Hello August, Please Be Good To Me

Chapter 47: A New Purpose

I'm so wrapped up teaching the little kids how to draw on the board, I neglect my phone. Aunt Ja'nice reminds me about snack time, something I never do because of the age group I usually spend time with, and begin searching in the cabinets in the room for the juice and cheese crackers. Or any crackers. Juliana, my favorite, is right on my heels, never letting me out of her sight. "Guys, you gotta sit down if you want snack okay?" I still have some kids standing up at the chalk board, one on the floor, and the rest playing around at the kiddie tables. I'm glad I don't put the juice out. I'm not in the mood to mop up any messes.

"Will you sit next to me?" Juliana asks, after I manage to get everyone seated and napkins filled with animal crackers in front of each kid. "I want apple juice!" A boy I find out is Stevie says impatiently. "Hmmm, well I want things too, but is that how we get what we want?" I sound like such a parent! "Please get me some apple juice," Stevie tries again, and I laugh as everyone clamors for apple juice. "Okay, okay! Sit down, and I'll get everybody juice." Juliana's hand is attached to mine, so I make her my helper. I'm so paranoid about one of the kids spilling their juice I easily spill a cup full onto the counter. "Ooooooo," the chorus of kids can probably be heard in the other room. "Hey, let's do a game to see how fast we can clean up the mess in the next five minutes!" I say, thinking fast. I don't know any kid who isn't a sucker for a competition. I think I Justin, a smile crossing across my face. "Justin!" I remember my phone, but then I remember I'm still cleaning up. Even through the chaos of flying napkins and paper towels, and a flurry of hands and arms moving back and forth, I sneak away to my phone and turn it on.

At fifteen percent battery, I pray that's enough to send Justin a quick message, maybe even a conversation.

morning love song ♥

hey! Sorry I'm at the church, wanna meet up later?

I place my phone in my back pocket instead of my purse, and go back to supervise the cleaning up which has now become a wet-napkin-throwing fight. "Hey...hey! Stop it!" About half of the kids stop, but I'm not one to give up. "Okay, snack time's over," I say simply, and they all groan, save for Juliana who still has a firm grip on my hand. When I start grabbing for uneaten and barely eaten snacks, the wave of opposition makes me laugh. Somehow I manage to get the mess cleaned up, all the kids happy with their snacks, and Juliana pacified that I won't go anywhere. Because I can't. She brings a book over from the bookshelf and places it in my lap. "Aren't you hungry?" I ask her, thinking about eating some crackers myself. The apple juice is fine where it is. "No, will you read this book with me?" she asks, and I relent and open up the book. Apparently read 'with me' really translates to read 'for me'. Glad I understand that now.

The noise level which was at a deafening decibel just a couple minutes ago, is now hush-hush, and I become suspicious when I hear loud snickering. I stand up. "What's going on..." when I turn on my heel to look at the board just in case something weird has been drawn on it, there's Justin standing in the doorway, a finger to his lips, probably meant to sneak up on me. "I see you're busy," he grins, looking down at Juliana's spot in my lap. Then he looks at the chalk covered blackboards, and adds a stick figure before writing his initials directly underneath it, like I do. He nods at me as if it's the greatest piece of art ever made, and I shake my head. "You're so stupid."

My aunt convinces me that the committee for Friends and Family Day later this summer is no longer needs me to babysit, but I think it's more so her being nice enough to let me for the day. "Don't keep the nice boy waiting," she winks at me, but Justin sees it, and she knows he sees it. "His cute too," giving me a thumbs up before I can stop my burning cheeks. "You're really good with kids," Justin comments, as we sit at the tables outside of Sonic. "How long were you standing there?" I ask and he shrugs. "Not long...but long enough to wonder if they were actually human. They actually listened to you. Mostly," he adds. Our food comes, but all I ordered was a corn dog and slushies, and Justin a full meal. "And what's that supposed to mean?" I pluck a fry off of Justin's tray and pop it in my mouth, but he makes a move for my slushie, his own mouth dangerously close to the straw. "Stop!" I may sound mad but I'm not, and Justin knows it. Which is why he slurps down a quarter of it before I tackle him from the side. "Now you stop before you spill it!" I snatch it from his hand, wet from the cold drink.

When we've both calmed down for the most part, I start the conversation up again. "I like little kids," I say, thinking that Sis. Braxton for once didn't succeed in her spite against me. Justin rolls his eyes. "Um yeah," and the look on his face sets me off again. "I'm not about that life," he continues and I clutch my side and try to catch my breath. I'm in a good mood; my onset of giggling is a testimony to that. He gets quiet for a moment, and I stay on high alert just in case he tries something and I'm ready for him. "Hey you could always teach," he finally says, and it's my turn to look at him crazy. "I'm not for the classroom," I say, and he shrugs. "So you're good with an architecture major?" I suck down my slushie, which is mostly ice now, and bite my lip. Both of us know I'm still up in the air about my major. "You could always stay undecided for a little while," he starts up, and I quickly shake my head. Many of the majors I've even considered being serious about have programs recommended for early starts to freshman, and others have portfolios due before the small semester. "Shoot my portfolio!" I panic. When is that thing due again?

I get up and kiss Justin on the cheek.

"Hey where you going?"

"My art portfolio! I totally forgot about it!"

I make a run for my car. It's almost the middle of July and even though I can't remember the due date right now, I know I have to upload everything online before a certain time soon this month.