I resolved to put the unfortunate incident with Kitty behind me—I had no intention of seeing her again and I certainly would not go back to that pub.
Greg and I patched things up and that was a relief. I didn't want to lose a long-term friendship over a misunderstanding with a strange girl.
So, things had returned to some semblance of normalcy in my life, with the exception of my breakup with Cassie—that couldn't be mended and would just take time.
It was a beautiful early June day with temperatures in the 70's and a sky full of fair weather clouds.
I went for an early morning jog and then headed out to Westfield to work on renovating the townhouse. After lunch I planned to drop by the high school and see what resources would be available for my first semester courses.
I accomplished more than I thought I would and by lunch time I was pleased by the extent of my progress. With Greg helping me paint and repair the exterior, I figured I only had a few days work left before the place would be ready for me to move in.
I actually began to like the house's retro charm.
I ate lunch at the local Tim Horton's and then headed to the school to start preparing for my fall courses.
The parking lot was surprisingly full and I realized other people were also taking advantage of getting an early start on lesson prep for first semester.
At that moment, as I sat in my car outside my new school, two women walked by, probably both staff members.
One of the women was incredibly beautiful and I stared at her. She must have somehow felt my gaze upon her because she turned and looked at me.
I couldn't take me eyes off her and whispered to myself, that's the I'm going to marry...
And then, embarrassed by my own impetuous thought, I mentally chastised myself for being 'mystical', but couldn't deny the emotion burning within me.
Perhaps it was Fate, or simply wishful thinking, but I let her image permeate my mind and be imprinted on my memory.
When I entered the school I was met by Ward Bleecher, the principal, who introduced me to Marian Brady, the head secretary.
I immediately liked Marian who struck me as being gentle and compassionate. Bleecher left me with her to fill out a few admin forms.
She was soft spoken and kind—not the super-efficient type I had ofter encountered in my practice teaching assignments during my practicum.
She took me under her wing and I felt an immediate Bond with her. Bleecher, on the other hand, gave me the impression of being more of a PR man, with his FM voice and big personality. I don't know why but I felt a check within me that told me to be wary.
As I sat in the office filling out forms it occurred to me that my antennae were up.
For some reason I was on high alert and I couldn't understand why I was suddenly relying on my instincts—they weren't all bad though. Although I had suspicions about Bleecher, I had no reservations about Marian and I was eager to meet the young teacher I saw in the parking lot—that prospect really intrigued me.
I smiled inwardly at my initial reaction to her. My future wife? It was absurd, I couldn't even handle meeting a waitress in a bar...
How would I possibly feel comfortable trying to establish a relationship with a girl I had already put on a pedestal?
Yeah, there were strange stirrings deep within me that could turn on a whim and go seismic and completely upend my world
