Monday finally arrived, and Maeve awakened before the alarm could go off. It was the day she was to return to work. The young woman was excited to return and see her students again. She imagined their reactions to her return: happy and excited. The day before, Maeve had sent messages to the parents of her students about her return; messages immediately arrived. The parents were static and welcomed her back. Maeve felt fortunate that she got along with all of her students' families.

She eventually got out of bed, got dressed, and made and ate her breakfast. Afterward, Maeve cooked her lunch for later. Once finished, she returned to her room and held onto the materials for the project she had planned for her class. Once Maeve had everything she needed, she got her keys, exited her home, got in her car, and went on the road. The school she worked in was close, but she usually went in early and worked on lesson plans.

When Maeve arrived at the school and went inside the school office, she saw some teachers signing in and getting mail. They noticed their colleagues and were aghast.

"M-Maeve, you came back! It's so good to see you!"

"We all missed you! The kiddos also missed you!"

Maeve was surrounded by many of her colleagues and asked about her well-being. She wondered if any suspected the reason for her absence. It didn't matter anymore since Maeve was dating Treyton. Once everyone greeted and welcomed Maeve back, everyone made their way back to their classrooms. As Maeve got to her class, the door was slightly opened with the light turned on. "Seems Patrisha made it before I did." Once inside, Patrisha sat by one of the large tables on the left side of the class.

The older woman looked up. "Maeve, you're here early. Welcome back!"

"It's good to be back. I brought some materials for the kiddos; I hope we have time to decorate the classroom for the holidays.

The two were silent, but Patrisha knew that Maeve was still upset about being caught spying and pressuring Persefone. "Maeve, I know you're not happy with me and Persefone. I know I can't apologize enough, but I finally accepted that I shouldn't have invaded your privacy. Again, I am sorry."

"I know that you mean well, Patrisha. I appreciate that you care and worry for me, but it did hurt me that you and Persefone decided to do what you did." Maeve sighed. "But don't worry; I have forgiven you and Persefone. May this be the first and last time you guys something like this."

Patrisha raised her right hand. "I solemnly swear that I won't spy on you again, but..." the older woman smiled, "...can I at least give some advice? Only if you need it, of course."

Maeve sighed. Patrisha always found ways to get involved, but she knew she would keep her word. "Only if I need it."

"Deal! So, I began working on the lesson plans for this week, and I wanted to see what you thought about it." Maeve got her laptop, logged in, and sat beside Patrisha. The teachers looked at the lesson plans and made some changes here and there until it was 7:30 a.m. Persefone arrived at the classroom, and Maeve and Patrisha noticed.

Persefone put her backpack down as she went to the women. "Hey Maeve, welcome back. The kids and I missed you."

Maeve smiled. "It's good to be back, Persefone. I missed all of you, too. Anything interesting happened while I was gone...or elsewhere?"

Persefone raised an eyebrow, but when she looked at Patrisha with a gloomy expression, that was when she knew. "M-Maeve, I can explain, I..."

"Patrisha told me what happened; she pressured you to go with her to the ice rink. However, you still had the power to refuse. I'm not going to lie, but I am a bit disappointed with you both."

Maeve's words penetrated Persefone, who viewed the teacher as an older sister and mentor. It was an ugly feeling to be told that she had disappointed her mentor. " I understand, and you have every right to feel that way. I promise that I won't do that again."

"I will keep both of you on your word. We have thirty more minutes until the kiddos arrive. I wanted to have a chill day and make it fun for everyone.

"I see that you brought materials; we're going to decorate the class. I think the kids will love that." Persefone needed to decide whether or not to tell Maeve about her date with Aidoneus. It felt a bit awkward that she was dating the son of the man Maeve was dating. The young aide knew there wasn't too much time to tell her and decided another time would be better.

The trio got the things that needed to be prepared until 8 a.m., when the bell rang, and it was time for school to begin. They left class and walked outside the school building, where there were different lines of students waiting for their teachers. Maeve saw her class standing or on their wheelchairs; they became excited when they saw her. Most of her students were non-verbal but cheered or clapped their hands. Tears wanted to form, but Maeve shook them off; she was emotional when she saw her students. "Hello everyone! I missed you all!"

Most of her students squealed and hopped, and they also hugged her tightly. Maeve smiled as she hugged all of her students back. Then, everyone was led back to the classroom, where Maeve and Patrisha did their lessons; Persefone and a substitute instructional aide assisted the students. After the major work was done, Maeve announced they would begin their holiday decorating, which caused excitement.

With the adults' guidance, the students could cut different shapes and paste them into figurines. They were able to glue them on a long strand of paper. It took a while, but the class finished with the classroom door decoration ten minutes before lunch. The artwork was put on the door; the students were static with the artwork they had done. Afterward, the students were guided out of the classroom toward the cafeteria; Maeve and Patrisha returned to their class for lunch.

"Well, it was a busy but fun day. The kids loved the arts and crafts and they were happy to see you," said Patrisha.

"I agree. Today was a huge success, and I hope it improves." Maeve went to her bag to get her lunch and phone. Her phone screen showed that she had received a couple of text messages. She hoped that it was Treyton, so she looked into them. Her mother texted her.

