Second Chances

Work Focused

John called his sister on the way home to explained that the woman she set him with never showed but he met someone. He explained how he met a woman at the hotel’s bar. His sister began to laugh, “did you met a hooker?” John became upset and explained to her that she took him to her room. His sister laughs again, “definitely a hooker.” He became upset and shout, “she wasn’t she was kind, loving, and very sweet.” “That is what hookers get paid for” his sister explained to him. He rubbed down his face and told her in an annoyed voice, “She is not a hooker. I did not pay for noting. I just spent two wonderful nights with the most amazing woman I have ever met.” His sister realized that he was serious, so she asked, “So what is the name of this incredible woman that got my brother to change his ways.” John sight, “I don’t know. She gave me a fake name.” His sister started laughing loud. John hangs up the phone furious. He thought about Alanna and the amazing nights they shared. He couldn’t make sense of it but he knew that their connection was real.

Alanna’s drive home was long and tedious. Alanna droves straight to work. Her assistant Carol was waiting for her with a list of issues that required immediate attention. They walk straight to the office. Since Alanna decided to add a Daycare service in her funeral home, people have been reaching out for daycare services. The daycare was met to only serve the people using the facility during a funeral, not as a full-time daycare. However, people have spread the word and now everyone wants to enroll their kids in the daycare.

"It is funny how many people are interested in bringing their kids to the daycare not feeling weird that it is in a funeral home", Carol said as she hands Alanna a list of twenty children's names. Alanna replied, "I know but, I think it will be a good idea to open it to the public." Alanna replied. "Check what we need to do to have it open full time." Carol went to her desk and started making calls. By the end of the day, they had a plan. The only problem was the staff. Where were they going to find employees that didn't cost them much so they could afford to have a good child-teacher ratio? Alanna thought about college students. She decided to hire a headteacher and the rest of the staff could be college students. College students will be perfect they have to be at least a little smart to make it into college, they are cheap and young. They will have energy, so they can keep up with the kids. Alanna added the help wanted ad on the funeral home's website. Then she made flyers to post in the colleges and dorms around.

Alanna called Carol into her office and told her, "I'll finish this up, you can go home." Carol replied, "thank you, I'm happy you are back." "I missed you." Carol happily said as she walked out the door. Alanna stayed alone in the building checking the books. When suddenly the silence was disrupted by a loud ringing. "Who could it be at this hour?" Alanna mumbles as she picked up the phone. "Paeoniae exercitu funeral home, how can I help you?" Alanna answer. On the other side of the phone, there was a familiar voice. Her friend Brenda sobbing was trying to speak. All that Alanna could hear was the word husband. Alanna concerned tries to help her friend make sense. "What happened to Juan?" Brenda took a deep breath and was able to say a few words, "Juan is dead. There was a car accident." Alanna tried to consult her, but Brenda continued to struggle to talk. Alanna offers to go immediately to her house and take care of everything

As she drove to Brenda's house she thought about her bed. The comfortable bed that was waiting for her. She did not get much sleep on her trip. She sighs thinking about the trip. She remembered John's strong arms around her. His breath, the softness of his lips, and how his bear tickled between her legs. She put her hand between her legs and rub her inner tight. Her chicks filled with blood, and she became a little wet. Then she reminds herself that her friend just lost her husband. It is not the time to think about her trip. She tries to focus's but all she could do was think about him. It had only been a few hours and she was already yearning for his touch. Alanna arrives at her friend's Brenda's house. The crying and screaming of the family could be heard from the curve. Alanna made her way inside the house. She was greeted by the crying widow. Brenda wrapped her arms around Alanna and thank her for all her help. Alanna explains to the family that it was going to be hard, but she was there to help things be a little easier. Alanna contacted the hospital and arranged for the body to be picked up and prepared for the funeral. Then she asked for Juan’s insurance information. Juan's mother handed a paper to Alanna. Alanna was excited, "I can go home and finally sleep" She though. However, Brenda and her sister-in-law grab Alanna and took her to the family room. They spent all night planning the funeral.

Brenda was a good friend. She was there for Alanna when she lost her husband to cancer. Alanna wanted to return the favor by making sure she did not have to pay anything out of pocket. Alanna study Juan's insurance policy and it only covers half of what Brenda wanted for his funeral. Brenda's restaurant is not doing well so, Alanna spends a lot of time helping Brenda put together a funeral that she loves but did not go over the budget.

