Infinite

"I'd invite you guys back to hangout, but Arch and I have a daycare walk-through at four," I said to them as we each moved towards our respective cars. Jacky's would stay in the driveway for a few days until I would move it to storage for him while Christina offered to take Derek's since he and Jacky didn't have a garage.

Christina turned around to head to her car and paused, causing me to do the same. I groaned when I saw that Nason parked behind him and Jacky. "Just drive through the yard," I said, not really caring and not wanting to move Nason's car now, "It'll be fine. I'll be back in the next couple days to move them, so just go for it." I turned to Jennifer. "Jenn, is Ryan's car put away already?" I questioned, since he had rode with Jacky all day today.

"No, he's keeping it in our garage instead of paying to store it somewhere," she replied, heading towards her own vehicle, "I have plans with my siblings, so I have to be going, but Atticus, we should definitely get together sometime before the guys get back."

I laughed and agreed with her, knowing we had a tendency to wait until the guys had plans to hangout to do so. "We will definitely schedule something soon," I responded, "Just let me know what you want to do."

"Alright," she replied, stepping across the yard to where her car was parked in front of the neighbor's house.

I called goodbye to Jenn and waved as she drove away, before I carried Arch over to Chris. Charlie tried to tug his leash out of my grasp so he could explore the yard, free-range. "Christina," I called, getting her attention. She put her hands on top of Derek's car and waited for me, instead of getting into the car. "We should get together sometime too," I told her, lifting Arch up higher on my side, "We can do lunch soon."

Christina smiled. "That would be fantastic," she said, "I'm hardly ever busy, so just let me know when you're free. It seems you have a lot on your plate so whenever works."

"I'm not that busy," I laughed, "Actually, without Ronnie around I suddenly feel a lot less busy."

"Yeah, I bet," she answered, "You guys live together, right?" She leaned against the side of Derek's car like we she was really interested in the conversation we were having.

I smiled at the simple body language and nodded, beginning to really like the woman. "Yeah, we have for awhile. I own my own house in Pasadena, but we'd taken to staying at Ronnie's apartment. It's only one bedroom, so there's really no getting away from him."

"Are you living there while he's gone?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No, it's too hard for Arch not to have his own bedroom, so we're going to stay at the house in Pasadena. The only reason we stayed at the apartment so long is because it was easier for Ronnie. You should come out to the house sometime. I can make us lunch or something," I added.

"That would be great," she said, sounding excited, "I can't cook anything so that sounds really nice."

"That's probably why Derek is so attached to my cooking," I explained half-jokingly, "I swear it's all he loves me for."

Christina chuckled and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I can certainly see why Ronnie is so enamored with you."

"Aw, thanks," I responded, "but we should probably get going soon. We've got to go to the house before heading over to tour one of the daycares that we're looking into. Without Ronnie in town, Arch needs someone to hangout with while I'm working."

"Yeah, I should get home, too. Tomorrow a friend of mine is coming over to help me move Derek's car."

"Are you leaving yours here tonight?" I questioned. It was parked on the side of the road behind Ronnie's Cadillac with the neighbor's driveway in between them.

She nodded, her hair falling into her face. "It's easier to just come back for it tomorrow. We're taking it over really early tomorrow, so I'd have to leave mine over here anyway. How are you moving the other two?" she asked, motioning to Jacky's white Honda hatchback in front of her and Nason's truck behind herr.

"Mhm." I shrugged. "I guess there's really no difference between coming back tomorrow rather than just taking it with you tonight, and I'm not sure yet," I said, shaking my head at myself, "I'll probably ask my brother to help out. I've just got to take Nasty's back to his house and put in the garage and Jacky's in just going to sit in mine while he's gone. They just don't want them left here the whole time."

"Well, if you need help getting them out of here, let me know," she said, "I live pretty close so it would only take a few minutes for me to pop over." She smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

We exchanged phone numbers and Arch, Charlie, and I headed back to the Escalade while she tried to maneuver out of the driveway without hitting either of the guys' cars. I waited until she was across the yard and pulling into the street to drive away, turning around in a neighbor's driveway.

