Page 7 of When I Thug You Like That

She glanced over at me. “Nice to meet you.” She held her hand out to him, and he didn’t take it immediately.

In fact, what he did next shocked me. He didn’t shake her hand; he gave her a hug. The gesture caught me off guard, but she didn’t make a big deal out of it. She simply made eye contact with me for reassurance before hugging him back briefly and allowing him to pull away on his own. Just like that, my attention shifted. Ms. Jai being fine was one thing, but my son feeling comfortable enough to hug her when he barely acknowledged the presence of people he didn’t know? Yeah, that got my attention.

CHAPTER 2

Ms. Jai

JAI’ANA

Ilooked down at the handsome, curly-haired boy wrapped around my leg, and my heart melted. Not because I wasn’t used to hugs from the little ones. I got them in abundance on the daily. What made this one a little different and heartwarming was the fact that, according to the intake sheet, this wasn’t his normal behavior. He usually shied away from new people, preferring the comfort and familiarity of his family and those he grew to trust.

Having had this knowledge prior to meeting him, I didn’t make a big deal out of it by squeezing him tighter or being overly excited. His father already looked just as surprised as I felt. That told me everything I needed to know. With permission from his father via a slight nod of his head, I rested one hand lightly against his back. Once he decided that the hug was over, he pulled back and gave me a smile.

“Best hug ever. Thank you,” I said to Jamison once he was back at his father’s side.

“Welcomeee,” he sang.

My smile widened. “You guys ready to take a look around?”

He glanced back at his father for reassurance while nodding.

“Yeah,” his father responded, “we ready.”

“Great.” I adjusted my glasses down on my eyes and gestured to the hallway. “Right this way. Oh, and since both of you are Jamison, somebody gotta get a nickname.”

“Well, we call him Baby Jay. You can call me Big Jay.”

We stopped in front of the secured door to get to the classrooms, and I blinked then glanced over at him. I caught his mouth twitch and the slight grin that hung on his lips after. There was something about the way he said the word big that let me know he knew exactly how it sounded out loud.

“I think I’ll go with Mr. Sullivan.”

“You can if you want to. Big Jay fits me well too.”

That pulled an involuntary grin from me and a light chuckle. Scanning my badge, the door popped, and I pulled it open.

“After you, Ms. Jai,” he said, holding Jamison with one arm and using the other to hold the door open for me to walk through.

I did and stepped to the side so that Jamison had a clear view of the colorful walls filled with different paintings and projects that some of the students had completed. He stopped just short of the zoo mural that had been hand painted by one of the art teachers. While he admired the painting, his father gave him space. There was no pressure for him to keep moving, and he didn’t repeatedly ask for reassurance that he was okay. He simply waited. I noticed things like that. A lot of parents struggled to find the balance between hovering and being available. He was doing a good job.

“A lion,” Jamison pointed out.

“Do you know what sound a lion makes?” I asked.

He roared, making his father chuckle.

“Great job,” I complimented. “Let me show you some other cool stuff.”

After a few more seconds, he began walking, finding himself in the middle of myself and his father.

“So, Mr. Sullivan, here at Abilities First, we pride ourselves on our individualized programs. What one student’s day looks like might be completely different from another’s. We study our kids, and then we create a plan tailored to what best fits their needs both socially and academically.”

“Cool. According to the website, y’all have about ten kids per class. Is that correct or just something y’all have up there to ease the parents’ minds?”

Stopping at one of the classrooms, I cocked my head to the side with a smirk. “Are you asking if we lie?”

“Yeah,” he replied with a straight face that made me giggle.

“The answer to that is no. And depending on the program, there could be anywhere from six to ten kids in a class. Jamison here will be in my class, and I teach kindergarten. I currently have nine kids, so he’ll be number ten. I also have a Para, Ms. K, who’s just as amazing as me.”