Behind You (gxg)

B - is for Beginning

I've been working at Playful Pebbles Daycare for about two years now as a daycare worker and I still love it. Everyone says that within three months you either quit or stop being able to talk like a normal and articulate adult. But its been 24 months and somehow, I'm still me, although a lot more of my clothes are paint and playdough stained. I've found it so rewarding watching these little clueless kids grow and develop personalities as well as basic skills. Who knew that little Joshy being potty trained, or Emma learning to write her name, would involve so much excitement and even make my day. Sometimes it's the little things that make a big difference. Oh, and Joshy being potty trained is definitely a BIG difference.

"Good morning Noa! Can you pass me the broom over there by the door, Amir spilled his cheerios everywhere- no don't smash those Ryan!" My co-worker Rosie definitely had her arms full this morning with the early shift. I was surprised to see quite a few of the kids here so early, and quickly put my bag and jacket away. I grabbed the broom and began redirecting the kids back to the tables to eat instead of over the carpet.

As I was getting the kids seated and settled, I felt that familiar sense behind me. The little hairs on the back of my neck stood and I just waited for it to pass. I was used to this. After a few moments I felt a warm body hug the back of my leg and bury their face into my pant leg. "Who's that there? Is that Miriam? Miri Miri, what are you doing smelling my pants?" I bent down as I released Miriam's arms from around my leg and lifted her up in my arms.

"Goo morin' Noa" said the adorable toddler with her messy brown hair framing her tanned and freckled face.

"Good morning Miri Miri, would you like some breakfast? We have cheerios to cheer you up" Miriam just shook her head in reply and rested against my shoulder. She didn't look too well, and I immediately checked her forehead to see if she had a temperature. All clear.

"Noa there was somethin' scary" I raised my eyebrow at the toddler and asked her where, to which she replied, "behind you". My body froze for a split second as I processed this information. Miri just buried her face deeper into my shoulder.

"Do you want to tell me what it looked like?" I asked quietly, knowing that even if this was just a child's over-active imagination, that it was important not to invalidate her experience. Many kids had imaginary friends or pets to help them feel less lonely or scared in situations. This also worked in the other direction, where, many would imagine scary creatures such as a monster under the bed or in the closet; the fear of the unknown.

Before Miri could summon the courage to try and express whatever it was that spooked her, we heard the daycare buzzer ring. That either meant a delivery or a new parent, as everyone else had the buzzer code. That also meant that all the toddlers were compelled to see who was at the door; probably in hopes that it was their own mommy or daddy. As I put Miri down and maneuvered my way through the sea of sticky cheerio-d kids, I felt that sensation again, but not from behind like usual.

Rosie got to the door before me, which left me with trying to persuade the curious crawlers away from the door. When I finally turned to see who was at the door I felt a surge of electricity in the air as my eyes processed the curly dark haired beauty in front of me. And just as I had turned fully towards her, her calm blue eyes met mine. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up again.

"Hey Noa, come meet Lilah and her son Uriel, they're here for a tour of the space, I forgot to tell you." I nodded at Rosie and gave the two newcomers a kind smile.

"hey there, I'm Noa, it's very nice to meet you two" I said as I shook Lilah's hand and then knelt in front of the boy with the same curly dark hair as his mother. Although his curls were similar, his blue eyes were piercing, with a sense of maturity that quite frankly shocked me. "That's a very unique name there Uriel"

"You can call him Uri, makes him sound less like a wise old little man" Lilah laughed as she ruffled his hair lovingly. I stood up and smiled in return, my brain already registering her laugh as one of my favorite sounds in the world. These two were definitely something special.

"Well then Uri, and Mrs. Lilah, why don't you join us for a tour of the place, I bet you'll feel right at home here"

"Oh, thank you, and it's just Ms. by the way."  Lilah replied as we started our walk through Playful Pebbles.

Noted.

Overall the tour went by without any serious stumbling or mumblings on my part. Uri seemed a little hesitant throughout, I kept catching him staring at me. It was kind of eerie. Ha, see what I did there? Eerie Uri.

Anyways.

I was kind of used to it, most people tend to stare at me in the beginning, my androgynous looks confusing some into wondering whether I'm a boy or a girl. Well surprise! I was neither. Well, sometimes. Well, sometimes I looked masculine, sometimes feminine, and sometimes neither. Kids seemed to accept the concept a lot faster than adults, another reason as to why I loved working with them.

But back to the tour with Lilah and Uri, it seemed to go successfully, and Lilah said she would register her son for the following Monday. Today is Wednesday. That meant I would have to wait a grueling four days until I would see her again. Which was also something Rosie definitely mentioned to me at least five times that day. She may have noticed the electricity in the air too.

"You're such a sucker Noa, just try to keep it toned down in the beginning. Don't scare off our newcomers too fast" She laughed at me as I sheepishly waved them off at the end of their visit. Rosie did not leave me alone the rest of the day. I just brushed her off and tried to look cool by brushing my hand through my short auburn hair.

"Don't forget you're on diarrhea duty Noa, oh and look who needs a change! Hi Ryan, let's get you cleaned up."

Great.