Resurrecting Phoenix

by Isabel Lucero

  “Yes, ma’am! We do have a second grade teacher, but only one. We try to keep at least two of each grade except kindergarten. You know that, though. We just haven’t been able to find another since you left, but the current teacher will be happy to be able to have a smaller class.”

  “So you think I could come back?” I ask.

  She squeezes the tops of my arms. “I’d love it if you came back, but you know I have to ask. Are you ready? I know what you went through, and I just want to make sure you’re absolutely sure this is what you want to do.”

  “I’m one hundred percent sure, Liz. I promise I’m doing a lot better. I really miss the kids, and my old routine. I want to be back.”

  “Well, dear,” she says with a smile. “Welcome back.”

  “Really?” I ask, almost squealing.

  “Really. You know I have to run it by the school board, but given that you’ve worked here before, I doubt it’ll be an issue.”

  “Thank you so much, Liz!” I exclaim, squeezing her into a hug. “You have no idea how much this means to me.”

  She laughs. “You’re welcome, honey. Now, it’s time to get to work before school starts. I’ll give you call when everything is finalized, and you can come start getting your classroom together.”

  “Yay!”

  “I gotta get back to work, but I’ll talk to you soon. I still have your file on hand, is your number the same?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, great. Enjoy your day, Phoenix.”

  “Thanks. You too.”

  I leave the school with a huge smile on my face. I can’t wait to tell Evan, and I can’t wait to quit that stupid job at the travel agency. Once in the car, I do a little squeal/happy dance combo before grabbing my phone.

  Me: It’s good news!

  Evan: Celebrate good times . . .

  I laugh at his text.

  Me: Come on!

  Evan: Bet you’re singing the song now, huh?

  Me: Yep. Thanks for that. I think we need to celebrate your job, too.

  Evan: I have a plan. I’ll text you soon.

  Me: Okay. : )

  I go home to change out of my “professional” clothes, and get into something more comfortable. With black leggings, and a long, off the shoulder, white top, I make some tea and sit on the couch.

  I haven’t had a drink in a week, and it actually hasn’t been too bad. I wasn’t fully relying on it to make it through each day, I just used it as a crutch. I’m glad to be walking my path on my own now. I’m not saying I won’t struggle, or want to cave at some point, but I feel stronger now. I feel like I can overcome any weakness I may have. I have friends in my life, my relationship with my parents is on a slow and steady path to getting better, and I have Evan now. I was drinking because of everything that was wrong and sad in my life, but things are looking good now.

  Tomorrow I go back to work, and I’ll put in my notice with my boss. The thought of being back at the school makes my heart soar. I love the energy that the kids bring with them every day, as well as their innocence, honesty, and incredibly funny stories. If you ever want to laugh, just sit down with a kid and let them talk. They say some of the most hilarious things; things that would probably embarrass their parents if they knew.

  Around noon, I get a text from Evan telling me to go to his house. I end up having to change again, per his request, so I put on the appropriate clothes for this date, and grab a few more items he said I’d need. With everything packed into a bag, I lock up my house and walk over to his.

  “Hey,” he greets, closing the tailgate to his truck.

  “Hey.”

  He walks to me, lifting me up in his arms, spinning around and walking me to his truck. I let out a girly giggle in the process, loving the feeling of his strong arms wrapped around me. He lets me slide down his body until my feet hit the floor before giving me a few quick kisses on the lips.

  “Congrats on getting your job back,” he says, taking the bag from my hand and putting it in the truck.

  “Thank you. Congrats on starting yours,” I reply. “So, what all do you have in mind?”

  “Let’s just get started,” he says, leading me to the passenger side and helping me in. I’ll never tire of him being so chivalrous.

  Twenty minutes later, we’re back at the same lake we had our picnic at.

  “Figured we should come here during the day,” he says as he finds somewhere to park. “And I have lunch.”

  My smile grows as I watch him. Being with him at the lake is one of my favorite moments, and I’ll be happy if it becomes a regular thing to do together.

