Forgot in the last chapter, JUST BORROWING JULIE, RANGER, MICKIE AND ANYBODY WHO SOUNDS FAMILIAR. I'LL GIVE THEM BACK TO JE, PROMISE! Anybody else is mine as is the storyline. Hope you enjoy.

HOME WORK - TEACHERS NOTES - MICKIE

My name is Stephanie Michelle Plum, but people around here call me Mickie. I'm 30 years old and I live in Miami.

Six years ago I left my hometown Trenton, New Jersey never looking back. I don't think there is one person missing me. I left with a bang! Literally. I set fire on my ex-husbands belongings after tossing them out the window. So, it's not my fault that the fire spread to the house and the car. That caused the bang.

One day, shortly after our honeymoon, I came home early from work and found my now ex-husband, Richard 'Dickie' Orr, fucking my best friend Joyce on our new dining room table. Needless to say she's also an ex-best friend. My mother was appalled by my behavior, how could I embarrass her like that. What would the neighbors think. Didn't I think about Richards future career at all, he had aspirations in politics. What about Joyce, she was supposed to be the next news anchor for NBC. Well she made the news alright. And no, NBC never called her back. What ever happened to them? Quoting my late grandma Mazur "Simply my dear, I don't give a shit."

I think my mom should just have kept quiet about my divorce. My dad divorced mom when me and my sister Valerie were in our early teens. She could not put up with his quiet and somber demeanor and he could not put up with her drinking and promiscuity. She thought we didn't know. Of course we knew, everybody knew. That's probably why she thought it would be OK for Dickie to cheat. It takes one to know one.

My sister didn't fair any better, she married her high school sweetheart, moved to California, had a career and a little family. Turned out her husband, Steve, had an affair with the gardener/pool boy. They ran away for greener pastures, in Colombia. Steve also sported a recreational habit of the Colombian nr. one export produce. Luckily our dad had us both sing pre-nups when we married. Val got the kids, the house and a hefty alimony. She'll be receiving alimony until Steve remarries. Like that will ever happen. She stayed in California and is thriving as a writer/producer at Touchstone Television. You've all seen The Golden Girls, Lost, Criminal Minds and Greys Anatomy, so yeah, that's my sister. I'm so proud of her. When Steve left daddy went to live with Val and the girls. He's THE BEST granddad ever. He treats the girls as children, not just as girls. He takes them fishing, mountain biking and goes to their ballet and judo lessons. I love visiting. We had the best Christmas and I just returned home.

So here I am, in Miami, six years later and my friend Melinda Sanchez made me an offer I could not refuse. She's a Home Economics teacher at a very prestigious high school in Miami-Dade county. She's taking a leave of absence for six months and the appointed substitute teacher had a fatal accident. Melinda knew I was qualified in pedagogy and social studies. She also knew that my temporary employment at the MIKG (Miami International Kinder Garten, pronounced mikki-gee) was over. The MIKG catered to children of international students finishing their masters degree or doctorates at University of Miami and Florida International University.

This was too good to pass on, so I said yes. I'm really excited for the upcoming spring term. Now all I have to do is map out the curriculum.