here and there

Sam felt kind of scattered brained with the new year. If only he had his old job back at the elementary. As it was, he got pulled in to being a P. E. teacher at two middle schools and helped out with the high school football team after school.

He had a feeling it would happen, but was hoping it wouldn't. Of course, middle schoolers were wicked compared to elementary students. It was a pain. Always feeling short of something, from patience to not enough basket balls. But he didn't fuss about it. He remembered being in middle school himself. Although, he would have been happier if he didn't have to go to so many places. He felt as if some days never ended.

"What did I get myself into?" He choked down some weak coffee in the Teacher's lounge. He noticed Amanda with her netbook looking at her lesson plans, one day.

"You and me both." She looked at him as if she wasn't the enemy. He knew things still weren't where she wanted them to be with Elliot and Pearl. But she prevailed. She looked as if she could handle those mean middle schoolers. "You know how kids hate music teachers."

While he had to go to different schools day after to day, she had to teach one middle school in the morning and another in the afternoon. She saw a lot more kids than he did.

"I don't know how you keep it all straight." He had enough to worry about as it was. Also he was being nagged about why wasn't he helping out with more athletics at the middle schools when he had no choice but report to the high school every afternoon for football practice.

"I don't even know anymore. I usually skip lunch." She shrugged.

"I'd never skip lunch." He sat across from her. It was nice to sit for a few minutes. He did enjoy his lunches which were usually leftovers from supper that Rachel made. She'd make enough for lunches the next day. He noticed Amanda was looking thin, anyway, but he didn't mention it to her. However, he did to Elliot a few days later when he remembered seeing Amanda.

"Have you noticed, she's lost weight?" Sam asked him.

"Don't look at me. Probably one of those weird diets of her, you know. Like grapefruit diet, or something." Elliot shrugged it off. No way, was he letting her have Pearl on weekends. "I've worked long and hard keeping her on a schedule, and I'm not letting Amanda mess it up. If she wants to see Pearl, she can come over. But this is Pearl's home now."

Sam heard it before. He understood Elliot's reasons, but still he thought he should at least think about Amanda having Pearl every other weekend or so. Yet neither wanted to go to court. Everyone was on a tight schedule.

Sam could hardly wait for football season to be over, but then he guessed there would be some other sport to be a part of.