Andy held her hand up to her face to shield the blinding rays of sunlight from her eyes, as she searched, in vain, for a building with the number 216. So far, the day had been...well, eventful, for lack of a better description. She'd been to 5...no, 6...daycare centers, counting the one that had appeared so revolting and run down that she'd left before even parking the car. She'd just kept on driving. Then there were several places who weren't looking for any extra help and a couple who informed her that they'd 'be in touch,' with that 'professional' attitude that so many people seem to be fond of.
Quite frankly, Andy was getting stressed out. A day care center was supposed to be a fun place for little kids to come and play, an alternate home of sorts. The places she had visited today were either cold and uninviting or filthy and greatly in need of repair. No child should be subjected to such harsh environments, at least as far as Andy was concerned.
She only hoped that this next one was closer to her ideal, and that her search would finally be coming to an end. Her patience was wearing thin. Andy blinked her eyes in disbelief, after locating building number 216. It was just what she had imagined. A cheerful brick building with a colorful sign reading 'Elm Street Child Care' stood among bushes and shrubs, placed in a very tasteful manner. A walkway, lined with violets, led the way up to the entrance. There were art projects hung in the windows and a playground, complete with swings, jungle gym, and the like, could be seen from where Andy stood. She nearly squealed at the environment of this daycare and hoped this place would be just as pleasant on the inside.
Skipping up the walkway merrily, Andy breathed in the wonderful scent of the intoxicating flowers surrounding her, now in full bloom. She pulled open the double doors at the entrance of the building and was delighted to see no formal desk with an office-like check in. There was simply a woman who appeared gentle and caring, someone who Andy would entrust with the lives of her future children. Spread about the room were many young children, each one consumed with their particular activity of choice. She grinned widely and almost giggled when she noticed a particularly cute little blond boy in the corner playing with an adorable petite brunette. They had paints spread across the table, and he was currently attempting to tie an apron around her waist.
Andy allowed herself to 'awww' aloud, at the sight of the little boy pulling a chair out for his playmate with a charming smile. Just then, she felt a hand on her arm and nearly jumped through the ceiling. She turned to meet the eyes of the pleasant woman that she had observed in action moments earlier. She appeared to be in her late twenties, perhaps early
thirties.
"Excuse me, miss. May I help you with something?"
"Actually, yes...yes, you can. My name is Andrea Jacobs. I'm looking for a job working with children...hopefully at this daycare. I have a degree in elementary education, but I decided to try something else out for awhile. I thought about calling ahead of time, but I figured I would come in person instead. This really is a charming little place that you have here."
"Well, it's certainly nice to meet you, Andrea. My name is Amanda Parks. I own and run this daycare with my husband. I have for several years. You have perfect timing. I could really use some help around here right now. My assistant quit last week. She moved out of state. I can manage myself, most of the time, but it's always nice to have some help. Why don't you just stick around here today, so I can see how you are with the children? I'm not a very conventional person, and I don't run this place very officially. If the children like you, and you don't have a hidden criminal record of some
sort, consider yourself hired."
Andy decided right away that she liked this woman. Mrs. Parks reminded her of Lizzy, or what Lizzy would be in 20 years.
"Sounds like a plan to me. I just love little kids. Oh, and you can call me Andy...if you like."
"You can call me Amanda. Or Mrs. Parks if you're more comfortable with that." She paused, then added, "You seem like a lovely girl, Andy. You'll fit in nicely. We'll work out all the details later...you know, pay and hours and the like."
Andy smiled warmly and excused herself to get a closer look at the cute blonde boy and his female companion, who had captured her attention from the time she'd walked through the door.
The two small children were now so engrossed in their paints, and each other, that they didn't even notice her presence behind them. Their heads bent together, as the boy pointed to her painting and whispered something in her ear. Just then, he noticed Andy, standing not too far away. He blushed slightly and then grinned at the newcomer. He touched his companion's hand and nodded towards Andy, before standing up and introducing himself.
"Hi! I'm Jonathon." He stuck out his tiny hand, and Andy shook it, nearly giddy at this adorable action. He pointed towards the table. "That's Jenny. She's my friend, and she lives in the house next to mine. We're painting pictures."
Andy smiled at this adorable little boy. "Hi there, Jonathon. My name is Andy, and I'm here to help Mrs. Parks. And you know what? I think you're very lucky to have a friend who will paint pictures with you."
He motioned Andy to lean down and lowered his voice. "You can call me Jon...that's what everyone calls me. Jenny is my bestest friend in the whole world. We're going to get married."
