Holly's Wishes

by Karen Pokras

  Gus was the math coordinator for the lower grade teachers. He didn’t actually teach math to any students. Instead, he taught the curriculum to the first through fourth grade teachers, who then taught it to their own students. It seemed like a nice, cushy job that had an awful lot of downtime. Holly was just glad she didn’t have to deal with him on a regular basis. On the weird meter, Gus ranked above average.

  Her phone buzzed again.

  What about tomorrow? I haven’t talked to you since the wedding.

  At four-thirty, Dan Harper continued to drone on about motivating students to engage in more critical thinking.

  Cereal, and milk, and … he’s got nice teeth, Holly thought while wondering if Jared would be home in time for dinner … oh right, and I need eggs.

  She’d forgotten to ask Jared what time his shift was over when she spoke with him earlier that day. Poor guy had arrived home at six in the morning and then had to be back to work at noon. The old Jared would have told his boss to go to hell, but the new Jared said it was no problem. He’d been trying to stay on his boss’ good side lately. In fact, he’d been trying to stay on her good side, too. So far he was doing a decent job.

  They’d barely seen each other today, although they did manage to make love this morning before she had to leave for work. He was even doing a better job in that department, however, she’d never had any complaints where that was concerned. Even so, he seemed different in bed—more attentive, romantic. She couldn’t put her finger on it exactly … she just knew it was better. Thinking about it, she smiled.

  “I see that grin, Holly,” Dan stated. “Does that mean I can count you in?”

  She looked up at him. Crap. What had he asked? Did it matter? He was her boss, she had to agree.

  “Yup, sure thing,” she answered with a corny thumbs up.

  “Great, we’ll meet back here tomorrow after school to get started. I think the kids are really going to enjoy this.”

  Holly nodded. Awesome, another meeting to talk about something I apparently signed up for. This new principal was too much. She collected her things and headed out the door, texting as she walked toward her car:

  Sure, Tessa, I’ll call you after my staff meeting tomorrow afternoon.

  Chapter 9

  “So things are good with Jared?” Ava asked.

  Holly tried to balance the phone between her ear and shoulder as she unloaded the groceries.

  It was hard to believe two weeks had passed already since the wedding. It felt like yesterday, although Holly missed her sister terribly. October was flying by.

  After their week-long honeymoon, they only stayed in town one additional night before heading back to California with Jenna. Between Ava’s hectic schedule at the gallery and the time difference from living on different coasts, their communications seemed to be limited to quick texts lately. Yes, she was glad to have Tessa around, but it wasn’t the same. Ava had always been Holly’s number one confidant.

  “You wouldn’t believe it,” Holly said, finally deciding to set the phone on the counter, switching over to speaker mode. She stacked up the packages of meat with one hand while pulling the freezer door open with the other. “Ever since your wedding, he’s a changed man, and it’s just been getting better.”

  “Maybe he had an epiphany,” Ava laughed. “We were in church you know.”

  “Actually, I think it was more of him getting a taste of my crazy side when we got home. He’s probably terrified to do anything to upset me now.” She chuckled as she folded up the empty paper bags from the grocery store. “Don’t worry, I made sure Jenna was fast asleep before I completely let him have it. I have to admit, my speech was impressive—and apparently effective.”

  Pulling a spoon out of the kitchen drawer, she dug right into the tub of ice cream sitting on the counter. It was six o’clock. She’d hoped to get home earlier, but the staff meeting had dragged on forever. Now that her kitchen was fully stocked again, she should probably think about having something for dinner other than Rocky Road.

  “Or maybe that bouquet is actually working,” Ava said. “You never know, Hol. Three years is a long time to be dating someone.”

  Three years was a long time.

  “Maybe,” she responded, smiling as she took another spoonful.

