Disclaimer: not mine
Written for the HBX September Challenge
Tall for his age, the brown headed boy was more than ready to start school. He could read, write his name, tie his shoe laces and name five states and their capitals. Still, as the clocked ticked closer to the moment, the child was overcome with an uncharacteristic bout of shyness.
"You must be Harmon, I'm Mrs Marston and I'll be your teacher this year," said Mrs Marston, holding out her hand. Harm shook it just like his daddy had taught him.
"It's nice to meet you, ma'am," he said politely.
"You're the last one to arrive, so how about you hang your bag on the hook and say goodbye to your mom," she said, gesturing to the bag hooks.
"Yes, ma'am," he said, moving over and hanging his bag before turning to his mom, his big blue eyes filling with tears. "Do you really have to go?" he whispered as Trish adjusted his shirt.
"Yes, son," she replied, blinking back her own tears. "You are going to have a wonderful time and will learn so much."
"But I'm scared," he whispered, "All these people are looking at me."
"That's because we're late," she said, shaking her head. "I told you to get ready faster."
"I'm sorry, mom," he said sadly. "I'll try hard not to be late again."
"Okay, Harm," she said, kissing his forehead. "I will be back to pick you up after lunch."
"And then can we write to dad and tell him all about my first day?" he asked and Trish nodded.
"Your daddy would be very proud of you today," she said, kissing his head once more. "You're going to grow up and be just like him, aren't you?"
"Yes, ma'am," he said grinning broadly. "I'm going to be a pilot just like my daddy."
Trish smiled and shook her head; she couldn't believe how much David looked like his daddy.
"Hey, grandma," David called, "Come with me!" he called bounding through the classroom door. "This is my classroom and this is my chair and this is my table and this is Miss Melissa my teacher and ..."
"Whoa," said Trish as he dragged her by the hand. "Slow down, Davy."
"Sorry, grandma," he said stopping in his tracks.
"Mrs Rabb, I'm Melissa Saunders, David's teacher," she said, shaking Trish's hand. "Thank you for joining us on Grandparents' Day."
"It's Trish Burnett," she corrected. "And thank you for the kind invitation. School has changed so much since my son, David's daddy, went to school, and certainly since I went."
"It's changed in the ten years I've been teaching," Melissa said with a laugh.
"Change is good!" David said, repeating something Trish said frequently.
"Yes, it is," Melissa agreed.
The morning was a blur in the first grade. For every new thing she was seeing and doing, Trish remembered what Harm had been doing at the same age. David thrust a handmade 'welcome' card into her hand and she recalled the aged card still up in her closet that Harm had made in kindergarten for her, his first official attempt at his name, 'Hmron' followed by lots of hugs and kisses.
The first graders sung 'Itsy Bitsy Spider' and did it well with gusto; David managed nearly all the right words. During Harm's first performance he had forgotten the words of 'Baa Baa Black Sheep' altogether and had turned bright red.
During break time when the children went outside, the adults were able to have a much needed cup of tea or coffee and a selection of cakes and slices the teachers had prepared.
"So, Mrs Burnett," Melissa said, taking a seat beside Trish.
"It's Trish," she corrected.
"Trish," the teacher amended. "What do you think of schools now?"
"So much different," she said. "In first grade I could barely write my name. Your students are typing stories on the computer. David can read books I think I had in third grade and that little girl, Jasmine, could even spell spider. Very impressive."
"Children are far more advanced than they ever were," Melissa agreed, "They constantly keep me on my toes."
"I bet they do," Trish said with a laugh. "I only had one myself and he was enough of a handful."
"Sometimes it's easier with more than one," she said. "They have others to keep them occupied."
"Yes, I see that with my grandchildren," she said nodding. "David has an older and younger sister and they occupy themselves rather than relying on a parent all the time. There was no one but Harm and I and that drove me to distraction at times," she admitted.
"What about his father?" she asked before apologising. "I'm so sorry, that's none of my business."
"It's alright, dear," Trish said. "My husband, Harm's father, went MIA on Christmas Eve just after Harm started first grade."
"I'm so sorry," Melissa said. "Did you ever find out what happened?"
"Yes," she said with a nod. "But it's not really something I want to go into now."
"Oh, I understand and I'm sorry for prying," she said, patting Trish's arm.
"It's fine, it was a long time ago now," she said smiling sadly. "And life has been kind to me since and Harm has blessed me with three adorable grandchildren."
Later that afternoon, when Grandparents' Day was over, Trish went to Harm and Mac's knowing he'd be home with Ruby.
"Hi, mom," Harm said as he opened the door, surprised when she wrapped her arms around him tightly. "Everything alright?" he asked, rubbing her back.
"Fine, everything's fine," she said, "Just had a great morning and wanted to hug my son...anything wrong with that?"
"Definitely not," he said, wrapping his arm around her and leading her inside. "Now, Miss Ruby and I were just about to have a little snack, after an early lunch. Could we talk you in to a coffee and some cupcakes we made this morning?"
"Look, grandma!" Ruby said proudly, thrusting a messily iced cupcake at her grandmother.
"Wow! Is this for me?" Trish asked, bending down to kiss the child's head. "Thank you, angel."
As the trio sat and enjoyed their treats, Harm noticed Trish kept gazing at him.
"Mom, are you sure there's nothing wrong?" he asked for a second time.
"Nothing's wrong," she said with a smile. "It was a long walk down memory lane today and I can't believe I never realised how much David was like you."
"He's a pretty cute kid, isn't he?" he asked with a cheeky smile.
"He is," Trish agreed.
"And he's pretty clever too," Harm added, smiling proudly.
"Must have your looks and his mom's brains," Trish said with a laugh and Harm pouted, in the exact same manner he did when he was five.
"Aww, mom," he said and Trish laughed some more and Harm laughed with her. "So, what else did you learn in school today?"
"Well," said Trish, smiling at the irony of it being her son asking her the same question she asked him for a dozen years. "First ..."
And as the afternoon wore on, the pair chatted about David's schooling and their own. Snippets of the present mixed in with treasures from the past and the time disappeared. It was a phone call from Mac who ended things.
"Harm, I've just had a call from Ella's school, she hasn't been picked up," Mac said, tapping on the desk. "Anything wrong?"
"Oh, sorry, gorgeous," he said jumping to his feet. "I'm running late...I'll leave now."
It was Trish, Harm and Ruby who picked up David and Ella from school. Ella not impressed she had been forgotten, especially with the light rain falling.
"How come you're late?" Ella asked climbing in.
"Sorry, baby," Harm replied. "It took me too long to get ready."
Ella shook her head; she'd heard it all before. "I keep telling you you have to be faster."
Trish laughed to herself, this conversation sounded very familiar.
"I'll try hard not to be late again," he said, checking the mirror before pulling out into traffic.
"Yeah, yeah, dad, I've heard that before too," Ella said with a sigh and Trish laughed out loud, she too had heard it all before...starting way back when her boy entered first grade.
"Why are you laughing, grandma?" Ella asked.
"I was just thinking about what your daddy was like when he was a little boy," she said turning around to look at her granddaughter.
"And what was he like?" she asked, she loved hearing daddy as a little boy stories.
"Late!" Trish said with a chuckle and Ella laughed too.
"That'd be right, something's never change," she said with wisdom beyond her years.
And Trish nodded; change might be good but there was comfort in the fact that despite everything that had happened in his life that her son was still the same as he was when he was little, and she knew she was blessed to see the same little boy once again in the guise of her grandson. Life had come full circle, and it was beautiful...even if it was late.