“Where were you that night, Mama?” she asked, bringing her hands around my neck.
Over the table, Sasha’s and my eyes met.
Sasha coughed horribly and turned away while I cleared my throat very loudly.
“Mommy went out to a restaurant and ate some food.”
“That sounds boring,” Evie announced while I led her to the table, where I kept a plate of banana pancakes and apple slices for her.
“It was very boring,” Sasha and I chorused, a perfectly synchronized lie followed by the conspiratorial wink she gave me.
I reached for the milk from the counter.
“I forgot to ask you about this, but on a scale of one to ten,” Sasha whispered under her breath while she followed me to the kitchen, “how good was he?”
I lifted the milk carton, thinking. Of the expert way he had brought me to orgasm two times in half an hour and the feel of his hard biceps under my hands. I’d never met anyone like him before.
“Twenty,” I whispered back before walking back to the table and stomping my feet to drown out Sasha’s giggles.
“Why is Sasha giggling?” Evie asked, in between bites.
“Because she’s a naughty woman. Are you done with your apples, Evie? We’ll be heading to your new preschool today,” I said, deciding to ignore Sasha’s amorous hints for the day.
Sasha had been very approving of the results of my night out, but I wasn’t going on any more single nights out by myself again. I couldn’t do that to Evie and couldn’t let myself be distracted by men who would just flit in and out of my life.
I had to think about a great many things, but lately, the only thing occupying my mind had been Jonah.
The parts of my body he’d touched and the pleasure he’d made me feel.
It had been just a few days, but I sincerely hoped for my sake that I could forget about him soon.
I had to. I’d finally gotten a shot at a job I wanted. I was going to start with a four-month internship before being offered a real job, and I wasn’t going to let sex-tinged memories of one nightruin my work. Besides, fortunately or not, I’d never ever run into him again.
Evie finished her pancakes before solemnly announcing to Sasha, “I’m going to a new preschool now.”
Sasha turned to her, affecting surprise and demanding details, even though she already knew that one of my biggest motivations for joining Altika was the in-house preschool.
I gave Evie a minute to explain everything to her again, even the fact that she was a little bit scared and nervous about going to the new place, before I gently reminded her that we needed to get going.
“Wave bye now,” I said to Evie, grabbing our jackets as I held the door open.
Sasha knelt down to say bye, but Evie surprised me by giving her a kiss on the cheek instead, making Sasha smile widely.
Outside, I breathed a sigh of relief as we walked out and headed to the subway station. Lately, I’d been afraid of Evie looking up to Sasha as a sort of parental figure, and I didn’t want her making that association. Sasha had gotten engaged to her boyfriend a few months ago and could move out anytime. My heart wrenched at the thought.
So far, I hadn’t had the money to afford a place of my own when I counted preschool expenses. But the best thing about Altika Inc. was that the in-house preschool was really reasonable for the employees, and starting this month, I would have some money left over for saving up.
Forty minutes later, we stood on the footpath outside my new workplace. Both Evie and I had to stop and stare at the tall, imposing building in front of us. It was at least forty stories tall and gleamed in the morning sunlight, all glass windows and sleek corners. People walked around us in a hurry, but the two of us were too mesmerized to move. This was the tallest building on the street, and it simply took our breath away.
“Are you really going to be working up there, Mommy?” Evie asked, gesturing to the very top, where the slanted angles of the roof met in a point.
“Not that high up,” I said, moving her hand to point at one of the floors closer to the lobby. I knelt down so I was eye level with her. “I’ll just be a few floors above you, Evie. Will you be okay at your new preschool? I know it’s a change from the old one.”
She looked at the ground. “I’ll miss Brenna,” she said quietly, naming her best friend from the old day care.
My heart wrung at her words, and I pulled her to me for a hug.
“I know, sweetie,” I said, placing a kiss on her forehead. I hated that I had to put her through this change, all because I had to save money. “How about this? I’ll make sure we have a playdate with her this weekend.”