Alanna finally makes it out of Brenda's house. She opened the door, and the sun burns her eyes. She puts on her sunglasses, but she still must cover the sun with her hand. The birds singing bring warms her up after spending a night in a cold gloomy house surrounded by loss and sorrow. Alanna lifts her chin and smiles. "Here we go", she said to herself getting to her car. She checks her phone and Carol has already called twice. She has four texts asking where she was, to inform her that three young ladies have answered her job add already and that the vacuum broke.

Alanna smacks her forehead "Ugh". She answered Carol's texts and rushed home. She took a fast shower, threw a dress on, and grab her vacuum. She rushed back to work. She stopped for coffee and a breakfast burrito. She needed to wake up. Carol sees her struggling with the vacuum, her purse, folders, and the coffee. Alanna had stuffed what was left of the burrito in her mouth. She places the folders under her arm, her purse under the other arm the coffee on one hand, and the vacuum on the other. She was left with no hand to close the trunk. Carol ran to her rescue. She closed the trunk and took the vacuum from her hand. Alanna could just shake her head in gratitude because she still had her mouth full of burrito.

"You look pretty", said Carol opening the door. Alanna swallows the last piece of burrito and smiles. "A dress was quick to put on. I spend the night with Brenda going through her funeral plans for her husband." She said as she put the coffee down grab the vacuum of Carol's hands and replace it with the folders she was holding. "Everything is here", Alanna instructed Carol opening a folder and showing her the content. Carol shook her head and took the envelope to her desk. She immediately began making calls and typing on her computer. Alanna took the vacuum to a closet at the end of a hallway that leads to the daycare door and outside. Then she returned for her coffee and went into her office.

Alanna left her door open and walk to her computer where Carol had left a few sticky notes. She quickly scanned the sticky notes. One said that once the inspector comes in two days everything will be ready to start full-time daycare. Another note said that Juan's body will be ready at 6 pm. Then there were tree sticky notes together. They had woman names and phone numbers. Alanna grabs them and walks to Carol that was on the phone. She showed Carol the notes and Carol pass her a folder from her desk. Alanna went back to her office reading looking into the papers in the folders. They were employee applications for the daycare. They had notes writing on the back by hand. Carol already searched them up and approve them. Therefore, it was Alanna's turn to call them for an interview. Alanna calls all the numbers and left messages in two of them except for the last one. The young girl answered the call. She sounded sleepy. Alanna invited the young woman for an interview for the next day, as she did to the other two girls in a message.

Alanna struggles to keep her eyes open anymore so she closed her door and laid on her sofa to sleep a little. She texts Carol that she was going to nap, so Carol did not interrupt her. Alanna slept for one hour when Carol came into her office to wake her up. She opened her door a little and then knocked softly. "Alanna" Carol whispered. Alanna jumped up and asked for the time. Carol told her that her friend Brenda was there to pick a casket for her husband. Alanna told Carol to tell Brenda that she will be with her in a second. She washed her face and brush her teeth in her office bathroom. Then she collected Brenda and took her to the baseman. Where she had the coffin showroom. Brenda immediately set her eyes in an awfully expensive one. Alanna tried to show her similar once on her price range, but she had her heart set on the expensive one. Alanna then offers her to rent it to her for the funeral, but they will have to bury him on a ridiculously cheaper one unless she decided to cremate him. Brenda explained that after she explained it to his mother they finally agree to cremation after the funeral.

After choosing the food and flowers, they had everything they needed for Juan's funeral. Brenda satisfied says bye to Carol and Alanna, "Thank you, I have to go back to the restaurant. I'll see you later." Alanna was confused, "You are working today?" she asked. Brenda rubs her hands together with tears in her eyes, "I have to ever since those good for nothing kids started selling drugs across from the restaurant, we have been losing customers." Alanna sight, "you need to start offering free meals to police officers that way you will have police officers coming in and out and it will scare them away." "That is a great idea", Brenda replied. Brenda hugged Alanna and left.

Alanna worked on getting everything ready for the funeral and the daycare. Carol did not leave her side. They set up the room. Juan was dressed in his Sunday best ready for his homecoming party tomorrow. They set the room with comfortable sofas in the front for the older close family to be comfortable and single chairs in two groups separated from the walls and leaving a space in the middle for the parade of loving family and friend that will be waiting patiently for each other to pay their respect. Alanna and Carol finished locked up and went home.

