Ten-year-old Christopher Hunt was extremely excited. It was his first day of the fifth grade and he had heard that they were getting a new teacher for the class. Old Mr. Fletcher, who had been the fifth grade teacher, had retired at the end of the last academic year. Christopher was glad because Mr. Fletcher had been known to be quite a grumpy old guy.

"Dad, hurry up," he said. His father, Owen Hunt, smiled as he gave him a quick glance.

"We will get there soon enough, Christopher," Owen said. He looked around at his two younger children sitting in the back seat, eight-year-old Hayley and six-year-old Griffin. Hayley was entering the third grade and Griffin was going to be in the first grade. For the first time, Owen's three children were all going to the same school. For that, he was grateful because he didn't have to go to different places to drop them off. It was hard being a widowed dad because he had to be both a mom and dad to his kids. All three of his kids had his coloring – strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes. People immediately knew that they were his children, when they saw them together.

"We're going to get there soon enough," Owen said. "Why are you so excited?"

"We're getting a new teacher for the fifth grade since Mr. Fletcher retired. I am dying to find out who it is," Christopher said. "I have to see if he or she is nice."

"Oh, alright," Owen said. "That's fine. I am just glad to see you be so enthusiastic about school. This might mean we are getting better grades this year." He pulled up in front of the school. "So here we are. Griffin, do you need me to take you to class?"

"Don't worry, dad, I will do it," Hayley said. "His class is on the way to mine." She unbuckled herself and also undid her younger brother's seatbelt.

"Thank you, Hayley, you are a very thoughtful sister," Owen said. "Okay, so I am off to work, now. I will pick you guys up. Molly will be waiting for you guys with a snack." Molly was Owen's housekeeper. He had hired her after his wife, Emmalyn, had died two years ago in a 10-car pile-up on the highway.

"Bye, dad," the three children said, as they got out of the car. Owen waved as he drove off.

Hayley took Griffin's hand and they went off to the first grade class. Christopher headed into a different direction to the fifth grade classroom. It seemed that he was not the only one who was excited about the new teacher. Almost everyone was there. Thankfully, he was still able to get a second row seat. He didn't like to sit at the back because he found himself drifting in class. He didn't like the front row because the teacher could easily spot you and ask you a question and if you didn't know the answer, you would be embarrassed. The second row was close enough to the front but you could still hide behind someone, in case you didn't know the answer.

Christopher was at best a B-plus student. He was very good but never excellent. His fourth-grade teacher had told his Dad that Christopher could be a straight A student, if he applied himself a little bit more. He and Dad had a long conversation about that and it was agreed that he was going to make a better effort, this academic year. If he lived up to his potential, Dad had promised that they would go to Disney World and Universal Studios in Orlando, next summer. His brother and sister were counting on him so he knew he had to buckle down and get better grades.

When the bell rang, everyone settled down into their seats in great anticipation. Everyone hoped that the new teacher would be a great improvement on Mr. Fletcher. They all watched the turn of the doorknob. When the small Asian woman entered the room, there was an audible gasp from Christopher. She was so pretty with her head of glossy dark curls and smooth skin. She wore a short, slim fitting skirt, which showed off her curvy rear end as well as highlighted her slim legs. She came in and placed her bag and books on the table at the front of the class. She didn't say anything at first but wrote her name on the board.

"Cristina Yang," Christopher read the name. He wrote it down in his notebook. The teacher turned around and gave them a radiant smile. Christopher felt like all of the other fifth-graders had disappeared from the room and she was only smiling at him.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Cristina Yang and I am your new fifth grade teacher. As you can see, I wrote my name on the board, mainly because I want you to get my first name right. I know that the name Cristina commonly has an 'h' in it but not mine. It is the Spanish or Italian way of spelling the name, in case you wanted to know why it is spelled that way.

"I am very pleased to be here and I am sure we are going to have a great time together this year. I am going to tell you a little about myself. Then, we can go around the class and everyone will tell me a little about themselves. Okay, let me start. I am originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I went to school at the University of Pennsylvania. I am 26 years old and I have been teaching for four years. I wanted a new adventure so I got this job here in Laguna Beach, California. I always wanted to see California and here I am.

"Let me see what I like to do. I like to read and I hope everyone here does. I love going to the movies every weekend. I like going on long drives and exploring a new place. That's enough about me. So let's start going around the class, starting from the back. The boy in the yellow t-shirt, what's your name?"

"Kyle Redmond, Miss Yang," the boy said. Then he started to tell everyone about himself. Christopher thought about what he was going to say. He could talk about his family and his dog. He was still thinking when Miss Yang spoke to him.