  She didn’t want to say anything more to jinx it. Over the past two weeks, there had been hints. A comment here, a comment there … then yesterday Jared mentioned he asked his boss for a raise. Said it was so he could start saving up for something special. His boss told him he would think about it, but Jared had sounded so hopeful. She was trying to be supportive, not asking any questions. She didn’t want to ruin the surprise—or her boyfriend’s good mood. Holding out her left hand, she tried to imagine a how it would look with a sparkling engagement ring wrapped around her finger.

  “How’s work going?” Ava asked, not waiting to see if Holly had anything more to say on the subject.

  Her sister always knew the perfect moment to stop pushing and move on to something else. Holly loved that about her.

  “It’s good,” she answered. “I have a really great group of kids. Some of the parents are a little much, but you know—there’s always one or two every year. Promise me you won’t be one of those parents.”

  “What? You mean like Mom?”

  “Exactly. I do like our new principal, though. I was a little nervous about him at first since he’s young and inexperienced, but I’m young and inexperienced, too. For the most part, he seems like he knows what he’s doing. Except for his staff meetings. They drag on forever, and he likes to have a lot of them. Like today’s. It was over an hour. I couldn’t help but zone out, during which time I think I volunteered for a committee or something. Let’s just hope for the sake of the kids it’s not the annual bake sale. That would be a disaster. Otherwise he’s good, and he’s nice to look at.

  “Is he now?” Ava asked.

  “Oh, stop. Not like that. I have Jared. Besides, you get to look at pretty artwork all day at your job,” Holly said. “Who says I can’t have something nice to look at where I work as well?”

  “Um, I work in an art gallery?”

  “A minor detail,” she teased. “But seriously, the kids seem to like him. I think he’s going to work out okay. Much better than that cranky old Mrs. Sinclair. Thank God she finally decided to retire. I was about to start putting my resume out for a position at another school.”

  “Well, good. I’m glad it all worked out. But keep your eyes in your head, young lady. You’ve got a man at home who is moving and shaking, remember?”

  “Yeah, yeah,” she said, shoving another spoonful of ice cream in her mouth.

  “Oh! I forgot to tell you— We’re coming out for Thanksgiving next month.”

  “You are?” Holly swallowed hard to get the words out. “When will you get here?”

  “We’re flying out to Max’s parents’ house on Tuesday. We’ll have turkey and all the fixings with his family on Wednesday and drive to Forest Hills for another Thanksgiving meal with you all on Thursday. We’ll stay Friday with Mom and Dad before we fly home Saturday morning. Sorry we can’t stay longer. Honestly, it’s a miracle Max’s company even let him take the holiday off with it being such a hectic season. You know what they say—Thanksgiving is the busiest time for traveling. He got lucky … he gets to take both Thanksgiving and Christmas. I guess all those years of working holidays is finally paying off. ”

  “That’s awesome! It’s like an early birthday present for me,” Holly said, smiling. Having an early December birthday was always difficult, as she often got forgotten between the fanfare surrounding Thanksgiving and Christmas.

  “I wish we could stay long enough to celebrate with you, but two weeks would be pushing it.”

  “Well, I’m glad you’re able to come at all, even if it’s just for a few days. I miss you so much … and that sweet little girl of yours, too.”

  “She sure does love her Aunt Holly. Speaking of
, I need to go pick her up from school.”

  “Okay, give her a kiss from me. And one for your hubby, as well.”

  “Will do, and love to Jared also. I’ll talk to you soon. And Holly?”

  “Yes?”

  “I’m really happy things are going so well. You deserve the best.”

  “Thanks, Ava. Love you.”

  “Love you, too.”

  Chapter 10

  “I thought this was a staff meeting.” Holly shifted uncomfortably in the high back leather chair in Dan’s office. The balls of her feet barely touched the floor. The seats, left over from Mrs. Sinclair’s reign of terror, were enough to intimidate anyone. Holly could see why kids always felt frightened going to the principal’s office. “Aren’t the others coming?” she asked, wondering what exactly she’d volunteered for. She’d been anxious about it all day.

