CHARLOTTE

It was already almost noon when Charlotte decided she couldn't keep ignoring her phone ringing beside her.

After another hectic morning routine of convincing Marty that going to school was important, she had suceeded in getting him dressed up and in the back seat of her old Mercedes.

"My classmates always laugh at me", he had said all of a sudden.

Charlotte who was about to turn the engine on, hesitated and turned back to face him wondering what his new scheme was. She was positive that Marty could singlehandedly list a thousand and one reasons schools should be abolished without stopping to think of his next point.

"Why do they laugh at you honey?", she asked.

"Because of you", he pouted his lips at her.

"Me?", she frowned wondering how she suddenly got involved in elementary school shenanigans.

"Yes you", he affirmed. "Because we always come to school in one dirty old Mercedes. Some even say I'm Old Juckle's son."

Charlotte frowned at the thought of it. She knew very well who Old Juckles was and the thought of living under the same roof with the aged, dirty and weird janitor made her cringe. Once she had bumped into him on her way to Marty's classroom and he had screamed curses at her while she apologized and walked on. That week she lost a lot of clients; each giving her very flimsy excuses why they didn't want their paintings done anymore. That experience added to her faith in Marty's stories about him and she had started walking cautiously in the school premises because Old Juckle seemed to be everywhere.

"Don't mind them honey, you know your dad very well don't you?", Charlotte said.

"No, I don't", he frowned. "Can't even remember how he looks. We should be going to France, not school."

Charlotte sighed and sparked the engine to life. "We're going to school young man. France some other day, but now, school!"

"Then not in this car", he grumbled.

"Fine", she said coming down. " Your pick."

They ended up back in the garage for the next thirty minutes trying to choose a car for a less than fifteen minute drive to school and Charlotte had to admit that her son was a very smart lad because he succeeded in tactfully changing the subject and manipulating her to tell him more about the origin of cars, airplanes, Leonardo da Vinci and many other unconcerned parties. He knew very well she had a knack for history and inventions and he had capitalized on it - anything to keep him away from school. He couldn't hold on long however and they eventually chose a Bentley. The smile on his face coming down from the car at school said it all - If she wanted peace to reign every morning, it had to be the Bentley or some other flashy car perhaps.

"Told y'all my mum was rich, assholes", he shouted enjoying the envious stares from his schoolmates.

"Oops", Charlotte thought aloud. She knew very well the school had strict rules and she couldn't afford to have a 3 hour chat with the no nonsense Principal Brad on the use of curse words and the dangers to the society.

"See ya later", she waved at Marty who was already grinning from ear to ear.

She had zoomed off before word of it got to the Principal and had decided to get a little sleep since she didn't have any meetings to attend or paintings to complete. Her improvised siesta had been going relatively well until about an hour ago when the first call came in. She had half opened her eyes and closed them almost immediately but her phone had kept on ringing. She had finally decided to answer the call, hoping it was some client she could negotiate with in a minute and go back to her sleep. She picked the call and at the other end, she recognized Principal Brad's coarse voice immediately.

"Miss Charlotte Reeves." He stressed the 'Miss' as if to remind her that her status had turned overnight from "married" to "single and searching without any luck" Charlotte however was not in the mood for Principal Brad's sermons (which were pretty long because he had mastered the art of beating about the bush) so she decided to address the situation immediately.

"Principal Brad, I know this is about the whole 'asshole' stuff earlier and I apologize for my son's bad behaviour. I'll pay whatever the fine is later. I got to go now", she said and made ready to hang up the call.

"Asshole?", he questioned and Charlotte could imagine the bald headed man bring his glasses down to his nose as he stared at her with those brown piercing eyes.

"Yes? Why else would you be calling me if not that my son used such an inappropriate word in front of the whole school?"

Principal Brad paused for a long time, long enough to allow Charlotte figure out that she just sold out her son by saying that.

"Well thanks for the information Miss Reeves, but that wasn't why I called you", he said finally.

"Shit", she muttered

"It runs in the family I see. You're not a very good role model to your son, Miss Reeves."

"You should tell that to Sheila", she muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing".

"Your son was involved in a fight a few hours ago. You should come immediately. And maybe we could talk about the whole "asshole" incident", he said.

Charlotte wanted to object but he had hung up already. She groaned and dragged herself out of bed and into the shower. She had not planned spending her free day like this. She got ready quickly and drove to the school.

Marty was waiting for her right in front of the school gate and he frowned on seeing her.

"Yes", she said coming down from the car. "I'll be using this old Mercedes for you as from now on."

"You reported me to the Principal", he said catching her by surprise.

"What?"

"You told him that I said a bad word. Why'd you do that mum?". His calmness threw her off guard and she stammered trying to explan to her eight year old son why she reported him to the Principal.

"I...Well, I didn't report you. I mean I did but its complicated and that's not why I'm here. I hear you've been getting into fights lately."

He frowned and folded his arms. "He called me Old Juckle's son again. I didn't want to beat him up. I warned him but he just wouldn't listen." Charlotte knelt down and wiped the tears dropping on his cheeks.

"Its okay Marty", she patted his back. "I'll see your principal now."

The principal's office was secluded from the other buildings in the school and according to him, it was solely to create a serene environment for his work. He may have deceived other parents that he was doing it for the good of the school but Charlotte knew Brad Wellington better. He was a professor by degree but a sadist by nature. He hated children - with a passion that could make you wonder what he was doing as the principal of a school if he hated children that much. Charlotte braced herself for the worst, knocked and entered the office. A cool blast of air greeted her face immediately and she might have commended him if not that he was with a guest. She stood feeling awkward for a while as the Principal addressed the man before him not even bothering to look up at her. They talked for a while in hushed tones as just as Charlotte was about to interrupt, the man concluded his decision with the Principal and turned to leave.

"You must be Mrs. Reeves?", he addressed her with a smile.

Charlotte wanted to say something but the words stuck in her dry throat as she stared helplessly at the work of art standing before her. He was slender and tall with a skin the color of hot melted chocolates. His hair was jet black, low and neatly cut with perfectly trimmed beards running down the sides of his face and down his square jaw. He had the body of an athlete; muscular but not too buff and he smelled like wild roses.

"I am", Charlotte said finally finding her voice. "Marty's mum. You know me?"

"No", he shook his head. "But your son's a handful."

Charlotte guessed immediately that she was speaking to the father of the boy whom Marty had beaten up.

"I'm sorry about Marty. I'll make sure it doesn't repeat itself."

"Sure", he smiled at her and Charlotte felt her cheeks go red hot immediately.

"You owe this young man", Principal Brad said finally. "I had already prepared your son's letter of expulsion."

Charlotte heaved a sigh of relief. It had taken her a whole month to get Marty admitted at Springfields Elementary after he got expelled from his last school. She turned to the handsome stranger and thanked him.