"Okay, the boy in the blue t-shirt, reddish-blonde hair," Miss Yang said.

"Oh, me," Christopher said. "I am Christopher Hunt. I have a little sister, Hayley who is in third grade and a little brother, Griffin who is starting first grade. My dad's name is Owen and he owns a construction company. I have a dog named Stella. She is a Welsh corgi just like what the British queen has. I like to play video games and baseball. I also like to skateboard. Oh yeah, I also like to read." He gave his teacher a big grin.

"Nice to meet you, Christopher," Miss Yang said. "And I am so pleased that you like to read, too." She had noticed that the young boy had not mentioned anything about his mother. She assumed that his mother was no longer in the picture, possibly divorced or dead.

Christopher could not stop smiling. He felt he had done a good job. He was in such a good mood that all he wanted to do was to stare at his teacher. He didn't hear a word about what the other children said about themselves.

After everyone was done, Miss Yang started talking about schoolwork and what she expected from all of them. She said she would treat them with respect and she would like them to do the same for her. She said that she would hope that each student tried their best and if they needed help, she was more than willing to do so. She said that she wanted her classroom to be a collaborative effort, that everyone was a team and should be willing to help one another.

With that, she started the day with a reading comprehension exercise. Christopher was more attentive than he had ever been in class. He had a goofy smile on his face for the entire morning session. At lunchtime, Rufus asked him why he was in such a good mood for the first day of school.

"Oh, my God, Rufus, did you not see Miss Yang?" Christopher asked, breathless.

"Yes, I did. That was a helluva improvement over Old Man Fletcher," Rufus said. "She will make fifth grade a lot more interesting." Rufus had a wicked grin on his face as he said the word "interesting." Christopher did not like that grin. In fact, he wanted to wipe that grin off Rufus' face.

Miss Yang is mine, Christopher thought. After all, their names were Christopher and Cristina – two names that matched, even if she didn't have an "h" in her name. Never mind that she was 16 years older than him, that wasn't a problem. She would wait until he grew up and then they could get married, he thought.

"Hmm," Christopher said, disgustedly. That Rufus could be so rude, sometimes. He wondered why he tolerated him.

He looked around the lunchroom. He saw Hayley with her friends in one corner and also, Griffin sitting with two other boys. He was glad that Griffin had found friends, already. At least, he wouldn't be trailing after him, like Hayley did, when she started first grade. That was a total pain, when people kept asking him why his little sister was following him. Talia Blackstone was waving at him from her table, so Christopher waved back. He had known Talia since kindergarten and they were friends.

In the afternoon session, the class focused on math, which was one of Christopher's best subjects. He proudly volunteered to do a problem on the board and when he had done it correctly, Miss Yang complimented him. He felt ecstatic, as he walked back to his second row desk. He wondered if any of the kids on the first row would exchange desks with him. Maybe, Talia would be nice enough to change seats with him. The brunette girl turned around and smiled at him, so he smiled back.

Christopher almost regretted when the final school bell rang. "Okay, kids, before you go, just remember to read Chapter 1 of your history book," Miss Yang said. "We will discuss it tomorrow."

As all of the other children filed out of the classroom, Christopher went to the Miss Yang's desk. "Thank you for a good first day, Miss Yang," he said, a little shyly. "I am glad that you are my teacher."

"You're welcome, Christopher. Have a lovely evening. I will see you tomorrow," Miss Yang said. When she smiled, Christopher felt like he was bathed in sunshine.

"Bye," Christopher replied.

"Bye," Miss Yang said.

Christopher left the room with the biggest grin on his face. He felt a certain lightness of step. There was a song in his heart. When he came out of the school, he saw his dad with Hayley and Griffin.

"Hey," Owen said. "We've been waiting for you. Just going to drop you guys off and then I am headed back to work." The three children climbed into the vehicle and Owen took off, almost immediately.

"So how was your first day, kids?" Owen asked.

"Good," Griffin said. "I made two friends, today."

"Great," Hayley said. "I learned a new word today – monumental. "

"That's great, kids. What about you, Christopher?" Owen asked his oldest child.

"It was monumental, dad," he said, using the word that Hayley had learnt. "We met our new teacher today, Dad. Miss Yang. She is 26 years old. Her first name is Cristina but without an 'h.' She is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She's real pretty, too."

"Ah, it seems like we like our new teacher," Owen said. "That's good. Maybe she will help you to bring your grades up."

"Yes, dad, I like her," Christopher said. In his mind, he added, "very much." He wondered if Miss Yang liked nectarines. He was looking forward to his second day of school.

A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. This is a new story and I would appreciate the feedback on whether this should be continued.