Nolan's Evolution (7 page)

"Do you think I'll get the job?" She bit her lip and stared down at her hands. "I mean do you think I can actually do this?"

"You doubt yourself?" Thanatos shook his head with disbelief. "I've seen you with children Raina and I know you can do this. Nolan knew you could do this! You don't want to let him down do you?"

She blushed and stuck her tongue out at him. "Will you forever play the Nolan card?" It was a very enticing card and she didn't ever think she could resist.

"As long as it works I’ll use it," he said with assurance.

They continued much the same rest of the day. Easy light banter filtered between them. And Raina came to realize that riding a horse was much like riding a bike. Once you done it… mastered it, it's not all that hard.

She enjoyed her time with her new friend. She needed time with him. She wondered if Nolan had realized how good of her friend Thanatos would be. Had he had enough time with him before his curse to realize what a good man Thanatos could be? Nolan was a good judge of character, just as she was, and she had seen the good in him. Yes, she decided that Nolan had known.

He was a help to her. She needed Thanatos in her life. He eased her through a day that should've been horrible and sad and made it something fun. He did much the same proceeding to her interview. Every day some adventure something new some distraction so that she didn't think about what she had to deal with. And when she went to that interview she believed she nailed it.

She got the job. She really had no doubt that she would.  Not just because of her talent and resume as a teacher…Thanatos’s power of persuasion would have won her the position. She liked to think her reputation was the primary factor.

Two weeks into her job, and Raina was beginning to feel at home. She knew every child’s name, and her lesson plan fell right into place. She had even begun making new friends.

One woman in particular was starting to be a sort of incentive to get to work. She was bubbly and sweet, and Raina felt a kindred spirit. If not for the brown eyes, Melinda could have been mistaken for her sister.

Melinda was married, but her husband was away on business, so making a new friend was important to her too.

Like Thanatos, she helped to distract Raina from thinking of him.
Him
… Beautiful Nolan. It took talent to be able to do so. Just imagine your wildest dream rolled into one silver eyed man and you still wouldn't be able to fathom the gift that was Nolan. At least that was Raina’s opinion.

“That’s the problem with falling head over heels for a man! You put everything into just the two of you, and when he’s not around you feel lost!”

Raina glanced up in surprise, so deep she was in her thoughts. She blushed. “Is it that obvious I was thinking of him?” She tried to make herself look busy by straightening papers in front of her and moving a book to one side. She was flustered just as she always was when she got caught daydreaming.

Melinda smiled. “I have been guilty of that same look.” She entered the classroom with her brown sack containing her lunch. "May I join you?"

"Of course," Raina laughed. She quickly moved aside her work to make room for Melinda.

“Try being two months from your husband.” She sighed, giving a shrug. "Any given day you'll find me daydreaming over him. Don't feel bad," she said softly. "I know what it's like to be without the one you love. Michael just happens to be my favorite person in the world.”

Raina laughed. “I know well the feeling.”

“What’s his name again?”

“Nolan,” she said softly.

Melinda entered the room, and sat at one of the small desks. The children would be returning soon with the kindergarten assistant.

“When is the last time for you?”

“Three weeks,” Raina whispered. “Before that, two months, just like you.”

“Business?”

Raina shrugged. “Something like that. Also…we, well, we sort of broke it off.”

Melinda cocked her head. “It doesn’t seem broken to me. You seem…sad, yes, but not desperate. You still have hope.”

Raina bit her lip. “We love each other. We just aren’t…good for each other.”

Melinda leaned forward. “Explain.”

Raina blushed. “I really can’t.”

              Melinda didn’t push, as if she could read Raina. “I once thought that about Michael. We were too different, and our start wasn’t exactly story book,” she smiled warmly.

Raina smiled, and scooted closer to her new friend. She shyly shrugged. “So, what is your story…with you and Michael? Your worship of him… obsession? It’s very familiar.” She blushed. “I feel very much the same for Nolan.”

              Melinda smiled back. “It didn’t start out all lovey dovey,” she giggled. “Oh far from it!”

              Raina shrugged. “I want to hear about it.” She liked the kinship she felt with this young woman. “I need a little romance.”

              Melinda laughed, her brown eyes lit. “I can remember the first day I met Michael like it was yesterday….not two years ago. And it was far from romantic!”

              Raina lifted a fair brow.

              “You really want to hear it?”

              Blue eyes danced. “Please.”

              Melinda rolled her eyes. “It’s your fault if you get bored! When I tell a story…I leave nothing out!” She glanced about the empty class room, as if looking in embarrassment for spies.

              “We only have a half hour recess Melinda,” Raina teased.

              Melinda drew in a breath, closed her eyes, and smiled.

              “I have always been one prone to strange dreams. I mean, really strange dreams, the vivid get me out of here dreams! Well, some I would have preferred to remain in…most stayed with me hours, days, weeks……….honestly, for years. I know some people who say every dream means something. To that, I am not so sure. Now and again your subconscious may be saying something you have been hiding. But the dream where a talking cat drives me to the movies may not mean so much.”

              Raina laughed at this. She couldn’t help but think back to her own would be dreams starring Nolan. How she wished she could go back to that time. She propped her chin on her hand, prepared to hear more of Melinda’s story.

              Melinda shrugged. “I had just awakened from a rather strange one. It had left me shaken. This was only because my Papa had been in it. Again showing, not all dreams mean something…he’s been gone, and it was quite impossible any great dream maker was trying to guide me concerning him. As much as I wished it could be true.”

              Raina bit her lip. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

              “I decided a cup of coffee would soothe me. With that in hand, I went to the swing on my front porch. I didn’t want to wake Rachel…she likes her sleep in time!”