"Do you feel like you could take a nap today?" I asked Arch, glancing in the rearview mirror at the little boy who sat quietly in the back, "Because I'm so tired I think I could sleep for a couple of days."

"No," Arch replied simply, looking back at me through the mirror, "but you can."

I grinned and nodded lazily. "Maybe we'll just relax on the couch for a little while instead," I suggested, pulling onto 110 North. It was just a twenty-five minute drive back to the house and Arch and I listened to some of Ronnie's CD all of the way. I skipped past some songs that weren't kid-appropriate and Arch complained every time.

"Can we call him when we get home?" Arch questioned, playing with Charlie's and a toy that'd been left back there. The dog nipped at it, trying to pull it from the child's fingers.

"Babe, he just left a half hour ago. He's not even out of California yet," I replied, although I wouldn't have minded talking to him already, "We'll call him in the morning alright? He's going to be busy getting settled in tonight."

Arch frowned unhappily but agreed with my plan. He giggled infectiously as Charlie climbed in his lap to reach the toy that he was holding over his head. I focused on driving us home and listened to the sound of Ronnie's voice coming through the speakers.

When I pulled into my driveway, I parked behind my car, which I had already moved out of the garage, and lifted both Arch and Charlie from the vehicle. They raced to the center of the yard so the dog could sniff around. Arch showed him around, claiming that Charlie was nervous because he'd never been here before.

"Stay in the yard," I demanded, thankful that there was a small wrought-iron fence surrounding most of the property, "And keep Charlie on his leash, I don't need him running down the driveway and getting lost."

"Okay," Arch agreed, allowing Charlie to yank him to the side of the house.

I climbed the few steps to the front door and unlocked it, taking a good look at the house that would be home, again, for the next six months. This house was ideal for when Ronnie wasn't around. It reminded me so much of what life was like before he'd come into the picture. Right after we met I practically moved into his apartment and if it wasn't for the new pictures I'd put on the walls, it would be just like it was before.

I dropped Arch's backpack on the floor by the closet and kicked my shoes off. Living here was going to feel strange, even though I'd been here for a good few years before I met Ronnie.

I closed the front door but opened the blinds so I could see Arch and Charlie through the window. The house felt cozy but empty at the same time, much like the apartment had when we left it. All our things were here now and still mostly in the boxes we'd packed them into. It felt like someone's else house and I knew the apartment would feel the same so long as Ronnie wasn't there.

After taking the last of our things up to our rooms, I opened the sliding backdoor and called for Arch. He came racing around from the side of the house and grinned at me, sweaty but holding onto Charlie's leash with a death-grip.

"Come inside," I told him, "We'll get Charlie something to eat and you have to bathe and change clothes. This is a really nice place that we're going to look at."

He complained but did what he was told. He lead the dog up onto the small back porch and they clambered into the house. Charlie's toes clacked against the hardwood floor and Arch sounded like a giant when he chased the dog across the living room, his shoes pounding on the floor.

"Go to the bathroom! I'll be right there," I called after him as he climbed the stairs, "I'm going to show Charlie where his food bowl is." I hurried up a couple stairs and grabbed the dog's leash so he couldn't go any farther. "Come on, Charlie." I led him into the kitchen and put his dishes down on the floor next to the island. I filled one with water and the other with dry-food which he quickly began devouring.

While he ate, I went upstairs to run a bath for the child who was now solely in my care. We had an hour and a half before we had to be at there, so I quickly ran a bath and forced Arch from the spare bedroom where he was watching TV.

"Come on, Arch, we've got to be at the daycare soon and you're not even close to being ready," I complained, trying to pull him from the bed.

He went limp and kept his eyes trained on the TV, which he'd managed to turn on. "I don't want to go to daycare," he stated, laying on the bed, "I want to stay here when you work."

"No way," I replied, lifting him up since he wouldn't cooperate, "You're not old enough yet."

"Yes, I am."

I didn't argue with him, instead I carried him into the bathroom and set him on his feet. He took off his t'shirt and jeans and climbed into the water. We washed him up in about fifteen minutes and I let him play for another five before I plucked him out of the tub and wrapped a towel around him.

