Piece by Piece

It had been four months since I started my new job as a teacher. It felt good to be back in the school system, even though it was way out of my area of expertise. I usually taught English or History, trying to remember how to do Math, and Economics was not on the top things I wanted to return to, but as the saying goes, it's like riding a bike.

"Remember your homework!" I yelled as the class ran towards the door as the bell rang.

I hated having the last class of the day. No one paid attention all they did was stare up at the walls looking at the clock as it ticked by, I really couldn't blame them, it was school after all.

"Hey," a voice said as I began to pick up all the paperwork I had to do tonight.

"Vince," I said without looking up.

"So," Vince said as he hovered over my table.

"No," I shook my head as I smiled. Vincent was harmless, even though he put on the persona as a hardcore rebel or gangsta as most of the other teens called him. He stood over six feet tall, very muscular for his age group, even though he didn't play football. He could easily play defense just by standing there and doing nothing.

"Come on," he said with a toothpick hanging out the side of his mouth.

"Vincent," I said, shaking my head.

"Now I know you're mad," the young black male said as he stared down at me. "You said my birth name."

"No," I shook my head. "I am not mad; it's just that you know the rules."

"Rules, that's the only reason?" he shook his head as he shuffled his big backpack on his shoulder. "I will drop out of this school right now!"

"Vince Clemmons!" I said, staring at him.

"Damn, you went full momma bear on me," Vince said, shaking his head.

"Yes, we had a deal," I said, standing up.

"You're right," Vincent nodded. "Next time then."

"The answer will still be no," I smiled as I sat down.

"Damn," Vince said as he walked away. "Man, if I am not hitting that, someone else has to be the luckiest man in the world! For real!"

"Bye, Vincent," I said, shaking my head.

The Schoolschool was prominently minority-based. Most of the students were either African American, Hispanic, or Asian. There were a few caucasian but mostly minorities.

The school was located on the other side of what people called the town, would call the interstate. It took over an hour to get here, and that was without traffic, nearly two hours with traffic.

Vincent, as well as many other students, had called me so many names I had given up trying to google their meanings. Mostly I heard Milf, Pawg, Whootie, Jugs, as well as many others. Most of the time, I took it in stride, especially Vincent. Before I came, he was about to repeat his senior year. Now his grades had vastly improved. All it took was some talking and a slight allowance of his flirtatious nature. I knew he meant no harm, even if I said yes one day, I knew he would back down.

I got out into the corridor. It was nearly empty as most of the students had hit the road or were at their after school clubs.

"Theodore," I nodded as I passed one of the other teachers.

"Staci," he nodded back.

I shook my head as he stared at my chest, even covered up they drew attention. I was glad our headmaster was a female, or most of the faculty would have thought I got my position and my salary because I had a larger than average chest. Hell screw average I was average before I hit High School.

"Bye, Theodore," I said as I had to sidestep him to get past him.

"Yes, see you later," the old man said. I shook my head. He could be my father.

I was already running late, and avoiding the old creeper had made me even later.

"Sorry," I said as I got into the back office of the basketball team.

Coach Genn looked at me with a smile. "It's okay; one of my players wanted to talk to me."

Todd and I had been dating for the past two months. I had no plans to make it official or take it past the dating stage. We were happy where we were, well I knew I was, he had mentioned taking it further.

"So," Todd said as he pulled me close to him.

I had to say I had a thing for him the moment I laid eyes on him. Tall, muscular, and he seemed like the big man on campus, so to speak. It didn't hurt his position that he had the looks of Liam Neeson. Just a hint of gray hair in his beard and hair. I was sure he was dying it to make sure it hadn't turned all gray.

"So," I began to say as I looked up at him.

We hadn't slept together as I was sure to point out that it wouldn't be happening anytime soon. I was still having problems with intimacy.

Especially after Stan had released his tell-all book, which told everything about his encounters, I had received calls from lawyers asking if I wanted to press charges against him for dragging my name through the mud. I told them no and that I just wanted to be left alone.

