Chapter 1
Beca swears at herself when she rushes out onto the street and hails a cab. She had been so busy that she had forgotten the time and was now very late to pick up her son David. The kindergarten had even called the studio. She gives the driver the address of the school and sits back. Her first day at work at the Atlanta studio had hit her in the face like a freight train.
She had welcomed the switch from the New York office to their branch in Atlanta as a great opportunity. This studio was much smaller. The artists that usually worked at this location were some of the more established ones, most of them recording their albums in a more relaxed fashion. There would be more space for her to use her own creativity and she would also have more time for her son. It seemed like a great chance for her.
But now she understood why her bosses had been so happy she had accepted. The place was a downright mess, the previous executive producer clearly had no idea on how to lead a studio. She was confident that she could get this studio running smoothly, but for now they still felt the need to consult her on every decision that had to be made. She had been surprised that they all managed to get their lunch orders in without her help.
In a mere four weeks it had been decided that Beca and her son David would move to Atlanta. The studio had been a great support. They had arranged everything that had to do with the move and payed for most of it too. While Beca was busy finishing off her projects in the New York studio, they had selected a few apartments that would be suitable and she had picked the one that appealed most to her. They even had helped in picking a kindergarten for David. They had made a selection of a few well recommended ones and Beca had opted for one that had an extensive music program. David had always liked music and she sings with him all the time, so it seemed like a good fit. Some assistants had then arranged everything, she had not even been to the school before and here she was, making a great first impression…
When the cab drops her off, Beca rushes inside. Quickly she finds the right classroom, as it is the only one with the door open and the lights on. The moment she steps through the door, she suddenly halts and her heart stops for a second. Across the room she sees her son and a beautiful redheaded woman kneeling next to him.
‘Her son … with her Chloe’ she thinks for a second and then her mind starts racing. Her brain fills will all these incoherent thoughts, on how she had missed the other girl, how things used to be, that Chloe didn’t even know she had a son, all things that were left unsaid, all things she would like to say, what Chloe would think of her as a mother for forgetting to pick up her own child, how she had probably hurt the other girl. For minutes she just stands there in silence.
“Mommy!” The silence is broken as little David notices his mother and rushes over to her. “Come mommy, you have to meet Ms Beale. She’s my teacher and she’s the best!” Beca looks down on her boy and smiles. “So I guess you liked your first day at school then?” She asks, as she is being dragged across the room. He just beams up at her with a giant smile and nods. Chloe awkwardly holds out her hand and Beca decides it’s probably best just to shake it. The boy, completely unaware of the unease between the women, looks up at them and continues to babble on: “Ms Beale can sing really well, just like you mom. Ms Beale, my mom can also sing very well, we always sing at home.” “Is that so?”, Chloe asks pulling up her eyebrows as she grins at Beca. “Yep” nods the boy, clearly proud of his mom. Beca breaks the eye contact as she ruffles her boy’s hair.
At that moment a man pokes his head around the door. “Ah, Ms Mitchell, I see you’ve made it. I would like to remind you that all parents should pick up their children at 3.30 sharp. We do not run an afterschool program.” “Won’t happen again”, Beca answers. “Ms Beale, we are waiting for you to start the staff meeting.” “Yeah, I’m coming” she replies and follows after the man. On the doorstep she turns around and looks at her friend. “So I’ll guess I’ll see you around then?” “Yeah”, Beca replies with a sheepish grin.