Alanna walked into her house. The lavender smell was never so sweet. She kicks her shoes off and ran up the stair to her room. Her soft rug caresses her toes as she walks to the bathroom taking her clothes off. She took a long shower letting the water massage her body. Then she plunges into bed wet, naked, and exhausted. The next day she arrives at work early. Carol informed her that a gentleman was waiting for her in her office. Alanna thanked her and proceeded into her office. As she walks in a familiar aroma caressed her nose. She got goosebumps. She recognized those broad shoulders, that hair, the cologne. The man turned to look at her as she approached him. Alanna gasp. "John!", she called. He rushed to her took her in his arms and they kiss savagely. Then an alarm went off and Alanna came to the devastating realization that it was a dream, as she opened her eyes and reaches for her phone to turn off the alarm. Alanna gets up. She gets ready for work hoping that her dream comes true but sadly it doesn’t.

A few days later Alanna has the big opening of the daycare. The three girls that applied first turned out to be friends. They were highly intelligent, friendly, and were willing to accommodate their schedule to the needs of the daycare. Alanna could not pay them mush so she offers them only a few hours a day to start. They eagerly accepted.

The daycare was running great. They had only twenty children. Alanna hired two headteachers with credentials and the three young women were assistants. Each work only a few hours one right after the other. Nevertheless, the young woman has been friends and loving kids so much they volunteer a lot of their free time. Alanna tried to thank them with little bonuses here and there and took them out for dinners on special days. Alanna ended forming a great relationship with the girls. They saw her as a mentor.

On one of the girl's birthday, she falls victim to carjacking. The young lady felt powerless and became fearful of being alone. Alanna decided to have the girls take a class from her friend who taught self-defense classes. She had been going to his classes and seminars for years. The last time she went to one of his seminars, she met John. The girls love the idea, so she schedules for the classes to be tough at her house.

On the day of the self-defense classes the girls we so excited. They arrived early. Alanna has just woken up. She asked the girls to make themselves comfortable while she got ready. Alanna went upstairs. The girls looked around Alanna's house. Katherine, the girl whose car was highjack found a picture of Alanna with her family. She called her friend Linda, "look at Alanna's family, I didn't know she had all those kids." Linda grabbed their other friend's arm and took her to Katherine. "Wow!", exclaimed Linda. "How old is Alanna? Those kids look older than me." questioned their friend Jackie. As the friends stare at the picture Alanna came down the stairs.

Jackie turned around and asked, "Are this your kids?". Alanna smile grabbed the picture. She wiped the picture melancholically, "Yes, that is my Franco, that is my Clara, my Bruno, my Tony, and my baby girl Paulina." She said in a soft voice as she pointed at each of the people in the picture. Alanna starers at the picture and sight, "I miss my Franco". Jackie blurts, "So What is the secret Alanna?". Alanna looked confused. Linda added, "your kids look older than us, so we were wondering how old you are?". Alanna laugh, "Oh that secret. The secret is: good gene, healthy eating, exercise, and a good plastic surgeon." Linda asked, "what did you have done?" Alanna smiled, she pointed at her breast, her hips, waist, her face, and replied, "a little fat transfer here and the, and some filling. Aging is part of life, but I do it on my own terms".

Katherine sat on the sofa embrace with her hand on her face. "Please forgive them they are a little nosy". Jackie interrupted, "oh, come on. You were the one who shows us the picture". Katherine blush. Alanna sat next to her wrap one arm around her and told her, "I don't mind". "So… will you mind if I ask something else", Jackie replied. Alana shook her head side to side. Jackie sad close to Alanna and asked her, if it is true that she is a man-eater? Alanna giggle and explain, "If being free and comfortable with your sexuality makes you a man-eater then I guess I am." The girls laugh. Alanna continued, "I was married once. I was happy, I had four wonderful children and I had a wonderful husband. I couldn't ask for more. I will never get married again. I just want to date and have fun." The room became quiet. A knock on the door broke the awkward silence. Alanna went to open the door. The girls look at each other with rice eyebrows. Alanna's opened the door to her friend, and they moved to the backyard.