The Coach

Lunch

Zoey

    "Hello, my princess. How are you?" dad opened the door and greeted me. I was a little tired, but when they call for dinner, I was not going to miss the chance. I walked in and hung my bag next to the door.

    "My little girl!" mom squealed and came out of the kitchen to hug me, "if we don't call you to come, you wouldn't show up"

    "I am sorry mom, I have been busy and we have a new coach so I had to train him"

    We walked back to the kitchen, and the food was already at the table. I missed these days. I never had the chance to share times like these with my family, but now I would cherish every moment I could get with them.

    "So, who is the new coach?" dad asked.

    "His name is Sebastian Bradford"

    Dad dropped his fork on the plate and choked on the food. "The Sebastian Bradford?"

    "Yeah, do you know him?

    "Know him? He is the best architect in the whole city, possibly the whole country. Almost everyone knows him. You mean to tell me he is the new coach?"

    I nodded, taking another bite of my food. They were shocked to find out about Sebastian being our new coach. Not sure why, I mean he was an architect, we all got that. But what was so great about it? He was just like any other person in my opinion. But I guess having money makes people think you are a God.

    But to be honest, Sebastian would be an exception. Just seeing him work with the kids was proof that he was the opposite of what rich people usually are. He was kind and caring. And that kiss, oh my. It was a breathtaking kiss, even though I took the initiative.

    "Hello, Earth to Zoey" mom called. I didn't even realize I had zoned out.

    "Yeah, he is the one. And to be honest, I am not sure how he will manage both jobs. I mean, he earns tons of money as an architect"

    "Maybe he wants to take a break from it and try something different. Sometimes, the career someone chooses, it's not always the one they love," dad mentioned. He was a very wise man, and I loved him.

    Dinner was great, and I spent some extra time with them, laughing and chatting before it was finally time to go home. I kissed them goodbye and walked to my car.

    As soon as I arrived home, I took a nice warm shower and got comfortable before checking my email. I scrolled down but none of them were important. Just a lot of spam, but I saw Sebastian's reply to my email earlier. I hit it and his words had me blushing, 'No worries, the kiss was actually not bad. I enjoyed it'.

    I didn't think he would reply. I finished checking all my emails, mostly school stuff, and went to bed. Not a minute later, I had fallen asleep. With him... in my mind.

******

    Saturday arrived, and I was pretty excited and nervous. I put on a cute blue topless summer dress. It was short on the front and went down to a longer flowy skirt on the back. I put my hair in a French braid and no makeup, except for some eyeliner and clear lip gloss. I loved looking natural.

    I got in my car and drove to meet Sebastian and Martha in the Cafe. They were not there yet, so I decided to sit on a table and wait for them.

    "Hello, miss. Would you like something to drink?" the waiter asked, and I nodded. I waited and waited, but they were not arriving. I was starting to get worried. Luckily, his number was on his files so I was able to save it in case he was needed for anything. I sent him a text message, letting him know I was already there and waiting for them.

    An hour passed by and just when I was about to give up and leave, he was coming through the doors with a frown on his face.

    "Hi. I am sorry for being late," he said, sitting down in front of me, "Martha had another tantrum earlier. I needed to tend to her"

    "Oh, I am sorry. You could have called me, I would have understood and we could always take a raincheck," I replied, trying to reassure him everything it was not a big deal.

    "No, that's okay. I left her with my neighbor. She is taking a nap. All that tantrum left her exhausted," he chuckled, but I could see he was worried.

    "Is she okay? Did you take her to the doctor?" I asked, curious about her condition.

    "Yes, I took her. She has bipolar disorder. That is the reason why she has some good days and others, not so good"

    I grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently, "If you need anything at all, I am here. I love that girl with all my life and I would do anything for her"

    He smiled at me, his eyes wrinkling at the corners, showing me a genuine expression. We ordered our food and decided to have a very smooth and relaxing afternoon. "So, what made you become a special ed. teacher?" he asked as I was taking a sip of my coffee.

    "Well, when I was a kid, there was this boy in my classroom who had Tourette Syndrome. He was bullied a lot, and it was killing me how much he was suffering. One day on the news they showed his face. He had taken his own life because of all the bullying he was receiving, and the school never did anything about it. From that moment, I regretted not being his friend, and I promised to myself and him that I would take care of kids with disabilities. They deserve to be treated fairly," I didn't realize I had let out a tear, and he handed me a handkerchief to wipe it away.

    He was silent for a while. I thought to myself I had said way too much, and he was probably feeling pity on me.

    "I am really sorry. I am actually glad there are people like you, who care for kids that can't take care of themselves. Their parents must be happy to have you as their kids' teacher"

    I smiled and looked at his handsome and gentle face. I had felt some weight off my shoulder and he was the right person to listen to me. I felt like I could trust him, despite knowing him for such a short period of time.

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