It felt odd for Constance to be living in silence. Up until a month ago, well technically three nights ago, she had been living with her brother Juan and his kids in addition to his wife. She had helped care for her niece who was born developmentally disabled. A sixteen year old girl with the mindset of a four year old did little to help her brother's marriage. Juan had asked her to come and live with them in his wife's native Seattle and she happily did so. Constance loved her children dearly and she had hoped to have some of her own one day but sadly with one failed marriage under her belt she was beginning to feel like she would never have a family of her own. 

Waking up to the alarm going off did little to improve her mood. The trip to her brother's house wouldn't be long but already she was missing the loud noises of the family getting ready in the morning. Her new home was moderately sized; a three bedroomed house had felt too big so she made a guest room for her nieces and nephews or anyone else who wanted to stay the night, one of the rooms she had converted into an office where she could grade papers and do other business. It had been a stroke of luck that an opening had come up in a high school not far away either. The last history teacher had quit already for reasons that Constance didn't know. But today was her first day at her new job and already she was running late...which wasn't good. 

After a quick shower the woman dried and changed into a simple slate gray blouse that had a few ruffles going down the front and a black knee length skirt. Her long black hair was pulled up into a simple ponytail and she clipped her bangs to the side. Unlike most women at the age of thirty-four, Constance didn't wear makeup. An allergy to some eye shadows had kept her from embracing the fact that it was socially acceptable for her to cake on lays and layers of colorful powders and liquids. Heading into the kitchen she quickly grabbed a pear before trying to find her shoes. Ditching the heels that she probably should have worn to keep up a professional image, the woman took a pair of worm black converse shoes instead. She scooped up her back pack that had been packed the night before with some of the basic things that she would need for today - the previous teacher's lesson plans that had been e-mailed to her, a few pens and pencils, her gradebook and papers that she had to copy today for her students. To say she was excited would be an understatement; the woman was practically glowing with excitement. Teaching, especially in a high school, would be difficult but she was confident enough in her abilities to teach. 

Heading outside to call her indoor-outdoor cat, she caught sight of a young boy with slightly curly black hair heading to the end of his driveway to get the newspaper. It hadn't occurred to her that sooner or later she would actually see her neighbors. Waving to the boy, Constance approached the small fence that marked the boundaries of their yards. "Hey kiddo, nice to meet you; my name is Constance." she said happily. "Have you seen a black and white cat running around? He's got a blue collar with a silver bell." Her cat, Cassius, hadn't run to her when she called him. 

The boy shook his head, "Nope...I'm Eric by the way." He held out his hand to her and smiled. "I didn't know a new family was moving in next door!" 

"Oh...It's just me and my cat, actually." 

The boy grinned wider and said his goodbyes; she could almost see the wheels turning in his head. He called over his shoulder that he would keep an eye out for her cat. 

--

Eric was usually one of the first ones awake. Quickly dressing into a plain blue t-shirt with dark colored blue jeans he combed his unruly black hair before running outside to get the morning paper. It had been his chore for as long as he could remember. Outside he caught a glimpse of a woman that he'd never seen before. He waved to the woman and approached the small fence between their yards. She didn't look very old and he wondered if she had kids or a husband...or even a wife. After a short conversation about her missing cat, Eric waved goodbye before heading inside with the morning paper tucked securely under his right arm. The woman was single, that was perfect! Eric had noticed the way that his dad was after losing mom, it hurt Eric deeply that she was gone but he wanted to see his father happy.

He'd only ever seen his father happy around his mother...and well he assumed his dad would enjoy the company of a woman again...whatever that meant, he'd heard the phrase in a move...or tv show, he couldn't quite remember. 

Bumping into Ana, the boy grinned and scooped her up in a hug. Due to the age gaps between the children, Eric had grown fond of Ana. They were partners in crime after all but he was a good big brother who always tried to take the fall for her. "Good morning Dad!" Eric said as he tossed the kitchen table.