It took a lot of restraint for Andy not to start giggling at the sweet things Jonathon was telling her. She could already tell that these two were very close and that he was extremely protective of that little girl sitting at the table behind him. "You're going to get married? Don't you think you're a little young to be settling down?"
"I'm FIVE...and so is Jenny. But we're not getting married until we're big, like you. Are you married? Or do you have a boyfriend? How old are you?"
"You sure ask a lot of questions, don't you? No, I'm not married...and I don't have a boyfriend either. And I'm twenty."
"You're eighteen? My brother is eighteen too. Maybe he can be your boyfriend."
Andy giggled at his innocence. "That's nice of you to offer, and I'm sure your brother is very nice, but I don't think that he would like that idea too much." She lowered her voice. "Why don't we go over to the table and paint some more? We don't want Jenny to get lonely, do we?"
Jon gripped her hand firmly and led her towards the table where Jenny sat, working diligently on her masterpiece. He leaned over and whispered softly into the other child's ear. Then he stood back up and grinned at both girls.
"Andy, this is my friend, Jenny. Jenny, this is Andy. She's gonna help Mrs. Parks." He looked up at Andy. "You can paint with us if you want. I'm painting a fast car. That's my brother and me in it."
Jenny rolled her eyes. "J, you like cars too much. That's all you paint. Ever."
Andy knelt down. "What are you painting, Jenny?"
The little girl smiled at Andy and gestured towards her picture. "That's me, and over there...that's J. We're in our secret fort."
"Jennyyyyy," Jon hissed, "Our fort is a SECRET. You're not asposed to tell."
Andy tousled his hair. "Don't worry, Jon. I won't tell anyone."
He groaned. "Heyyy...watch the hair. No one touches the hair."
Jenny took that as her cue and started advancing toward her friend. Jon caught the evil look in her eye and his eyes widened as she approached. She giggled softly and then pounced. Jon was on the floor in an instant, with Jenny atop his stomach. She tickled him mercilessly with one hand and did her best to muss his hair with the other.
After a minute or two, she released him, standing up, and looked down at him, ginning. "I warned you before, J. You're no match for me."
He slowly got back to his feet and straightened his clothing. "Member what happened before when you tackled me?"
"Sure, I do. But there's no pool here. And if you even get that paint near me, you'll be sorry, Jon."
"You don't scare me, Jenny. You can't do anything to me."
"I can do lots of things to you. I think maybe I'll tell my mommy that you ruined my dress. I don't like dresses, so you can put paint on it if you want. But my mommy will be mad. She likes dresses. And she'll tell your mommy..." Jenny trailed off with a menacing look.
"You...you WOULDN'T!" A very flustered Jon studied her closely, trying to decide whether or not Jenny would follow through with that threat. He decided she probably would.
Jenny just shrugged. "Go ahead and try it, J. If I don't tell my mommy, it'll be cause I already beat you up."
Andy grinned at the scene in front of her. It amazed her that two five-year olds could be this close. Their bantering was obviously just a well-rehearsed game. Andy could tell that they had had similar arguments before. But as much as they teased each other, it was apparent that they wouldn't do anything to intentionally hurt one another.
Andy decided to stop the mock fight. It had gone far enough. She interrupted the two. "Hey, guys. Why don't we go back to painting now? Jon, if you don't put paint on her, she won't do anything to you. Problem solved."
Jon smiled sheepishly, Jenny smirked at him, and both resumed their places at the table. She watched them a few minutes longer and then decided she should go visit some of the other children.
"I'm going to go meet some of the other kids, but I'll be back in a few minutes to see your wonderful artwork. Permission to leave the table, Captain Jon?" He giggled and nodded.
"Queen Jenny?" More giggles, followed by a second nod.
She tousled Jon's hair once more on her way by and wandered to the other side of the room, stopping at various places to introduce her self to a couple groups of children. All of the kids seemed delightful, but she couldn't help glancing back at Jon and Jenny occasionally to see what they were up to.
Andy could tell that she was going to like it here. She loved being around children and this was just the type of place she had been looking for. Amanda was so caring and she provided childcare the way that Andy believed it should be done. She glanced at the kind woman and met her smiling eyes.
Amanda had been watching Andy to see how she interacted with the children. She liked what she saw. Andy was a natural when it came to kids. She had handled Jon and Jenny perfectly, and it seemed like all the children loved her. Amanda smiled and thought to herself how perfect Andy was for this job. She'd always had problems finding assistants. Amanda liked to maintain a day care that was warm and inviting. Very few people sent off the right vibes, and Amanda was convinced that Andy was just the kind of person the daycare needed. Her help would be much appreciated and her positive attitude would enhance the environment of the day care.
Andy's life was definitely looking a whole lot better.
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