Chapter 1: The First Date
Allison was thinking about her new job, contemplating why she was going out to teach an adult night class. All those years of college and student teaching had passed quickly as she raced toward her goal of being a teacher. Then, just as the joy of being on her own with her first job was hitting her, her student loans began coming due. She tried to budget the best she could, but when it came to omitting a few meals a week, Ally felt sure something else needed to be done. About that time, she saw a sign on the bulletin board about night classes. They needed teachers to work with adults wanting to take courses after hours to improve themselves. The sign listed all the classes available. Ally noted that several of them would be something she could do and enjoy. By working for one evening a week, she could start paying her loans and still buy groceries! She took down all the information and decided to call that afternoon.
So, now she was dressing for her first class. Allison was a petite woman, more a girl really. She barely reached five feet tall. Her coloring was Mediterranean, with dark brown eyes, fringed by long, luxurious lashes that curled prettily. She had a nearly constant blush to her cheeks and a smile on her face. The impression she gave most people was of a very nice, polite, sweet girl who would be a good friend. She knew most of the students would be older than she, so she was trying to dress conservatively and maturely. She wore a "church" dress and low heels. She couldn't decide whether to leave her long, dark hair down or put it up in a bun. She tried both, but felt much older with it up. She wasn't a make-up user, but tonight she did wear some Grapeberry gloss. She looked into the mirror, admiring her "older" look, when really, she looked adorably like a little girl playing grown up.
She drove her lovely first car to the high school and parked in the teacher's lot. It took her awhile to find the classroom, the numbers seemed to have been haphazardly assigned to doors. She wandered up and down the halls, trying to find the elusive room number she needed. Finally, after trying three different floors, she came to her classroom. She had been assigned English Literature, a class she had excelled in at school. Even with all her difficulties, she arrived early. She entered and placed her books on the desk. She slipped her purse into the drawer and opened the windows, allowing in the brisk fall air. She stood at the window and looked into the night, thinking how very grown up she was, how ready to take on the world. She inhaled deeply of the fresh air and turned back to her desk. She settled in her desk chair, her feet dangling, and looked through the assigned agenda, and examining her notes made in bright red ink.
Almost immediately, people started entering the room. A few of them seemed to know one another and hugged and selected desks together. Some of the students looked extremely old, and she wondered why they were there. Certainly none of them were going to upgrade a job or position at this late date. Two younger women came in, looking sullen and moving to the very back of the room. Then Ally noticed a man walking in alone. He was tall and slender. His sandy hair was short and neatly combed. He wore a torquoise knit shirt and some nicely faded jeans. His loafers were recently polished and looked new. He looked around the room and then picked the desk immediately in front of hers. He gave her a shy smile and opened his book.
The first class went nicely. They spent some time getting to know one another, sharing names and their reason for taking the class. Everybody was interested in the class except the two girls in the back, who were coming as a punishment for bad grades.
