BOLD

F- Freckle

I had found some new passions and been helping out on the weekends. Especially when the weather allowed it. The past two weeks I had been outside helping re-paint houses that had faded and chipped. Went around helping the Garper's with their garden. I had been helping them get it ready for winter.

"Have you been out tanning or something?" Carson asks squinting at the screen.

"No, I have been outside helping whoever needs it," I say. I tell him how I've been helping the Garper's with their garden and other people with the paint on their houses.

"Don't spread yourself out too thin," he warns.

"I know. I haven't. I won't," I say putting my hands up calling for innocence.

"What did you make for lunch?" he asks. I show him my sandwich.

"That looks pretty good," he says nodding. I laugh and roll my eyes at him.

"This is the fourth week. In a few days we will be half way through this," he says his eyes lighting up. I nod my head eagerly, "Yeah!"

"What are you doing this weekend?" I ask him. He groans and closes his eyes.

"Press about the merge, and then more business with clients and investors. This has been such a f-ed up merge. I can't begin to tell you how rocky it has been," he says rubbing his temples.

"I'm sorry," I say. He straightens up and his face goes hard again.

"It's not your fault," he replies softly. The bell rings and I close my eyes trying not to cry.

"Do you know how much I miss you?" he says in a small whisper.

"Not as much as I do. It's very lonely over here," I say. I didn't want to tell him that I had been sleeping in his bed. It smelled like him and it was very comfortable. I wanted to confront him about how his bed was more comfortable than mine. But it would be embarrassing. And he would tease me about it until the day we died. Even if, whatever this arrangement was, didn't end well.

"Talk to you later," I say my voice trembling a little.

"Talk to you later. Okay?" he says. I nod my head and end the call. Students were entering my class and I kept my head facing away from them, still towards my computer. I sniffle and quickly wipe the tears.

"Okay, class!" I say turning around and standing up. I freeze when they all look at me with worried looks.

"What?" I say trying to change the feeling in the room.

"Mrs. Maximum, you're crying," a kid says quietly. Someone hits him and the kid rubs where he had hit him.

"I know. It's okay. I'm fine," I say wiping them away laughing.

"Mrs. Maximum?" another student says after a few moments of silence.

"Let's make a circle with our drawing boards. Let's do some fun doodling today. Sometimes that helps someone make ideas or helps people see how your mind works a little bit," I say wiping tears off of my cheeks. None of them had moved, and just sat there still staring.

"On a scale of one to ten; one being not sad and ten being very sad how sad do I look?" I say. That had made some of them sigh in relief and smile.

"Ten," some of them tell me.

"No! Don't tell me that!" I say putting my hands on my hips and pursing my lips. We decided we wouldn't be able to fit a circle so we figured out an order we were going in. "Just thirty seconds on each paper. Don't think just put something on the paper. Make sure every time you draw it's a little different," I say.

We go around and when we were all done and had gotten our own paper back there was a lot of laughter and yelling at each other. I told them to hand them in to me and that they would get credit for it even though it was pretty stupid and didn't really do anything other than stimulate their creativity. The day ended well, but I still went to sleep wanting Carson to be back home.

When I woke up my heart already felt heavy. The weather had agreed to my emotion and was raining. When lunch came around I felt excited to see Carson's face hoping that maybe he would cheer me up.

"Come see me," he says his eyes wide and bright.

"I have work," I say furrowing my eyebrows.

"Take some vacation days," he says. But I shake my head right after that.

"I only have so many days. It would take me two to travel there and back. It wouldn't be worth it," I say. I was trying to say it wouldn't be enough. Enough time spent with him.

"Then come on a weekend. I thought you would like to come and visit," he says his face going back to stone cold. With a sad sigh I look at my calendar and look at the weekends that I had filled with volunteering.

"I'm busy," I murmur. He angrily sighs.

"Why can't you just tell them you are coming to see me? They would understand!" he yells.

"That's not fair to them! I'm a volunteer! Wait, that didn't go like it had in my head. I've already told them I would dedicate my time to them for the weekends until you come back," I say rubbing my forehead. Why did I suddenly feel so tired and old?

"Why can't you just take one weekend off and then make it back up when I'm back?" he says slowly as if I was stupid. I grit my teeth.

"It just doesn't work like that. We are just going to have to deal with being apart a little while longer! I'm not even really your wife anyways so why does it matter?" I snap back. He doesn't reply and I had no clue what else to say. So when the bell rang telling me lunch was over. He hangs up and I close my eyes and rub my forehead. There's a knock on my door and I go open it letting my students into the classroom.

"Alright, get your projects and work on them. This is the second to last day to work on them. The next class they will be due by the end of it. So use your time wisely," I say. I grab my own painting and work on it. So far it was a guy with an umbrella over his head walking away. The bell rings and I watch the kids say goodbye and leave. My advanced art class walks in and they grab their drawing that they were working on and got to work. I go back to painting adding more to the painting. There was a sidewalk, streetlights covered with Christmas lights, and a road that the man was walking on.

"Is that Mr. Maximum?" Sebastian asks after the bell rings and I had dismissed the class.

"I don't know who it is, bud," I tell him honestly.

"I think you miss him too much. I think it's Mr. Maximum," he says. Not knowing what to say back I keep my mouth closed. Sebastian just waves a little to me then leaves. Too tired of everything I head home and just go to bed.