              “Rachel…your friend?”

              Melinda smiled happily. “My oldest friend.”

              “Like my Emily.”

Melinda nodded. “Rachel with her bubbly personality, her gorgeous hair, impeccable style, and her perfect…..well, perfect everything. She’s a lot of what I’m not. I keep her feet on the ground, and she helps me live a little now and then…the boring teacher, and the stylish coffee shop owner, under one roof. It works rather well.”

Raina nodded. “Sounds a lot like Emily and I.” She shoved at Melinda’s shoulder. “But enough about friends…back to you and Michael!”

Holding her hands up, Melinda laughed. “I’m getting there, Raina! I told you I like to paint the picture.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder.

“Anyway…I got outside with my coffee, and at the same time a truck backfires and I jumped, sloshing coffee on my white tee. So there I am with coffee stained T-shirt and what starts to happen next door to me? The house that has been abandoned for forever, is now receiving a moving truck. I hadn’t realized it had been purchased.

The driver’s door swung open, and a gentleman with a jumpsuit popped out. So it was just the movers no real neighbor yet.

"Well Rachel decided to get up at that time and she comes out on the porch with me. She asks me what kind of stuff is being taken on the truck. Well this is really strange to me.                             She just proceeds to tell me that you can tell a lot about someone by the things they move into their house. The things they choose to bring with them when they move.

So what's the first thing that they pulled the truck? This heavy, manly looking couch!

Rachel announces our new neighbor is a single man. Before I could ask how she knew, she answered. “No lady on God’s green Earth would ever pick that out for her home.”

Raina smiled. “Am I going to hear about Michael any time soon?”

Melinda tisked at her. “Patience, Raina!

“Anyway…. Rachel rattled off over the course of an hour over each object. She decided that “he” was definitely single. I of course argued with her. How could she possibly know?

She simply said, “Melinda, do I have to refer you back to the ugliest effing couch in the world?” And then she suddenly gasped.

I looked up to see a black, sport something or other, pull into the drive behind the van. I’m not good with cars, but this one looked expensive. At least one of those cars men always drooled over. Oh, and girls like Rachel twittered over.

“It’s a vette, Mel…. and what a pretty one too,” she had informed me.

The only thing I got from looking at the flashy vehicle was that it was shiny. And that is how I would explain to anyone who asked. Its black, and its shiny. Rachel stood admiring the car, and seemed content to do so.

I, on the other hand, wanted to see the driver. The, uh, owner of the ugliest effing couch. if you will.”

Raina giggled, thinking of Nolan’s large ugly manly furniture.

“Rachel’s phone rang, and it was the only thing that would draw her from the scene.

My eyes were drawn again to the auto that had arrived. The door opened slowly, as if the driver were hesitant to escape the tinted hideaway. He did eventually emerge, and I found it difficult to not be obvious. Actually, my mouth fell open.

He was …well for lack of a better word, stunning…if a man could be stunning. His features were so striking. His dark hair thick and shining... I couldn’t see his eyes beyond the sunglasses he wore, but certainly they could not improve on the already apparent beauty. I suddenly became aware of my sloppy clothing and messy ponytail, bobbing atop my head.

“Oh please don’t look this way,” I had prayed.

Yet instead of hiding myself away, running into the house, anything else, that would make sense, I stood and walked to the railing. I couldn’t help it! I needed a closer look.

He slammed the door and stretched, as if he’d been in the car too long. He was lean, not skinny at all. Jeans, slightly weathered for fashions sake. His shoulders were broad, impossibly muscled, and I felt respect for the hard work it took to look that way.”

              Raina smiled. How often had she felt the same for Nolan?

“So, I wrapped my arm around a porch beam, and leaned against it, observing him. I didn’t feel foolish. I couldn’t explain why looking at him this way seemed so right. I had never been one to gawk; my reservations flew out the window, so to say. It was unsettling really.

I kept thinking, “Please don’t look this way.” I might wither away and die.

And then he started up the driveway that separated our homes. My mouth felt dry and it hurt to swallow. He walked with purpose, and moved so well. He pushed his sunglasses back and set them on top of his head. He tilted his head inquisitively, when he neared below where I stood.

“Hello,” he greeted. The corner of his mouth tipped up. He stared up at me, and I thought I would hyperventilate. Warm hazel eyes. Those eyes, without a doubt, were the most beautiful thing about him. I was struck dumb.

He didn’t speak further to me, just looked, as though he were unsure, curious, and a bit hopeful. I looked insane I’m sure.

For a split second I wished I looked like Rachel, or dressed like her, or had her bubbly friendliness! Then maybe instead of staring like a fool and wishing to be invisible, I could think of something creative to say.

He visibly scowled when I didn’t speak, and even that was wonderful. I couldn‘t tell if it was concern or disgust in his eyes

“Are you all right?” he’d asked.

Melinda gave Raina a secret smile. “Like he didn’t know the affect he had on women. Like he didn’t know I might die right on the spot from the warmth that spilled from the sound of his voice!”

Raina nodded encouragement for her to continue. The story begged to be finished!

Melinda smiled, biting her lip. “He waited for me to continue. Those devastating eyes eventually turned from me in discomfort. I felt the breath whoosh from my lungs. Oh I was all sorts of foolish.

Rachel rejoined me then, welcoming him to the neighborhood, and his countenance changed, and the scowl melted. He smiled and his whole face changed.

“Hello, I’m Michael Tyndal.”

I felt nausea from the jealousy that ran over me. He was fairly beaming at Rachel. I could leave and he’d never notice.