"I set some clothes aside," I explained, leading him back into his bedroom, "Luckily, I packed your nice clothes separate from the rest of them."

He frowned and stopped in the doorway of his room. "Why do I have to wear nice clothes?" he asked, holding the towel around his neck, "I don't want to."

"Because this place is really nice, Sweetheart, so don't be difficult and lets get dressed. We need to leave in a half hour." I pushed him over to the bed where I'd laid out dark colored jeans, a dark gray button up shirt, and a navy blazer to go over it.

Arch glared at the outfit but silently and stoically let me put it on him.

"You're lucky I didn't put you in a sweater vest," I muttered, pushing him back to the bathroom so we could do something with his hair. I handed him a comb and set his toothbrush on the counter with toothpaste on it. "You brush everything and I'm going to to get dressed."

I pulled a dress from my closet and pulled it onto my body. It was on the purple side of maroon. It was a lace dress with solid fabric underneath covering all the important areas, but only the lace continued over my upper chest and three-quarters of the way down my arms. It was a nice dress, but it wasn't too much.

I dug my black, double-strap heels out of my box of shoes and sat on the bed to put them on. Thankfully, Arch had managed to brush his teeth and make his hair look semi-decent by the time I returned. I fixed a few stray strands of his light hair and peered over the rail of the second floor balcony down into the living room to check the time.

"Lets go, sweetheart," I urged, "Socks and shoes and we're out of here."

Arch followed me back into his temporarily room where his clothes and toys were. We fetched socks and a pair of shoes and finished him up. Then the two of us walked down the stairs and called a goodbye to Charlie before loading ourselves into the Escalade.

"What's it called?" Arch questioned from his car-seat, peering lazily out of the tinted windows. The sun was low in the sky and it was really beautiful.

"Nicolas Play School," I answered as if I was reading it off a brochure, "It's one of the best daycares around. Very prestigious."

"Why can't I go to my old one?"

I didn't know how to explain to a five year old, even one as brilliant as Arch, that Ronnie and I were a little worried for his safety in a regular daycare. This one was more structured and more like school and that made it easier for the employees to keep a better eye on each individual child, rather then letting them have free-range of the building like La Petite daycare did.

On top of that, taking Arch back to the place where his mother left him didn't seem like the best idea. I wanted him to have a second chance and more than anything, to forget about the mother he spent the first four years of his life with.

"This isn't like regular daycare," I said instead of explain all that to him, "Ronnie and I decided that it would be pointless to send you somewhere where you'd waste all your potential."

He frowned. "What does that mean?"

I glanced back at him. "Ronnie and I are going to see if you can place into first grade in the fall," I explained, "Regularly, you would be starting kindergarden, so this daycare is a lot like kindergarden."

Arch nodded along with what I was saying, seeming to understand. Despite Arch not being our son, we wanted to give him all the opportunities that were out there. We had yet to talk to his social worker about enrolling him a year early into first grade, but Ronnie and I were more than willing to pay for any kind of education that he needed, starting with a summer kindergarden program.

Nicolas Play School was practically an academy for gifted, rich children. It was daycare and kindergarden in one. We'd learned a lot about the way the kids were taught and we hoped that Arch would enjoy it.

Unlike a regular school, it wasn't from early morning to around four pm. Depending on the parent's work schedules, they could pick different activities and "classes" for their children to do during the day, up until 8PM when the daycare closed. It was a mix of academic and normal fun and games.

I pulled up in front of a large building and parked in one of the empty spaces, between a van and a Prius. Both were light colored, making the Escalade stand out even more. The front entrance of the two story building was practically all glass windows. The glass front doors were framed by two columns, connected overhead by a horizontal bar, making it into three sides of a square surrounding the front door. This partial box stuck out further from the windows and matched the top and sides of the building. To the left was even more building, including a two story wall of windows that, from the outside, looked like a cafeteria stacked on top of the gym.

"This doesn't look like daycare," Arch muttered, climbing out of his seat when I reached back and unclasped him.

"That's because it's for kids like you," I replied as I opened the back door and lifted him up, not faltering, even in my heels, "It's a school and a daycare all in one."

