little girl, alright.
“I was thinking of taking you to school today too.”
I saw her eyes go round and wide as the saucer of pancake before her.
“Really really really?” she chanted excitedly.
I nodded.
“Teacher Jade will be happy to meet you.”
I froze. She’ll be happy to meet me? Hell...no...or...hell yeah! Intrigued though.
“She says she is so sorry you could not talk proper last time because she was going to the studio.” my cousin added.
“I totally understood her.” I assured the little girl.
“Isn’t she pretty?” she asked afterwards.
“What?”
“Teacher Jade. She is pretty right?” Ellie emphasized.
“She is. Very.”
“Also kind. I wish mam was like her.” Ellie’s face fell. I know she misses her sweet loving and caring mother, the one that was her before her husband’s death. I felt for the girl even though I can’t say I have experienced abuse from either my parents before. I just knew the feeling of missing a parent.
“Give it a few more weeks and your mam will be back to the way she used to be.” I tried to console Ellie.
She smiled up at me, the usual child’s glint in her eyes.
“Sure. She will be like Teacher Jade. I know it.”
I smiled, laughing to myself. My cousin and I are both very fond of this Jade though mine I could say is not just fondness but maybe a crush.
“You really like her, don’t you?”
She nodded, finishing off her pancake.
“I like her too. I want to meet her actually, in a better way than the last time.”
Ellie squealed. “I am excited. You will like her.”
“You think she would like me too?” I asked, not meaning to say it loud, but oh well…
“Of course!” she exclaimed. Now I feel a bit shy. “Let’s go and meet Teacher Jade!” she continued jumping off her seat and running out the kitchen to the connecting door to the garage.
I soon followed, feeling a bit nervous about meeting the girl that had not allowed me some sleep for the past few days.