  Once we’re parked and out of the truck, we head to the bed and he places a blanket down so we don’t burn our legs. We sit on the edge of the bed, and I allow my legs to swing below while he pulls the cooler between us.

  “I didn’t bring anything too heavy, because we’re gonna be taking a dip,” he says, wagging his eyebrows playfully.

  “I assumed so, since you requested I put on a bathing suit,” I reply with a laugh. “So, what’re we eating?”

  “Well, I brought some watermelon, grapes, and oranges. I also have some crackers, cheese, and meats. It’s almost like an adult Lunchable,” he says with a laugh. “But these taste better, I promise.”

  “Sounds good to me,” I say, throwing a smile his way. “Water?” I ask, digging into the cooler.

  “Yes, please.”

  Evan and I sit and watch the few people who are out here with us swim in the lake as we eat our food. After we’re done eating, we’re so caught up in conversation that we end up sitting there for about an hour talking about everything from our jobs to our biggest pet peeves. No topic is off limits as we continue getting to know each other.

  Since our biggest and darkest secrets are already out in the open, we spend time finding out little things about each other. I tell him my pet peeve about couples who sit on the same side of the booth at a restaurant.

  “I need my elbow space!” I exclaim. “Plus, I’d want to see the person I’m with without having to crane my neck. I just don’t understand it.”

  He laughs at me. “So, I’ll just make a note to not sit next to you when we go out to eat.”

  I nod as I put a grape in my mouth.

  “I hate when people sit next to me when there are tons of other seats available. That goes for restaurants, theaters, anything like that,” he says.

  “Yeah, that’s weird.”

  “So, you ready to swim?” he asks, throwing everything back into the cooler.

  “Well, uh . . . I can’t swim.”

  “You can’t swim?” he asks incredulously.

  “Not everybody knows how to swim,” I try to defend.

  “You have a swim suit!”

  “That doesn’t mean I can swim. I need a swim suit to tan, or hop in a Jacuzzi.”

  “Well . . .” he trails off, and I can’t hold back my laughter anymore.

  “I’m just kidding. I can swim laps around you,” I say, hopping off the bed of the truck and untying the halter dress from around my neck.

  I step out of the bright blue and green dress and throw it at Evan, kick my flip flops off, and take off towards the water.

  “Hey!” he calls out.

  I look behind me and see that he’s taking his shirt and shoes off. I slow down as I approach the water, unsure of how cold it’s gonna be. The water’s just below my knees when Evan runs up behind me, putting his hands on my waist and trying to tickle me.

  “Not funny. I was worried I had chosen a terrible date.”

  “It wasn’t funny when you made me think you were a virgin!” I retort, giving him a playful scowl.

  He laughs. “That actually was funny.”

  I continue my slow trek into the water, the goosebumps already covering every inch of my skin.

  “You gotta do it fast. Just go underwater, then pop back up. You’ll be okay,” he says.

  “You do it first,” I tell him.

&nb
sp; He shrugs like it’s no big deal, then as soon as the water reaches his upper thighs, he grabs himself and gasps.

  “Shit, that’s cold!”

  I laugh. “Just do it fast,” I say, throwing his words back at him.

  “Hey, you don’t have the same parts,” he states, still cupping himself through his shorts.

  “Excuses, excuses.”

  I finally submerge myself, swimming a little further out, and when I come back up, Evan’s nowhere to be seen. I start turning around, looking for him, but he isn’t nearby.

  Suddenly, I feel something brush against my legs, and soon after, Evan pops up, water dripping from his hair. His boyish smile makes my heart race.

  “Looks like I was swimming laps around you,” he says, putting his hands on my waist. My legs wrap around him automatically, and I push the wet hair out of his face.

  “That doesn’t count. Let’s go down there,” I say, pointing to the right, “and then swim to the pier. Whoever gets there first, wins.”

  “What do I win?” he says with a confident smile.

  “I will win the chance to have a sleepover at your house,” I say with a sweet smile.

  “Sounds like a win-win for me. What do I get if I win?”

