Paint the Town

my life would suck without you

After reviewing Antonio's availability, Lizzie found on weekdays he was only available in the late afternoon, so it came as a surprise when she saw him the next morning at 8 a.m.

She and Christina were standing by the door as they did every day for drop off, greeting the parents as they walked their child up, or simply waving to them as they drove off. They welcomed the children, but also helped pry some of the leg-huggers away. This deep into the year, the kids were usually comfortable enough to run into the room and find their friends, but there were still some stragglers that worked relentlessly to keep their parents from leaving. Henry was never one of them.

Everyday, he would autonomously hop out of his abuela's car and fearlessly greet his teachers before making his way into the classroom. Mrs. Alvarez would then flash a warm smile and drive off once he was out of sight.

Today however, shadowing the young boy was his father, dressed in clean pants, shiny shoes, and wrapped in a peacoat. Henry swung their interlaced hands together as they approached, jumping from square to square on the sidewalk.

"Mr. Alvarez, what a pleasant surprise," Lizzie beamed, her daily dose of caffeine running its course. Reverting from the first name basis felt strange and so formal, but for the sake of professionalism, she felt it was necessary.

"Miss Marks, Miss Sun," Antonio nodded. "How are you this morning?"

Christina smiled as she wrung her hands behind her back. "I'm doing well, nice to see you again, Mr. Alvarez."

He grinned at Christina, then turned his attention to Lizzie. "And you Miss Marks?"

Lizzie's tongue tied in her mouth before it opened, and she let go of the first words she could muster. "I almost didn't recognize you without the dirt all over your clothes," she laughed nervously. To cushion her friend's ill attempt at humor, Christina laughed alongside her.

"Sure, anyway Henry asked that I give these to you myself." Antonio reached in his coat pocket to retrieve a pair of mint colored gardening gloves, printed with tropical birds and colorful flowers.

Beside him, Henry was looking up at his father then at the gloves. "Look at the bird!" he said, pointing to a Toucan printed on the thumb.

"Oh my goodness," Lizzie said, taking them and examining all of the small details, "These are gorgeous, you really didn't have to."

Antonio coughed. "I didn't, actually. Henry found these in my mom's shed the other day and wanted to wear them for dinner, but I thought there might be better use for them with someone else."

The little boy covered his face as his cheeks turned bright pink, and Christina grabbed his free hand. "Henry, why don't you and I go inside and finish that puzzle you were working on the other day?"

After kissing his father goodbye, the little boy disappeared behind the double doors with Christina, leaving Antonio and Lizzie alone at the entrance.

"Your mom has spectacular taste in gloves, she must be an avid gardener," Lizzie said, shifting back and forth on her heels. She folded the gloves and stuck them in the pocket of her denim jacket, giving another thanks for the gift. "I'm glad to see you-- here with Henry, I mean. His face just lights up whenever you're around, I can already tell he's going to have a great day."

An amused smile crept onto his face. "My mom had her car detailed, and Henry says the soap they use for the floor mats 'makes his tummy hurt.'" Lizzie snorted. "Besides it only adds a few minutes to my commute, so I humored him," he said.

She nodded. "I'm not sure if you saw my email, but I'll be here later tonight to do some more cleaning. If you can't make it I completely understand, but feel free to drop by," she said. Nervously, she shoved her hands in her pockets, her right hand fighting with the rubber gloves for limited space.