Andy picked up some scraps of paper off the floor, as she watched a group of children playing in the corner. It was nearly closing time at the daycare. The majority of the children had gone home already, but eight remained. Jenny and Jon were among the group she had been observing. During the course of the day, the firm bond that those two children shared had sparked her interest. It was getting to the point where she could barely tear her eyes away from them.
A pleasant, but tired, looking mother entered the building and called to her children from across the room. Amanda began to chat with this woman, as her children gathered their various art projects and other random belongings. Within a few minutes, the woman had rounded up three kids and headed out the door.
'And then there were five,' Andy thought.
Amanda approached Andy and asked, "Would you mind watching the last few kids until their parents come? I have some things I have to do in the back room."
Andy nodded and smiled. "Sure. That's what I'm here for, isn't it?"
"Thanks, Andy. Make sure you come back to talk to me, once all the children leave. We need to make your job all official and such."
Andy agreed, and Amanda headed towards a room in the back. Just as Andy was resuming her task of removing shredded paper from the carpet, she felt a tug on the leg of her pants. She looked down to see a beautiful little boy with chocolate skin, his hair and eyes the color of coal.
Andy grinned as she recognized the boy from earlier, when she'd read him a story before his nap. He was just so adorable. She stooped down to his level. "Hey there, Carter."
Carter gave her an amazing smile that seemed to make the whole room light up. Andy could really get used to being around these children and seeing those smiles everyday.
"Hi Andy! My mommy is here. Over there." He pointed a chubby finger towards the door, and when she started to move in that direction, he caught the leg of her pants once more.
"Wait! I wanna tell you something." She bent down to his level again. "Are you gonna be here next time I come?"
She nodded. "Yep. I'm going to be here almost every day."
He beamed. "Good! I like you. You're better than all my babysitters. I'm gonna color a picture for you."
"Really? I would love anything that you would make for me." She noticed his mother watching them curiously. "How about if I give you a ride over to your mommy now? I think she's waiting for you."
His head bobbed up and down in agreement. Andy lifted Carter up off the floor and moved him to her hip, as she headed towards the opposite side of the room. His arms slid around her, and he rested his head on her shoulder. He was obviously exhausted. As Andy approached Carter's mother, she glanced over her shoulder at the other children.
"Hello. I believe this one belongs to you."
"Yes, he most certainly does. I'm Cynthia Jameson, Carter's mother." She smiled warmly and reached out her hand, which Andy shook awkwardly, still holding Carter.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Andrea Jacobs, Mrs. Park's new assistant."
"It's really nice to meet you. Mrs. Park really could use more help around here, but I'm afraid she's rather stubborn. She likes to have control over how things are run and believes one assistant is more than enough. I have to give her credit though. This really is a wonderful place. Carter loves it here."
Andy nodded and then turned her attention to Carter. He was nearly asleep by this time. She spoke softly to him, "Carter, your mommy is here. She's ready to take you home now."
The little boy yawned and lifted his head from her shoulder. He hugged her and kissed her on the cheek. "Bye, Andy."
She nearly melted into a puddle right there on the floor. Carter reached for his mother, who took him into her arms, where he resumed his sleepy state.
The two women exchanged looks, both grinning at this sweet, innocent child. Mrs. Jameson thanked Andy for taking care of Carter and gathered his things. Then she headed towards her car, Carter very much asleep in her arms.
And then there were four.
Only moments later, a man in his early thirties arrived to collect two of the four, a little boy of seven and his sister of four. Looking around, Andy saw the two remaining children sitting together in the corner, shielded by a large toy kitchen area. They were huddled together, taking turns reading to one another from an oversized storybook. The very two that she had been enthralled with all day had managed to escape her attention for quite some time. Jon and Jenny had separated themselves from the group some time ago, preferring each other's company to that of the large group.
Andy smiled to herself as she watched the pair whispering, heads together. She wished she had a friend like that. A real, true best friend who would always be by her side, no matter what obstacles crossed their paths. As she left her thoughts and resumed watching the two, Andy heard footsteps behind her.
Andy turned to greet a fairly thin and average sized woman with curly blonde hair and a warm smile. She started apologizing the minute she reached Andy. "Sorry, I'm so late today. The traffic was awful on the way over."
