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Did she still think of me like I still thought of her?
Chapter Three: Hailey
“Noah!” I yelled. “Hurry up, sweetie! Mommy’s going to be late!”
I ran around my apartment, grabbing my things and quickly throwing Noah’s backpack together.
He was moving slower than ever that morning and I knew I was going to be late for class. It was my first day of medical school and I couldn’t afford to miss a thing.
When Noah’s backpack was packed, I grabbed his lunch from the fridge and threw it inside. I zipped up the backpack and ran to Noah’s room.
Noah was sitting on his bed with his shoes on his feet. He had one foot tucked underneath him and the other poised on the ground. He held the shoelaces in his hands, trying desperately to tie them properly. I smiled and sunk to my knees.
“Here,” I said. “Let me help you.”
“No!” Noah said, jerking his foot away from me. “I can do it!”
His face was set in the stubborn lines I was encountering more and more frequently lately.
I swallowed a sigh.
“Honey,” I said patiently. “Mommy can’t be late for class today, okay? We have to go. You can tie your shoes tomorrow.”
“But…” he began, but I cut him off with a look. That look was more powerful than any of the protests he could throw my way. He knew that look meant I wasn’t having any of it.
He settled down with a pout.
I grabbed his foot and gently pulled it to me. I tied his shoe and then grabbed the other foot. When he was finally ready to go, he jumped to his feet and I wrapped his backpack around his shoulders.
“Come on,” I said. We hurried into the living room and I picked up my bag. With Noah’s hand in mine, we ran outside to the parking lot.
I buckled Noah in his car seat and jumped inside. Firing up the engine, I threw the car in reverse and sped out of my parking spot.
When I finally reached the highway, I checked the clock and groaned. I only had twenty minutes to get to class and I still had to drop Noah off at the campus daycare.
&nb
sp; It was only my first day and I was already off to a horrible start.
We reached campus and I pulled up to the daycare. I jumped out and grabbed Noah from the backseat. I grunted as I picked him up but didn’t stop.
He protested while I carried him inside, but I only had five minutes to get to class and I didn’t have time for him to walk.
“Have a great day,” I said, a little breathless from the walk-run action I just did.
I kissed Noah’s forehead and pushed him toward the classroom. He waved at me and disappeared inside.
I didn’t waste another minute. I flew back outside and hurried toward my car.
Speeding across campus, I pulled up to the science building right as class began. I hated being late, but I couldn’t miss class. When I reached the classroom, I peered through the window and saw that the professor had already started the lesson. I groaned and closed my eyes. Interrupting class wasn’t the way to make a good first impression.
With a deep breath, I pushed open the door slowly. I tried to make as little noise as possible. I stepped inside and pulled the door softly closed behind me. The click was still loud, but only a few people turned around.
I hurried to the first empty seat I could find. It was in the back row, but I didn’t care. I was just glad I made it before class ended.
Someone in my row handed me a syllabus and I mouthed a silent “thank you.” She nodded and turned her attention back to the front of the room. I read through the syllabus at lightning speed. It all seemed pretty standard, nothing out of the ordinary. Once I was sure I understood, I tucked it in my bag and pulled out my notebook. With my pen in hand, I focused on the professor.
In reality, I probably didn’t miss anything important. By the time I started taking notes, the professor had only just begun the lesson. Still, I felt like a failure already.