Todd's hands crept there way up to my chest as he held me. "Always going for the goods," I smiled.

"Well, when your girl has the biggest set in the school," Todd grinned

"What about Devon?" I teased as I turned my back to him.

Devon was one of the seniors, and she nearly had a set that rivaled my own. Of course, most of the guys, including some of the male teachers were all over her. Too bad, she showed more interest in her studies than the attention her large breasts gave her.

"Not my type," Todd said as he pulled on my hips, forcing my ass to rub against his groin. "I like a woman with some meat on their bones."

"Uh, huh," I said as I pushed my ass against him. Devon was rail-thin, not unhealthy thin, but thin enough that her large breasts seemed unnatural. I felt sorry for her back, every time I saw her. I had more weight than her, and my back killed me on some days. Her back must have her in spasms of pain all day.

"Besides," Todd said as he thrust against me. "What would I do with someone that young?"

"Good to hear," I smiled. Both of Todd's hands found their way back to my breasts, cupping them from behind.

"One day, I will get to see them," Todd said, peering over my shoulder as he tried to pull my top down.

"Todd," I said, pulling away from him.

"Of course," Todd said as he pushed me off of him. "Back to this again."

Todd made his way back to his chair. I sighed and looked back at him. "I am not going to keep apologizing," I said as I looked at him. "I told you from day one.."

"Yeah, I know," Todd said as he shook his head. "Most of those teens out there get more action from their..."

He stopped as I stared down at him.

"You know what," he shook his head. "Forget it."

"Forget what exactly?" I asked. I knew this was coming eventually. Especially after our last date, we had gone to see a country concert on the way back Todd had stopped at a local make-out spot. Things started to get hot and heavy.

I had started to go down on him, even getting as far as putting his dick into my mouth. It was then the thought of Stan coming home after sleeping with another man filled my head. I tried to push the image of him fucking that guy in the video out of my head, but I couldn't. Immediately I stopped and got out of the car, nearly throwing up. Todd had acted as he understood, but apparently, he had not.

"Well?" I asked as I looked at him.

"I can't," Todd said, shaking his head. "Maybe that makes me a horrible person, but I can't compete with whatever the problems you are having with your ex-husband. Maybe you should deal with them before dating someone."

"I was," I shouted back. "You're the one that said you were brave enough to deal with it and help me through it."

Todd shook his head. "You're right, I did say that, and I was wrong," he nodded. "If you want to talk, my door is always open, but I ..."

I turned on my heels and walked out of his office. Tears filled my eyes as I walked through the Schoolschool into the teacher's parking.

It had been nearly a full year now. Actually, it had been a year as I thought about it. A year and a few days since I kicked Stan out of my life. I knew time had no relevance on mental scarring, but it felt like I should have moved on. Stan had more than moved on, so why couldn't I?

There was a time back in High School and College where I would have buried Todd's cock in my mouth and had him cumming within seconds. Stan loved it when I did that to him when we started dating. I would suck his cock anywhere in front of anyone. I loved his thick dick in my mouth. We got kicked out of a restaurant because I snuck under the table and gave him a loud and messy blowjob.

Todd wasn't as big as Stan, so I knew I would have had him cumming in seconds. As I thought about it, the thoughts of Stan begging me to blow him off came into mind. I knew now that he was only asking because he had slept with another person and wanted to see his naive wife suck him off.

"Pull over now!" the voice said, waking me from my daydream.

"Shit!" I said as I looked into the rearview, the cop was right behind me.

I had daydreamed from the school to just a few miles from my house. I pulled over and got everything ready. I cursed myself for not wearing anything that could show cleavage.

The officer came up to my window. "Didn't you see me?" he asked.

"I was," I began to say, but I thought I shouldn't say that I was daydreaming and not paying attention. "I am sorry."

"You were doing sixty-eight back there," he said, looking around my vehicle. All he could see was Jake's toys, Thomas's comics, and maybe football cleats. "The speed limit is thirty-five."

"Yes, sir," I said as I handed him all the relevant papers and cards.