  Dan stood up and walked around to where she was sitting. He leaned back against his desk, his knees almost touching hers, and ran his hands through his hair before flashing his smile.

  “I have to tell you,” he began. “I was a little nervous when I brought up the idea yesterday. I’m so thrilled you’re on board with this. I mean, I knew Elaine—Mrs. Fairview—would never go for it, not that she’d be right for this, anyway.” He scrunched up his face and stuck out his tongue. “And well, Gus … he’s a little too odd. I was really hoping for someone exactly like you. I think you’re absolutely perfect, to tell you the truth.” He curled his lips like a mischievous child and walked back over to his chair.

  Had he always had those dimples? “So … um … what exactly did you have in mind?” she asked, trying to fish for more information, although she wasn’t completely sure she wanted to know.

  “Well, I thought we could put together some sort of rap. With numbers,” he explained.

  “Wrapping paper? I suppose the kids could sell it as part of the holiday store this year. But, I’m not sure we’ll be able to make that much. Plus, doesn’t the school already do a gift paper fundraiser?” Holly was downright confused. She had to admit, while he might be cute, his idea kind of sucked.

  “Not gift wrap,” Dan laughed. “Rap—with an R. You know … gettin’ jiggy with number five ’cause two and four are getting down … or something. Ugh, I’m obviously incompetent when it comes to this. That’s why I need you. I heard you have a knack for it.”

  “Me? No. Oh, well, I did write a poem once for my students a couple of years ago about numbers that they really liked, but that’s about it. Hold on—” Suddenly she remembered what her boss was talking about when she started zoning yesterday. “You want to do a rap with me for the talent show?”

  “Yes. You do remember agreeing to this yesterday, don’t you? We were talking about getting the kids more engaged through music, specifically with a math rap. Wait a minute, you don’t have a twin sister who sat in on the meeting while you were out doing something else, do you?” He smiled, showing off those dimples again.

  Holly smirked. “No, sorry. I was just a little distracted when you were talking about it, that’s all. To tell you the truth, I wasn’t a hundred percent sure what I had agreed to.”

  “Ah, that explains it. So,” Dan said, running his fingers through his hair once more.

  His hairstyle reminded her of the types of styles worn by models—underwear models in particular. Not that she spent a lot of time staring at underwear models or anything. It was strictly an observation, as there happened to be a giant billboard with one on it next to a building she passed on her way to work every day. She couldn’t help but notice his hair, face, and … well, body—clothed at least—shared a remarkable resemblance.

  “Holly?”

  Oh crap, she was zoning out again.

  “I’m sorry, Dan. It’s been a long day. What were you saying?”

  He sighed. “I was wondering if I could count you in for the rap at the talent show. You’d have to put up with me for the next couple of months, but I think we could really come up with something fun for the kids. What do you say?”

  Closing her eyes for a moment to clear her mind, she took a deep breath before starting, “Yo, yo, let’s get on the floor, ’cause I want to tell y’all a story ’bout the number four. You see four alone is pretty great, but add two of them together to get the number eight.” She opened her eyes and smiled back at Dan. “Something like that maybe?”

  He clapped his hands and jumped up. “I love it! See? I knew you’d be perfect. So the show is just after winter break. I know it’s a little early to get started, but I want to make certain we’re ready. Should we meet again next week?”