  “What do you want?”

  “Oh, Phoenix. That’s a loaded question.”

  “Fine. If you win, you can determine the prize afterwards, but that’s not gonna happen.”

  He pulls me off of him and turns around. “Get on my back.”

  I hesitantly climb onto his back, but before I can ask why, he dives into the water and swims in the direction of where I pointed. The fact that he’s swimming the distance with me on his back, and doing it pretty well, makes me a little nervous.

  When we get to where the race is to start, I let go and see him giving me a cocky smile.

  “You only just tired yourself out,” I say with a shrug. “So, thanks for that.”

  “Whatever, woman,” he says playfully. “On three?”

  I nod and ready myself.

  “One, two, three.”

  I dive in and flutter kick my legs as fast as possible, using the freestyle stroke to hopefully get ahead of Evan. I can’t take the time to see how he’s swimming or even where he is. I’m only focused on the pier in front of me, and trying to get there as fast as possible.

  The distance is a little farther than I imagined. My legs are already beginning to get tired, but I can’t give up. I spot the pier and push my body even more. When I emerge from the water, I glance around, hoping I see Evan behind me instead of sitting on the pier or something.

  My breathing is heavy as I wipe water from my face. My hopes at winning are drowned when I see Evan emerge from the other side of the pier.

  “Oh, I must’ve went too far,” he says with a grin. “Don’t you remember me telling you I was on the swim team in high school?”

  I huff. “Shit! I forgot.” I cross my arms. “I hate you.”

  His laugh is deep. “No you don’t.”

  “Whatever. What do you want to win?”

  He makes a show of thinking about his prize by looking up into the sky with his finger tapping his chin. “I’m thinking I want you to sleep over at my house tonight.”

  I smile at his response. “Really?”

  “Yes, really. Why wouldn’t I want that?”

  I swim towards him, wrapping my body around his, and give him a kiss. We stay in the water for another thirty minutes, playing around, splashing each other, and having other little competitions.

  When we get to the truck, Evan grabs our towels, tossing one to me. As I dry myself off, I watch as he wipes the drops of water from his perfectly toned body. I almost whine when he puts his shirt back on, covering up my eye candy.

  He notices me watching him and grins. “Don’t worry. You get to sleep with me tonight.”

  I roll my eyes, pretending to not be affected. “Maybe I’m coming down with a cold,” I say, feigning a cough. “Might have to stay home.”

  “Yeah, right.”

  We grab our bags and make our way to the bathrooms they have out here, changing into our dry clothes. The bathroom is small, not very well-lit, and has a strange smell, so I make it quick. Once I remove my wet bathing suit, I rub some lotion on and put on my dry clothes. I comb my hair and wrap it up into a messy knot at the back of my head before meeting up with Evan outside.

  “I can’t wait to take a shower,” I say as soon as I see him.

  “Yeah, I know. I feel dirty from just being in that bathroom.”

  “I’m also hungry again.”

  He smiles. “I’ll feed ya. Winner’s treat.”

  “Oh, shush!”

  Evan drives us to a place called Foxy’s. They serve a little bit of everything; corndogs, chicken and steak fingers, chalupas, burritos, taquitos, cheeseburgers, and pizza. At this point, I feel like eating one of each. It’s a drive-in, so I don’t have to worry about getting out and being seen looking like a wet dog.

  We end up ordering a dozen taquitos, two personal pan pizzas, and cherry and strawberry slushes. We stay parked, scarfing our food down like it’s our first meal in weeks.

  Back at Evan’s house, he takes our bags to his room while I hang out in the living room. When he comes back, he asks, “Do you want to shower?”

  “Definitely!”

  “Well, you know where the bathroom is. There’s towels and washcloths in the closet next to the door.”

  “Did you want to go first?” I ask.

  “That’s okay,” he says with a smile.

