As I climbed into my pickup truck, vibrations traveled up through the steering wheel and into my bones. I pulled out of the parking lot, my thoughts already turning to Mia and her first day of school. “Let today be a good day for her,” I whispered out into the universe.
Pulling into the school’s driveline, my eyes scanned the playground, searching for the familiar sight of my daughter. And there she was, playing with the other children, laughing as she ran. I swallowed hard, fighting back the lump in my throat. Watching Mia run and laugh, her face lit up with pure joy—a sense of certainty washed over me.
I had made the right choice.
The car line moved steadily. As I reached the front, I glimpsed the principal, walkie-talkie in hand, as she scanned the line of cars. She looked up as I approached, her eyes meeting mine through the windshield.
I waved and held up the pickup card they’d given me, with both Mia’s name and Mr. Parker’s printed on it in bold, black letters.
Mrs. Hawkins spoke into her walkie-talkie. Then she turned to me, a smile spreading across her face as she leaned into the passenger window. “Hi, Mr. Mendez,” she called out, her voice warm and welcoming. “Mia had a great first day with us.”
Yes.I took a deep breath, worry ebbing away as I let it out. “I’m so glad to hear that,” I replied. “I was worried all day, even though I knew she was okay.”
Soon, Mia came bounding out of the school, her dark braids bouncing with each energetic step. Behind her, Mr. Parker followed, his long strides easily keeping pace with Mia.
Instantly, that worry flooded back. Why was her teacher walking her out? Had something gone wrong?
Mr. Parker opened the back door to the truck, then helped Mia into her booster seat, his gentle hands guiding her as she clambered up. Mia’s voice bubbled with excitement as she bounced into her seat, her small hand waving energetically. “Bye, Mr. Parker! See you tomorrow!”
Mr. Parker’s smile was warm and genuine as he replied, “Absolutely. See you then.” Then he turned his attention to me, his expression softening. “Your daughter is amazing. She knows so many numbers and letters already!”
When was I going to stop assuming the worst in every situation? “Glad to hear it,” I answered, reaching back and holding out my hand and high fiving my daughter. “Good job,mija.”
“Here’s a list of some supplies she’ll need for the rest of the year.” Mr. Parker handed me a folded piece of paper, and his fingers brushed against mine, lingering a moment longer than necessary.
I felt a jolt—a mix of surprise and an unexpected flutter in my stomach. I pulled back, surprised by my reaction. “Thanks.” As I took the list, I noticed the way Mr. Parker’s cheeks flushed a delicate pink, hazel eyes wide as he looked up at me, our eyes locking.
Oh.
Mr. Parker was…cute.
I offered him an apologetic smile, suddenly aware of the inappropriate nature of my thoughts. But then, reality came crashing down, and I tamped down that idea, reminding myself that those types of relationships were in the past now.
Mia was my sole focus, that’s all.
“Have a great evening, you two,” Mr. Parker said, his voice soft as he stepped back from the truck, his hand raised in a small wave.
“You too,” I replied with a nod, then forced myself to focus on Mia, on the way her small hands fumbled with the seatbelt, deep in concentration.
As we drove through the quaint downtown of Blanco Springs, Mia’s excited chatter filled the cab of the truck, her words tumbling out in a rush of enthusiasm. She told me all about the colorful posters that adorned the walls of Mr. Parker’s classroom. Her eyes sparkled as she described the book they had read together, and their art project using colored paper and glue.
But it was the new friends she had made that set her face aglow, her smile so wide it seemed to light up the entire truck. She rattled off their names, each one a new character in the story of her life. Her excitement was contagious, and I smiled along with her, my own worries and concerns momentarily forgotten in the face of her pure, unbridled joy.
We pulled up to our small rental house on the edge of town, and I got hit with a pang of nostalgia for the life we hadleft behind in Dallas. Before Mia was born, Jacob and I went to restaurants and museums, parties and dance clubs on the weekends with our friends. Much of that stopped after Mia came, and her health issues got more complicated, but there was still a lot about a big city that I appreciated.
This rental house wasn’t much—just a simple one-story structure with peeling paint and a large, overgrown yard. Much smaller than the one we’d left in Dallas, but for right now, it was home, the place where we would build our new beginning.
I helped Mia out of the truck, her small hand warm and trusting in mine.
When Jacob and I had first adopted her, just a tiny baby, I had never pictured myself as a small-town single dad, struggling to make ends meet and provide for my child on my own.
But here we were, just the two of us making the best of the hand life dealt us. There would be challenges ahead, obstacles to overcome and tough decisions, but I also knew that together, Mia and I could weather any storm.
Just as we stepped onto the porch, my phone buzzed in my pocket, the vibration startling me out of my reverie. I pulled it out, my brow furrowing as I saw the name on the screen. It was an old friend from Dallas, someone I hadn’t spoken to in years, almost as if they knew I’d been thinking about the old days.
I pressed the phone to my ear. “Carlos?”
“Marc, my man! How’ve you been?” Carlos asked, his tone jovial and warm.