  Holly grinned. “Sure.”

  ~~~

  “Holly, over here!”

  She kept her eyes on Tessa’s hand, waving at her across the crowded room, until she finally made her way over.

  “Wow, it’s packed in here,” she yelled, “and loud.”

  “Discount drinks on Hump Day,” Tessa shouted back. “College kids are broke, remember? Wednesdays are a big party night.”

  As she took a step closer to the bar, Holly felt her shoe stick to the ground. Ugh. She didn’t want to think about what was making the floor so gross. There were definitely some things about college she didn’t miss one bit. She ordered two beers and followed Tessa to an empty spot by a ledge in the back corner.

  “So what’s new?” Tessa asked. “I miss talking to you. You’re so busy all the time.”

  “I could say the same thing about you. How’s school going?”

  “Fine, I guess. I’m excited for the musical this spring. We’re doing City of Angels. I just found out I got the position of assistant to the casting director, and I’ll be on the production crew this year, finally. Apparently you have to wait until your junior year of college before anyone starts to take you seriously. Whatever. We don’t start work on it until the winter drama is finished, but at least I have something to look forward to second semester.”

  “Wow, that’s great! I’ll definitely come see it. Do you think Mom and Dad will start cutting you some slack about being a theater major now?”

  “Are you kidding?” she asked, taking a sip of her beer. “All I hear is ‘But why can’t you do a dual major like your sister, Ava? She knew just being an art major wouldn’t get her far. Look at where she is now thanks to her business degree.’ They don’t get it, Hol. I’m not in a typical theater program learning to be an actor. I’m in a theater production program. I’m learning about every aspect of the theater. Including the business side. But every time I try to explain it to them, all they hear is blah, theater, blah, blah, theater. One day, when I’m running my own theater, they’ll get it, I suppose. I’m so glad I was able to get one of the campus apartments this year. If I had to live at home again, I think I’d go insane.” She took a long swig of her drink. “But enough about me. What’s up with you?”

  “I’m sort of in a production, too,” Holly began.

  “Really? Tell me more.”

  “Well, it’s not quite as exciting as a college musical. It’s an elementary school talent show. I’m going to be doing a rap about math with my principal.”

  Tessa choked on her beer mid-swallow. “Rap? About math?” she managed to say between coughing and laughing. “Is it open to the public? Because this I have to see … and possibly video tape.”

  Nodding, Holly giggled. “Just call me M.C. Multiply.”

  “Let me guess, this was your idea,” she said, trying to calm herself down. “Only a math nerd like you would come up with something so crazy.”

  “Actually, it was my principal.” She paused to recall the meeting earlier this afternoon.

  “You’re smiling. Is he cute?”

  “Tessa, I have a boyfriend, remember?”

  “So? It’s okay to think another guy is cute. Just because you have a boyfriend, doesn’t mean you have to be blind to the rest of the male population.”

  She shook her head and rolled her eyes.

  “Anyway,
let’s get out of here,” Tessa suggested, finishing her beer. “The smell is starting to get to me. You want to grab a burger down the street?”

  “Sounds good.” Grabbing her purse, Holly followed her sister’s lead as she tried to navigate through the drunken crowd.

  Chapter 11

  Trying to get out of the bar was no easy feat. Tessa grabbed Holly’s hand and pulled her through the unruly mob. Of course, that only lasted about thirty seconds as the partiers quickly separated them. Holly felt like a pinball stuck on play as she bounced around in failed attempts to make her way to the exit sign. Every time she was close to making it out, the force of the crowd pushed her back. Maybe it was more like a Ping-Pong match. She’d surely be covered in bruises … and beer, which seemed to splash on her with every shove. It gave a whole new meaning to Beer Pong. She finally tumbled out onto the sidewalk like a caged animal being set free.

  “Sorry,” she said to the back of the black ski jacket she slammed into upon her escape. She hadn’t meant to go flying into the guy standing by the telephone pole. She would have much preferred to walk out the door like a civilized human being. Instead, she was forced out as though shot from a cannon like a freakish circus act. She continued to walk down the street with Tessa, not waiting for him to turn around. She was in no mood for some guy’s cocky college attitude.

  “No prob—” the voice said from behind her. “Holly?”

  Startling at the sound of her name, she stopped walking, slowly twisting her head to meet the familiar voice. No, this was most definitely not a cocky college student.

  “Ben?” She laughed and walked back over to him. “Wow, we don’t see each other for years, and then we bump into each other twice in two weeks. This time literally. Sorry about that … again. It was a little rough in there.”