75 The Second Chance

Daniel Bai thought carefully over that next week. Always about Grace. He'd met her because of his friendship with Andrew. He had been a senior when Andrew was a freshman but they hit it off and had kept in touch over the years.

Daniel and Andrew were talking in Andrew's office one day when the door flew open and the most beautiful woman he had ever seen walked in. Andrew introduced her as his sister. He never thought that she was nine years younger than her brother and only eighteen and about to start college. She was mature but fun. She could make him laugh and smile and she was outgoing compared to his introverted ways.

All that summer he pursued her. Then, to his horror, she walked into his freshman English class. He immediately demanded answers when class was over. He learned that she was eighteen and studying to become an early childhood teacher.

He told her he couldn't date her if she were his student so she immediately dropped the class, making it obvious that she was putting him first. However, he couldn't get used to the age difference thirteen years was a lot in his eyes. So after trying to make it work but unable to wrap his head around it, he'd broken up with her. And the next semester she had gone abroad. He tried to make it to the airport in time but when he got there her flight had already left. He took it as a sign. He hadn't seen her since. He and Andrew grew apart after that.

Now he stood outside the door of her classroom, watching her. She was even more beautiful now, if that were possible. She radiated joy as she worked with her young students. He could tell from her energy, the happy tone to her voice and the huge smile she flashed from time to time, that she had a passion for teaching. Something he well understood.

As the bell signaling the end of the day sounded, the children left her classroom and went to wait at the entrance with the teachers on duty for their parents. He watched as she moved about the room putting things away.

He stepped in the room. "Grace." He whispered, breathing her name almost as a prayer. She heard him though.

She looked up and immediately stopped what she was doing.

"Daniel?" She asked, sounding surprised.

"Yes, it's me. Do you have time to talk with me?" He asked tentatively.

She breathed deeply.

"Look, I'm going to be really honest with you. It took me a long time to get over you. Longer than I want to admit. So if you're going to break my heart again, or give me some speech about how I'm too young for you, then please, save us both a favor and just leave. Because to be honest with you, my mental health is still fragile. And I can't go back to those dark days again."

She didn't want him to know it, but six months after arriving in the United States she had suffered a breakdown from depression and had been hospitalized. Even though she eventually got over him she still suffered from general depression and took medication to balance herself.

"I'm not here for anything like that. I'm here to tell you how sorry I am. For all of it. I'm sorry I hurt you and I'm sorry you suffered so much. I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough back then to fight for us. For you. You deserved better.

And I'm so ridiculously proud of you. I watched you just now with your students. I could see your passion. I realized yet again that I was an idiot to ever let you get away. I hope one day you can give me another chance to prove to you that I've changed. I want to be worthy of you." Daniel said solemnly.

She stared at him for at least thirty infinite seconds.

"Do you really mean that?" She whispered. He nodded, looking deeply into her eyes, searching. She stepped forward and hugged him.

"I missed you, Daniel." She whispered. He gripped her tightly to himself with one arm and used his other hand to run his fingers through her silky soft hair.

"I've missed you too. You haunted my dreams, you know." He said against her ear.

"Good! You deserved it. she teased.

"I want you back, Grace. I want to show you I've changed." He begged her.

She leaned up on her toes and kissed him. He deepened the kiss and clung to her.

"I was hoping you'd say that." She said when they broke apart.

Just then they heard a loud crash outside. They looked at each other in tacit understanding. He grabbed her hand as they rushed to the front door of the school.

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Sara didn't often get to pick Bella up from school. Usually Cora or Anna did. But today Edward had given her the afternoon off. He hadn't declared his love or asked her on a date, but he'd started treating her with respect, like he did when they first met. She could deal with that.

She parked the car across the street from the school and started to go across. Bella saw her and was so excited her mom was able to pick her up that she broke away from the teacher keeping watch over the students.

Bella darted into the street, running toward her mom. In her excitement, Bella hadn't noticed the car coming. But Sara saw.

She screamed her daughter's name and with speed she didn't know she had, ran to her daughter and shoved her out of the way just in time. Though the car had slammed the breaks it was too late. The car hit Sara and she was thrown. She hit the pavement with a sickening thud.

Sara could heat children screaming and heard her daughter screaming, "Mommy!" The last thought she had as her world went black was that she hoped James's family would care for Bella and raise her well.