Learning To Fly

Jaime Meets Marshall

They say everything happens for a reason but I’m struggling currently to see why this Californian girl decided suddenly four months ago to quit her job, her home and move to the opposite side of the country on what now seems like a whim.
There’s no tragic back story here, I’m not running from anyone or anything I was just unhappy. No not unhappy, unfulfilled!

I loved teaching and the school I’d worked for in Cali had been amazing, no student lacked books, money, experiences, food and clothing which was great for them but ultimately not challenging enough for me, I wanted to make a difference in someone's life.

Flicking through job vacancies online one day I saw a vacancy that I thought might be more worthwhile and applied for it, I was both ecstatic and nervous about the whole move after they’d called formally offered me the position which I’d accepted immediately.
I was going to be cutting my wages in half basically but if it made me happy in the long run I wasn’t too bothered plus I’d saved over half of my wages from working at Harvard-Westlake school in Los Angeles and living in Clinton Township in Michigan was no where near as expensive as it had been in California.

I missed my family, my friends and my surfboards. I missed the constant heat too but gradually and slowly I was getting used to cold as ice Michigan and was promised faithfully that hot summers to come would make up for this god awful winter.

Tonight was my first PTA session with my homeroom kids parents, I loved talking about how great some of these kids were, the challenge for me was trying to help those that weren’t so great for various reasons, don't get me wrong it was amazing to see all of the kids doing so well but the ones with issues and helping them made this job worthwhile.
The last parent on my list tonight was making me feel extremely nervous Kim Mathers. I hadn’t known that a child with famous or rather, infamous parents if you like attended this school before I’d applied for the position and it was just my luck that the girl Whitney was a member of my homeroom and English class. Their daughter rarely attended classes and although I wasn’t privvy to anything that happened behind the scenes at the school or things that had happened before I’d arrived, I wondered how they had been able to let this happen for so long. When I’d first met Whitney I’d thought she was brilliant and kind but she’d spent a lot of her time alone seemingly unable to make or seek out any friendships. She was painfully shy for a thirteen year old girl.

My colleagues had tried to put my mind at ease that Kim was an actually OK human being and I should be glad she wasn’t attending with her ex husband because according to them although they were friendly enough towards one another, friction and tensions often arose over the young girls education.

Two hours later and many lovely parents later, I was finally ready for her, just writing some comments next to the last pupils name when she enters the room and I stand, arm and hand outstretched and speak without looking up “Mrs Mathers, so.... “ I pause as a rough warm hand grasps mine tightly, more masculine than femine, my heart starts thudding against my rib cage as I quickly glance up and drown in spectacular pair of crystal blue eyes “You’re not Mrs Ma.. “ I stammer out eventually pulling my hand away from his, he glares at me “I’m not and neither is my Ex wife” he emphasises the Ex as I realise my mistake at once.

“Sorry Mr Mathers, please take a seat” I gesture towards the chair and he drags it, scraping it loudly away from my table before slumping down onto it with a heavy sigh, legs spread wide with his arms folded across his chest in a defensive pose.
This is exactly what I didn’t need, him sat opposite me glaring at me, his body language tells me he thinks I’m going to go on about Whitney’s attendance but I’m not going too. I take a few seconds to calm myself he’s just a parent come to check on how his daughter is progressing and so on that note I just begin speaking, hoping he’ll stop me if he wants to say anything.

“My name is Jaime Prince, I moved here to work from California four months ago and I’m really enjoying it so far” a genuine smile crosses my face and he rolls his eyes heavenward before checking the time on a very expensive looking watch, jackass I think to myself.

“Whitney is a very bright, funny and intelligent young lady Mr Mathers “ he sits up a little now interested in my talking about his little girl.

“You like her?” he asks raising an eyebrow at me and uncrossing his arms for the first time so far, he’s intimidating to look at and much bigger in the flesh than he is on the TV, his arms are massive. He's very handsome in the flesh.

“yes, I think she’s very kind, responsible and hard working, when she’s here” I smile as I speak excitedly about his daughter but it doesn’t stop his arms from folding across his chest again thinking that I’m having a dig at him with the last part of my comment.

“I’m not passing any judgement on her attendance record Mr Mathers, four months isn’t long enough for me to have an opinion on that” I use all of my own education and charm to try and get him to warm towards me, it works and he relaxes once more, arms resting on the sides of the chair now. “Call me Marshall please, my ex wife and I disagree on Whit’s education. I think she’s too soft on her, letting her stay at home so much but I know forcing her to come to school won’t help her at all so I don’t know what the answer is but I feel like she misses out on so much, ya know!” he sounds genuinely perplexed by his daughters avoidance of school, I nod in agreement with him because she is missing out on so much.

“Education wise Marshall I can set up online teaching so she can catch up on the days she misses at home and she’s intelligent she can catch up with the other kids in no time at all from what I’ve seen of her so far” he eyes widen as I offer her help “but I’m not going to put myself out if she isn’t willing to do the work, she’ll have the same deadlines as every one else does and I expect her work turned in on time.”

Marshall sits forward in the chair, hands clasped together on my table “you’re serious bout this? Why has no one else offered her help like this before?” I’m not going to tell him the answer that I believe to be correct, I believe the teachers at this school have written Whitney off, they aren’t willing to even try and help her. They keep her here as a draw for other parents to send there kids here to be taught at the same school as Eminem's daughter.

“I’m deadly serious Marshall, I want to help but I have conditions 1. She has to attend school at least once a week 2. Work in on time, that’s non negotiable and 3. She has to attend any field trips with the rest of the class” I stop talking and wait for him to answer studying his handsome face as he thinks hard about committing her to my terms, he really is beautiful, he looks up catching me staring at him “OK she’ll do it, I’ll go and speak to her right now” he stands before I’ve even finished “one more thing Marshall, she needs to start making some friends and socialising more” He nods at me before heading towards the door, once he reaches it he turns back looking at me sadly “That’s the part that worries me the most, she’s always alone.”

I give him a half smile as he disappears out of the door, that really will be the hardest part for her, I’ve absolutely no qualms with her learning skills it’s the other skills that need working on and I’m no expert in that field at all but when I get home to my cosy, warm apartment later I research everything I can until the early hours on how to make this happen for her. Glad it’s the weekend tomorrow and I can fly home to the sunshine, beach and my surfboards for forty eight hours.

Monday morning on my return to work there’s a beautiful vase of dark and light pink roses waiting for me with a card attached

“She says yes, thank you for believing in her. M x”

My cheeks pink up as the penny drops that Marshall is M and he signed it with a kiss, I’d like to kiss him, the thought races through my head putting my body on high alert to any sounds around me, I panic momentarily thinking he knows that I have thoughts about him but I’m being totally ridiculous.

An hour later as students begin trickling in I look up to see a happy looking Whitney taking her seat and smiling up at me. This is why I moved here, maybe she was the reason to leave everything behind. It was linked to her I just knew it.