Mom: "Good morning, Maeve. I wish you the best of luck on your first day back! I was hoping that we could have dinner tonight. I could go back to your house and I could pick up something."

Maeve: "Hey, Mom. Thanks for the text! That would be a good idea! You can get Japanese food from our regular place. I can pay you back. Come by at 5 p.m. See you soon."

The text ended. Maeve needed some advice and hoped her mother would be helpful.

❄

Before the bell rang, Maeve and her class left school fifteen minutes early to catch the bus, where some of her students would be dropped off at their homes. At the same time, other parents patiently waited for their children. Maeve remembered that after lunch, the students returned to doing classwork aligned with their IEP goals. Afterward, they continued with Christmas arts and crafts.

When the class left the school, the parents who waited were happy to see Maeve again. They were worried that she had quit, and Maeve felt happy that they were worried about her well-being; they were sure she was well.

*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*

The school alarm went off, signaling that school was over. Students walked out of their classrooms and out of school. Maeve, Patrisha, and Persefone walked back into the school, but not before bidding farewell to the students and parents. The substitute aides entered the bus to ensure students got home safely. "Ah, your first day back was a success! How did it feel, Maeve?" asked Patrisha.

"It was rejuvenating! Being with my students was what I needed! I still have so many IEP reports that I need to keep up with, but I'll get there. My mom texted me that she was going to visit and we're going to have dinner."

"That's great! Tell your ma that I said 'hi.'" Patrisha looked at her phone and smiled. "I wish I could stay longer, but I got to skedaddle!"

Maeve couldn't help but notice Patrisha's mood change; she was excited. The young woman knew that her best friend was still mourning the death of her partner, Jai'la. She remembered how Patrisha planned to ask Jai'la to marry her, but those plans were dashed when Jai'la died due to a car accident. Since then, Patrisha had been heartbroken; Maeve has tried her best to motivate her friend to meet new people. "I wonder if she is trying the app or is dating someone." The urge to ask was daunting, but Maeve decided not to butt in Patrisha's personal life since she didn't want Patrisha to get into hers.

Patrisha got her things, hugged Maeve and Persefone, and left. "You know, while you were gone, I noticed that Patrisha had acted a bit strange."

"Strange how?"

Persefone chuckled as she shook her head. "I notice she's on her phone more, smiling and whatnot. I'm wondering if she's seeing someone," she said.

"Ah ha, I'm not the only one who thought that!" Maeve grinned as she put her laptop and folders of IEPs in her bag. "Who knows? All I want for her is to be happy, but I hope she is trying to move on."

Persefone got her bag and contemplated whether or not to tell Maeve about Aidoneus. "I have to tell her; she helped me through so much. I don't think she will get upset." She took a deep breath. "H-Hey, Maeve, I want to tell you something."

"What is it?" Maeve noticed that Persefone's fingers fidgeted. "Are you okay, Persefone? Is that bastard trying to-!"

"Oh no, it's not about him! It's about something else. "I-I met someone."

Maeve slowly processed the information; Persefone was seeing someone. Her lips widened in a smile. "No way! You've started dating again!? Oh my goodness! Christmas miracles do exist! Tell me about him! What's his name!? What is he like!?"

"P-Please calm down! There's something you need to know about the guy."

"Okay, what is it? Don't tell me that he's like your-!"

"Please don't mention him. This guy I'm seeing is different; he is kind, respectful, outgoing, and handsome.

Maeve squealed and clapped. "That's great! I'm so happy and proud that you are moving on and meeting someone with similar interests. How did you meet him?" She noticed Persefone became nervous.

"Well, that's the thing. I met him at the ice rink while you were on your date. Does the name 'Aidoneus' ring a bell?"

Maeve's smile slowly faded. The name sounded familiar. Trinidad had mentioned Aidoneus's name. "I remember the name being mentioned once."

"During our date, I told him a bit about our friendship, and I mentioned you. Come to find out, you are dating his Dad." The two became silent; Persefone got nervous when Maeve became expressionless. "L-Look, I didn't know that you were dating his Dad. If I had then, I would have rejected his advances and-"

"Why would you do that?"

"Wh-What?"

"Sorry for making you nervous; I was just surprised, that's all. Don't feel guilty or nervous. Who would have thought that we would be dating men who were related."

The anxiety went away. "S-So you're not angry?"

"Why would I be? If I had to guess, you're afraid that if anything happened between you and this Aidoneus, it would affect my relationship with Treyton?" Persefone nodded. "Look, it could go both ways. We are adults and should act like it. Whoever we date or have relationships with is our business; it should not affect each other." Maeve hugged Persefone. "Get to know Aidoneus to see if he is a good man for you."

"Th-Thank Maeve. I needed that." Persefone hugged her mentor back; they eventually separated. "Well, I won't keep you then. I will see you tomorrow."

"Sure thing. Either way, I appreciate you telling me. I'm also happy that you have confidence in me. Just be careful with Patrisha, she would go crazy it she found out."

Persefone giggled. "I dread the day when she finds out."