"I'll be..." he stopped as he looked at my card.

"You're Teresa's daughter?" he asked as he came back to the window.

"Stepdaughter," I corrected him.

"No, the way she talked to Gus down at the station, you're her daughter," he nodded. "Here," he said as handed everything back to me. "I am not giving Teresa's daughter a ticket. You have a good day."

I couldn't help myself but smile. Teresa's reputation had got me out of what would have been a pricey speeding ticket.

"Sounds like Gabriel," Teresa said as she stabbed at the soil in her flower garden. "He's a good kid."

That was Teresa's response to everyone. Either they were a good kid or a head case. That's it, there was no in-between or a gray area. She either liked you or could dump you in the nearest river and not turn around as you drowned.

"So," Teresa said, wiping her brow, "You're home early."

"That obvious, huh," I said, taking a seat on the bench.

"Yup," Teresa said as she sat next to me. I liked the garden patch at the back of the house. It was quiet for the most part, especially when the kids weren't home. I had to admit my children were different. While others would stay home and play video games, mine took off the moment their homework was done.

By the trails in the ground just beyond the patch of flowers, I could tell Thomas had taken one of the four-wheelers, no doubt across the land to see Shannon's little sister, the two of them were inseparable. Even though the moment I asked if they were an item, I got the most horrid looks from the two of them.

Robert was either hanging out with Shannon and Robin or practicing for tryouts. He had no chance with Shannon, I had tried to tell him to move on, or he would get hurt, but he was adamant that he had a chance with her.

"So who's next," Teresa said.

I nodded I deserved that, first the idiot, now the pervert. "I don't know," I shrugged. "I feel..."

"Alone, lonely, hurt, and abandoned," Teresa said.

"Yup," I nodded. She had nailed it right on the head. Going back to teaching had filled the part of me that felt worthless, but the black pit of loneliness was growing bigger by the day.

"You can't fill that with empty relationships," Teresa said. "Have to find someone that wants to fill that gap as much as you want to fill theirs."

"I know," I nodded.

"And until you get over what he did to you, getting into another relationship is just going to cause you more hurt than it's worth," Teresa said.

Always the logical one. She was right. Maybe I had to see someone and sit on a couch. I had plenty of offers, especially after everything that had happened. Most of them wanted their names in the lights.

"Know any good head doctors," I asked.

Teresa didn't waste time pulling out a card. I should have known she knew what I wanted. "She helped me after, well, after he passed away."

I thumbed the card and looked at the name. It rang a bell. "She was at our wedding," I said as I remembered the place card.

"Yeah," Teresa said. "The two of you have something in common, you both hate my son."

I remembered the blonde-haired woman now. She had dated Stan, and then he dumped her at prom for her best friend.

"Oh, this should be good," I smiled.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I had to admit seeing a head doctor as the locals called Tina, was probably the best thing that had happened to me. The first few sessions were all about Stan and how I felt not only betrayed but used, then we became friends. Not just regular friends but nearly best friends. We told each other everything, not just because she was my shrink, but we got along on a totally different level.

"I have to tell you," Tina said as we sat down for lunch. Tina was a small woman both in height and frame. She was what people would call rail thin. It didn't stop her from doing all kinds of things. Skydiving was her favorite.

"No," I said as I shook my head.

Tina had been trying to make me see another doctor since we had become close friends in the past two months she didn't see it being professional if I still went to her.

"Staci," Tina said with those steel-blue eyes.

"Are they good?" I sighed.

"Yes, I wouldn't recommend him if he wasn't good," Tina said as she sat back.

"He isn't one of those pill pushers, is he?" I asked as I bit into my sub.

"No, not at all," Tina shook her head. "I told him you don't need medication, just a light kick in the rear in the right direction."

I laughed. Tina told me all the thoughts in my head about Stan and the other women, and blaming myself for not seeing it all was all things that I was pushing on myself.

"Besides, Stan pulled the wool over many people's eyes," Tina shrugged. "Even his own mother."

I walked into the room slowly. I didn't want to start over with a new person. I liked being able to talk to Tina.