I set Arch on his feet so I could close up and lock the car. "What do you say we take a quick picture of it to send to Ronnie tomorrow?" I asked, causing the cautious boy to be slightly excited.

He nodded. "Can I take it?"

"You don't want to be in it?" I asked as I pulled my phone from my small bag, "I think Ronnie would like to see you in it."

He frowned but stood on the sidewalk in front of the large building so that the main entrance and most of the building was visible. He smiled like he was excited when I told him to and I snapped the picture, allowing him to see it before I put my phone away.

When he said it was okay, I took his hand and led him through the glass doors, not wanting to be late. The inside of the Play School was just as impressive as the outside. Huge white, rounded columns spanned from the ground floor to the open second floor. From the front door you could see upstairs, through the glass railing all along the top. A group of kids followed a woman until they were out of sight.

In front of us was a huge white, wooden desk and a woman stood up when we walked in. "Hello, welcome to Nicolas, what can I do for you?" she asked, folding her hands and resting them politely on the top of the desk.

Arch and I walked over to her. "I'm Atticus Gurewitz, I called a couple of days ago and scheduled a tour of the school," I explained, becoming slightly distracted by a playroom that was off to the right. The door was open and young kids were giggling as they played on the wooden floor in matching blue and white uniforms.

"Mrs. Gurewitz, of course, we've been expecting you," she said brightly, "It's nice to meet you in person."

"It's Ms," I corrected, "and this is Arch."

"Oh, pardon me," she said, smiling and shaking it off, "I saw the ring and I just assumed, I'm sorry." She greeted Arch with a bubbly tone but he was having none of it. He stayed silent and emotionless, pretending not to be impressed by the place.

"I'm engaged, actually," I said easily, not minding, "And sorry, he's being a bit grouchy. My fiancé just left for a few months so he's upset that he won't be able to stay home and watch TV anymore."

The woman turned her head and her dark curls fell over her shoulder. She walked around the desk and quickly introduced herself. "Well, I'm Ms. Caty, I mostly work up here at the desk. If you don't mind me asking, what does your fiancé do for work?"

Arch spoke up for the first time. "He's a singer in a rock band," he stated matter-of-factly, sounding incredibly proud of the man who'd become like a father to him.

Caty looked surprised. "Really?" she asked, directing it to me.

"Yes." I nodded. "They just left for tour a few hours ago, so Arch is being a grouch."

"Well, I can understand why," she said, earning brownie points with the little boy, "It must be incredibly hard to be separated for so long over something like that."

"We'll be okay," I promised, directing it more to Arch, "But we're very excited to see what this place is all about. I've read good things about it online so I'm hoping that it lives up to expectations."

"I can assure you, it's a wonderful place for your children to attend," she said, speaking in wispy sentences like she was completely enthralled by the place, "We'll start with a quick tour and then I'll introduce you to a couple of the teachers and the woman who is in charge of the curriculum and making sure everything runs smoothly, Mrs. Gillian. She's a lot like a headmaster."

"That sounds so formal." I put my hand on Arch's right shoulder and pulled him to my side as we walked, following her down the hall that was behind the desk, but was partially hidden by the mini wall that the desk backed up to.

As we walked I glanced through the windows of a couple rooms and saw more children in uniforms. In every classroom, the kids wore different shades of blue. "So uniforms are required," I said when she paused from speaking, "I didn't read that anywhere online."

"Actually, they're only required four days a week and for special occasions, such as parent days and small field trips. On Special days, both boys and girls are required to wear their blazers. During the weekends, for our daycare only-days, the children can wear whatever they want as well as on Fridays," she explained, "Monday through Thursday we ask that the kids wear any one of our many uniform options that are available on our website."

"Arch is pretty into wearing his stylish little outfits, so I hope there are a lot of options that we can pair together ourselves," I said, knowing that he was picky about what he let me dress him in.

"Oh yeah," she said, "There's a whole bunch of items on there. You just buy what you want and you can pair anything. We just ask that it be a combination of things off of our approved list on the website."

"That's great," I said, liking the idea of having but not requiring uniforms all the time, "Ronnie and I also read that there's a daycare style attendance policy. It was one of the reasons we're considering having Arch come here, can you explain that a little bit more?"

