Never Look Back: A New Dawn

The Meeting - 2

        I woke up in a cold sweat with a gasp.

        It was just a dream.

        I sighed heavily into my chest and pounding heart. I felt the soreness of my muscles start to come through. I took a long yawn and stretch while scanning my surroundings. I must’ve fallen asleep on the couch, and it couldn’t have been for long because the sun was still high in the sky. I checked the clock that hung above the TV and squinted to read it with my blurry vision.

        Three.

        The time didn’t process for a while until I flickered my eyes to it again.  

        “Shit!” I snapped to myself.

        I slipped my sneakers on quickly and grabbed onto my keys left in the bowl on the end table and ran to my car. I sped like a maniac to the elementary school and got a parade of other cars honking and yelling at me, but I drove past them all until I pulled up into the parking lot and bolted to the front entrance. I ran inside the nearly empty school and rushed down the hallways and into the main office. Inside was Hannah sitting down in one of their uncomfortable chairs, crying softly into her lap. Next to her was a little boy around her age and a familiar woman. Andrea sat in the chair next to her with the small boy on her lap and her hand stroking Hannah’s back.

        “Hannah!” I yelled while running to her. I knelt down to her level and pulled her into my chest. I felt a wave of relief wash over me as I put my hands to her small, fragile head and ran them through her light brown locks. She clutched onto me and wrapped her arms around my neck. I stood there in a warm embrace while she wept into me.

        “I thought you left me,” she cried.

        “Oh, darlin’, that’ll never happen… I’m so sorry, I lost track of time. Are you okay?”

        “Yeah… I was scared though, Daddy. I kept waiting but you never came,” she said softly. I stood up with her in my arms and lifted her up from the ground while hushing comforting words into her ear.

        “I’m here, I’ve got you, Darlin’… Did you wait here?” I asked, turning my attention to Andrea.

        “Well, yeah. I didn’t know she was your daughter, but I told her I’d wait until her dad got here. I tried to make her feel better, I hope it helped,” she said while ruffling the bright blonde hair of the little boy.

        “Thank you so much. I don’t know what happened, I must’ve fallen asleep or something. God, I feel horrible, you were kept waiting for almost an hour.”

        “It’s nothing, really,” she insisted.

        “Come on, you didn’t have to stay here. Thank you. Can I make it up to you?”

        “You don’t have to do anything, Ryan,” she said.

        “No, I want to! Why don’t we just meet for coffee or set up a play date for the kids? I doubt your brother’s much of a fan of dolls, but we’ve got other things! I think we’ve got a few cars around and maybe a video game-”

        “Coffee sounds nice,” she said, interrupting my stupid stammering. I cracked a smile and felt my face getting warm as she gave me the same stare I gave her earlier today. She dug through her bag and pulled out a gel pen.

        “I don’t have any paper,” she said while reaching for my hand. She wrote digits along the palm of my hand while darting her eyes up to me. They gleamed at me with a hint of playfulness.