"Morning," the tall man said as I entered.

"Morning," I replied.

Why did he have to be good looking? I thought to myself. There it was again. I kept looking for someone else. Tina had called it the feeling of being alone. I wanted to fill that loneliness with anyone.

"My name is Arthur, but you can call me..." he started to say.

"Arthur is just fine," I said, holding up my hand.

"Okay, boundaries are good," Arthur said as we sat down.

"Tina has told me a lot about you," Arthur said, breaking the ice. "So, we should start there."

I nodded as I told him about my week.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"You didn't tell me he was good looking," I told Tina as I got into my car.

"He is also married, very happily married," Tina replied.

"I know that now," I said as I put my car into gear.

"Other than him being good looking, how did it go?" Tina asked.

"He said the same thing you did," I sighed. "It's all in my head and that I need to start thinking about myself and not what Stan did or what he is doing."

"Good," Tina said.

I shook my head. It was hard not to think about him. Even harder not to look online and see what he was doing, or what he was saying about me. I looked online or on his social media pages daily, sometimes four to five times during the day. When someone scars you that hard, it is hard not to look to see if they feel a little bit of remorse or guilt. Stan had neither. In fact, he reveled in it. It seemed like he wanted to let me know that he was better off now.

'Staci?" Tina said, pulling me back from my thoughts.

"Yes," I said, snapping myself back to reality.

"You will get better," Tina tried to reassure me.

"Okay," I nodded.

I didn't believe it. I felt like a black hole had opened up, and I was slowly falling into it. The only thing that kept me from falling all the way was my job and my children.

"What the hell?" I said as I pulled into my driveway.

"What?" Tina asked.

"I have to go," I replied as I hung up.

Tina and I could talk for hours about anything. Which made long drives disappear in an instance, but there were few things that I didn't talk to her about; one of them was Teresa.

"What is going on?" I asked as I passed the cab sitting in our driveway.

"Shit!" Teresa said as the young man put two large suitcases in the back of the cab.

"You're leaving?" I asked.

"Yes," Teresa said as she nodded to the young man. "Lauren needs my help."

I knew her youngest daughter had been suffering from a bone disease that kept her in a wheelchair. Lauren had three young children to take care of, and no other person to help her.

I nodded. "I understand," I looked at the cab "Can you wait until the kids come back?"

"They aren't kids anymore, even Jack is not as innocent as you think he is, he knows what is going on, and he understands the changes you have made. You're the one keeping them in the dark," Teresa said as she stepped toward me. "You are much stronger than what you let people believe, rely on the people around you."

I took a deep breath, then nodded. "We will miss you," I said as I gave her the hardest hug I had ever given anyone.

As Teresa got in the car, I knew it would probably be a long while before I saw her again. I watched the car pull away and sat on the stairs and waited for my children to return.

They took it well, a little too well for my liking. The boys immediately moved their game systems into the first and second lounges so they could be on the bigger screens. Robin moved all of her clothes and belongings into the room next door to Teresa's, this way she could signal to Shannon. The only one that didn't take it well was Jack, but that lasted all of twenty minutes as the boys took him into the second lounge to play on the large screen.

I took a deep sigh as the place was filled with noises of video games or chatting over the phone. I looked in on the boys before I went to bed. Luckily there was no school tomorrow. Robin was lying on the large window sill talking to Shannon.

"Remember I have the girls night out tomorrow," I said as I looked at her.

"I know," Robin smiled. "What are you going to wear?"

I hadn't thought about it. "Don't know why?"

"You're not going to go with those black jeans and that gray shirt, are you?" Shannon said over the speakerphone.

"I didn't know I was on speakerphone," I said, shaking my head.

"Well, you do wear that everywhere you go," Robin said.

"I like that shirt," I said.

"Mom!" Robin said as she got up.

"I'm coming over," Shannon said.

"Bring some of that wine, your mom drinks," Robin said.

"Read my mind," Shannon said.

I shook my head. "You're lucky it's not a school night!"