She stopped walking down the hall and turned around to face us both. "Just like with a daycare, you can bring Arch whenever you need to. Unlike a school policy, he doesn't have to attend everyday, Monday through Friday. We do recommend that he comes at least three to four days a week to stay caught up in the classroom, but feel free to bring him whenever you wish. The lessons are usually only one to three day lessons, for that purpose."

She showed us around the building, including the "cafe", gym, and backyard playground as well as a couple different classrooms and playrooms. The building and system was a good mash-up of daycare and early education, allowing for free-thinking as well as a structured learning curriculum that readied the kids for advanced and gifted programs as soon as they were ready to enter a grade-based school system, as well as a program for children who needed extra help.

After showing us around the large building, Ms. Caty introduced us to the woman who was in charge of the learning aspect. She was a fairly younger than I was expecting and far more pleasant than I'd pictured. She grinned excitedly and walked out of her office to greet us among the drawings and artwork that lined the halls.

"I'm Teresa Gillian," she introduced when she bounded over to us, already holding her hand out for me to shake, "I basically keep track of how each child's learning progress here at Nicolas. Are you thinking about enrolling your son here soon?"

I nodded, not bothering to correct her even though Arch was standing at my side. "My fiancé and I are looking into starting him in first grade in the fall, so instead of enrolling him in a regular daycare, we're considering something like this, just so he doesn't feel behind when he starts."

She nodded along with what I was saying, watching Arch and trying to get a feel for the silent boy. When I finished, she clapped her hands together. "Honestly, we would love to have Arch come here starting soon. Our summer program would definitely have him ready for whatever come fall. Of course, he would have to take a placement test so we know exactly where to put him when it comes to our classes."

"I figured as much," I responded, taking a glance at Arch who was still as stoic as ever.

Mrs. Gillian smiled at Arch. "What do you say to heading out to recess while your mom and I talk about somethings?" she asked him as a group of kids came funneling out of a class down the hall, "Mrs. Peterson's class is heading out right now, I'm sure Ms. Caty would be more than willing to walk you outside."

Caty nodded, also smiling at him. Arch didn't reply at first, instead he looked up at me with a blank expression. Then he said, "Atti's not my mom," and looked back at the surprised woman.

I rolled my eyes at him and turned him around by his shoulders. "Go on," I urged, "Go play. Stop being so difficult." When he refused to keep walking, I gave him a look.

He sighed, but followed Ms. Caty to the glass doors at the end of the hall. I watched until he was outside, and then refocused my attention. When I turned back to Teresa, she apologized.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't aware that he wasn't your son," she stated, looking honestly upset by the mistake. "If you don't mind me asking, what's your relationship?"

"He's my foster son right now," I explained, "I worked with him at his previous daycare in the past and personally took responsibility for him after his biological mother relinquished her custody rights, so we've have a really great relationship."

"Oh, I see," she said, sounding apologetic, "I was unaware that Arch was in the foster system. That makes this process a bit more difficult," she said, watching my reaction carefully.

"What does that mean?" I asked, arms sliding across my stomach, "I don't understand why him being in the foster system makes a difference in which type of education I give him."

She frowned slightly and motioned towards the door right behind her. "Perhaps we should go inside my office and talk. I'd like to be able to explain to you more in depth."

I frowned, wondering how the world could come back and screw Arch again. His daycare was going to be a high point in his life and I didn't want his past to continue haunting him. Foster care had nothing to do with enrolling him in daycare, even if it was one like this. "Yeah, go ahead," I replied, motioning for her to lead the way.

We walked inside and it matched the walls of the hallway. Pictures from children were hung up on the beige walls and all of them seemed to have been created personally for her. It all made the school seem so warm, despite the large size and prestige. It seemed like every staff member took pride in their job and I wanted that atmosphere for Arch. I wanted him to get the attention he deserved.

She sat down behind a medium-sized desk and motioned for me to have a seat in one of the plush chairs across from her. I did, but when she folded her hands and set them on the desk in front of her, I sucked in a deep breath, knowing that everything had just taken a turn for the worst.