This is the beginning. The point in time where my world ceased to orbit in the way I was familiar with. It's where the mundane ended and the exciting began. I remember the moment like it was yesterday. I was signed up to take a writing class at the college to keep my teachers license. The day was your typical bad winter New York weather. My day had been neither good nor bad, just somewhere in the range o comfortable, safe, and a bit boring. Maybe that's what made me notice Sally Jackson as soon as I walked through the classroom door. She was wearing a bright sweater and smiling as she leaned over the desk writing something. Not all the students had arrived, so there were still spots open throughout the room, including the one next to the brown haired beauty. I quickly made my way over to the spot and slid in the seat. Now what? I had no idea what to say or do. I looked around the room for any ideas and I came up with nothing. Name, start with names.
"Hi, I'm Paul," I said and held out my hand.
"Sally Jackson," she smiled. She shook my hand and went back to whatever it was she was working on.
"So are you a professional student, working on a degree, or is there some other mysterious reason your in this class?" I grinned.
"I'm working on my degree. What about you?" She asked politely.
"Teachers License," I answered.
"Oh, what do you teach?"
"English at Goode High School," I replied. "What degree are you working on?"
"My English degree, I want to be an author," she blushed and looked away. I was in the midst of drawing breath to ask her what she wanted to write when the Professor began talking.
He talked about different forms of technique and style we would be learning and then gave us a few exercises to work on that applied them. Sally did a great job using the different techniques, but I noticed she had difficulty with grammar and had a habit of writing run-on sentences. Class passed by quickly and before we knew it, the professor was announcing its end.
"Would you like to get a cup of coffee?" I asked before I could even think it through. Sally bit her lip and glanced uncertainly towards the door. "Over in the school cafe. We can work on homework," I added now determined to have that cup of coffee.
She smiled at me again and I found myself thinking I could bask in its warmth forever. "Alright," she agreed and I gave a mental whoop as we stood up to head out of the room. I led the way, being very familiar with the campus.
"So tell me about Sally Jackson," I suggested as we walked. "Who is she?"
She was quiet and I peeked at her from the corner of my eye. She seemed to be thinking over what I asked so I let her be. "I'm a single mom and recently divorced," she said at last. "There really isn't much else to tell. A lot of rough and unhappy times and very few of the joyful. Percy is my life. He's fourteen years old."
Well at least she was single. The kid threw me though. I had never considered becoming a member of a family, I always imagined creating my own. However an already made family wasn't so bad as I thought about it. I could skip over the Terrible twos at least. "Where is Percy's dad in the picture?" I asked. It was entirely possible that she still loved him.
"I haven't seen him since before Percy was born," Sally explained. "Percy met him two years ago and, well, they're working things out."
I nodded as though I understood, but really I didn't. How could a father just abandon his child? I couldn't even imagine doing that. I was deep in thought, trying to understand the different emotions that were running through me. I felt an overwhelming need to protect this woman and a deep hatred towards a man I had never met, far to deep for a woman who I had only known for a hour. We entered the cafe in silence.
"Why don't you find us a seat," I suggested. "What would you like?"
"Hot chocolate," she said reaching for her wallet.
I shook my hand at her and headed toward the line. "I got it covered. Your job is to find us a table."
"Oh, but..."
I was already walking away. I got in line and turned to watch as Sally went to sit in an open spot. She was beautiful in a simple and humble sort of way. I smiled at her when she looked my direction to point out the spot she had chosen.
"Can I help you?"
I turned back toward the barista and have our orders. Minutes later I was sitting at the table with Sally. We exchanged stories as we worked. I helped her with her grammar and in return she gave me a few smiles. I watched as her eyes lit up when she talked about Percy, how they got distant when she talked about her parents. We didn't discuss her ex-husband or Percy's father. We had been talking for several hours before Sally had looked at her watch and claimed that she needed to get home. I offered to escort her to her car and offered my hope that I could spend more time with her.
I drove home with a green-eyed, brown haired woman on my mind. I wondered at the emotions I had felt just being around her, and how I couldn't wait to learn more about her.