  I see my bag in the entrance of his bedroom, so I grab it and take it to the bathroom with me. I make the shower quick, not wanting to hog up all the hot water. I braid my hair over my right shoulder, lotion myself up, and get dressed in my shorts and blue t-shirt. I put on a hint of makeup, because even though I’m sure we’re in for the day, I want to look good for him.

  “All yours,” I announce when I exit.

  He comes around the corner, grabbing me and pulling me into him. “Oh yeah?”

  “Mmhmm.”

  “I like those two words.”

  “Do you?” I tease.

  “I do.”

  Our lips touch in a short, yet passionate kiss.

  “Go shower. You smell like lake,” I say with a laugh as we pull away.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  While he’s in the shower, I confirm my lunch date with Stephanie for tomorrow, and send an update text to Marissa regarding Evan and me.

  When Evan gets out of the shower, he disappears into his bedroom for a couple minutes, ducks into the kitchen, and then re-emerges with a blanket, a small tub of ice cream, and two spoons.

  “Got room for dessert?”

  “I always have room for dessert.”

  “Good. I have Neapolitan.”

  He sits next to me on the couch, covers us with the blanket, and holds the ice cream tub between us. After handing me a spoon, he grabs the remote and puts Impractical Jokers on.

  I find myself feeling embarrassed for the guys on the show with some of the challenges they have to do, and then almost spitting out my ice cream because of how hard I laugh at their antics.

  “This was a perfect date,” I say, licking my spoon clean. “Thank you.”

  “Yeah, it’s a good thing I won that race or you’d be at home right now.”

  I scoff. “Is that right?”

  “I have a confession,” he says with a mischievous grin.

  “What?”

  “It was always part of the plan to get you back here tonight.”

  “Oh really?”

  “At least I hoped I’d be able to convince you.”

  “Well, Mr. Tyler. You throw a great slumber party. Funny shows, ice cream, and warm blankets. What else is there?”

  “Games?”

  “What kind of games,” I ask in confusion.

  “You know, the usual. Seven minutes in heaven, spin the bottle, truth or dare.”

>   I narrow my eyes. “Those all seem to have something in common. Like kissing.”

  “I didn’t make up the rules of the games,” he says, shrugging his shoulders. “Plus, truth or dare doesn’t necessarily involve kissing.”

  “It did when I played.”

  “Do you want to play with me?” he asks with a smile.

  “Now that’s a loaded question.”

  He throws his head back and laughs. “I guess so.”

  We don’t end up playing any games, but we do continue to talk after he puts the ice cream away.

  “So, back to school. Are you excited? Nervous?” he asks.

  “I’m so excited! I love everything about being a teacher, and I hate that I had to quit, but it wasn’t fair to the kids with me being so miserable. How about you? How’s the job going? Have you met Anthony yet?”

  “It’s good. It’s a much smaller department than what I’m used to, but I like it. Anthony?” he questions.

  “My friend Marissa’s husband. He was Gordon’s old partner,” I remind him.

  “Oh. I don’t think so. I wasn’t at the department up until a week ago, and I’m not partnered up with him, so maybe we’ve been missing each other. However, now that you mention it, when I saw you with him at the café, he did look familiar. Or maybe I’ve just seen him in passing since then.”

  My phone dings on the table in front of us. “Speak of the devil,” I say, picking up the phone. “It’s Marissa.”

  I read her text, responding to my earlier one. She’s excited that me and Evan are together and wants all the juicy details. She also invites us both to dinner.

  “So, uh, how do you feel about meeting Marissa and Anthony?” I question.

  “How do they feel about meeting me?” he counters. “I mean, they were close to Gordon, too, and I don’t want to . . . you know, make people feel uncomfortable.”

  “She’s the one who invited you, and she knows about you and me. I’m sure she’s told Anthony, and he’s a really good guy. I promise it won’t be weird, but if you don’t want to go, that’s fine, too.”

  “Of course I want to go. I love that you want me to meet your friends, Phoenix.”

  “Okay.” I give him a peck on the lips. “I’ll let her know, and I’m sure she’ll go all out with the food.”

  After replying to her text, I put the phone down and find Evan staring at me.