She paused, surveying the area. "Where's Amanda? She's not sick, is she?"
Andy reached out a hand towards this woman. "Amanda's fine. She's just in the back working on some paperwork. I'm Andy, her new assistant. Are you Jonathon's mom?"
The woman shook her hand and smiled, first at the two in the corner, then back at Andy. "Hi, Andy. Nice to meet you. Guilty as charged. That little blonde ball of energy belongs to me. I'll be taking Jenny along with me too. Her mom and I carpool most of the time."
"I figured that might be the case. Jenny and Jon seem to come as a pair. It seems like they have a very special friendship, especially for how young they are."
Lynn nodded her agreement. "You have no idea. It's practically impossible to pry those two apart once they get together. They've always been inseparable, and I think it will always be that way."
Andy smiled. "That's good to know. I was just wishing that I had a friend like that."
"I wish the same thing for myself sometimes..." Lynn trailed off and paused, then resumed speaking. "Sorry for talking your ear off. You probably have things to do, and I'm late so as it is. I need to get moving, too. Let's see if we can get them to come back to our world."
After much convincing, the two women finally pried the two from their book and managed to get them ready to return home. When their various things were collected, Lynn grasped one of each of their hands and thanked Andy for all her help. She then headed for the door.
At the last second, Jon reached for Jenny's hand and raced to where Andy stood, dragging Jenny behind him. Andy stooped down to their level and was almost knocked onto the floor, when Jon leapt towards her and wrapped her in a hug.
She just loved these little kids. They had hearts of gold. "Thanks, Jon. I needed a hug."
Jon pulled back and beamed, shifting from one foot to another. "I thought maybe I wanted to say good-bye again."
"That's fine by me. I'm always up for a good hug." Andy noticed Lynn glancing over and after giving Jon a kiss on the cheek, suggested that he go back to his mother.
Jon blushed and wiped at his cheek, as Jenny timidly gave Andy a quick hug. Andy gave Jenny an encouraging smile, silently thanking her.
Jon grabbed Jenny's hand once again and took off for his mother, shouting a good-bye to Andy over his shoulder and nearly pulling Jenny's arm off, who struggled to keep up with him. When they reached their destination, Jenny promptly withdrew her hand and playfully whacked him upside the head. Andy heard her say faintly, "That's what you get for breaking my arm." Jon groaned. Once recovered, he beamed and kissed her. She chased him around the room once and finally out the door.
Laughing and shaking her head, Lynn waved to Andy and followed the younger two outside.
Andy grinned and then finished picking up a few scraps of paper off the floor, before washing all the paint and glue off her hands. She then headed towards the back of the building, where Amanda was waiting for her.
As Andy entered the room, Amanda looked up and smiled. She handed Andy a stack of papers. "These are for you. According to the state of Tennessee, you can't work here unless we complete the proper paperwork. So you can look them over tonight, and just bring them back in the morning."
Andy decided that she liked Amanda. She liked the things that Amanda believed in. "That sounds good to me. Thank you so much for this job. None of the other places I checked into suited my image of what a daycare should be like. This place is perfect."
"I think you'll fit in nicely here. You're actually doing me a favor by working here. I usually have such a hard time finding someone who can meet the standards of what I look for in an assistant. A lot of people can't stand that I run the place so loosely. I've never really been into the whole rules thing myself."
Andy grinned. "I know how you feel. A daycare isn't supposed to be like a prison. It should be fun for the kids. I like the way you run things here."
Amanda returned her smile. "Finally someone who sees it my way. How does nine o'clock sound for tomorrow morning? I'm not a stickler for time either. I live in the other half of this building so I'm always here on time. No matter what that time may be. As long as you're here sometime before nine-thirty, that's good enough for me."
"Sure thing. Do you need me for anything else tonight?"
"No, just the paperwork. I'll see you tomorrow, Andy."
"Alright, see you later."
Andy left the building feeling that she had accomplished her goal for the day. This new life of hers was coming along quite nicely. She had friends, a place to live, and thanks to Amanda, a somewhat steady job. Andy started her car and headed for her new home.
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