dropcookies:
Elias had a pleasant laugh and a bright voice, and Diego almost envied him for it. More than that, though, he appreciated being the person Elias was being so pleasant to. Then again, he suspected that was probably just the sort of person he was by default.
“Yeah, they…” Catching Sam leading the woman she was talking to towards his table, Diego blinked before facing Elias once more. “They’re excited about their new teacher and classmates, for sure. The other day they went outside for science class… um, sorry, gimme a sec…”
He held up a hand with a sheepish smile, spoke to the woman (who wanted some of those delicious revel bars this little girl had samples for), and then handled the exchange fast. Sam beamed, a soft whistle coming from the chip in her front tooth, and then chirped out a ‘thank you!’ that overpowered Diego’s quieter one in just about every way.
Then she whirled around, grinning Elias’ way. “You’re still here, Mr. Elias! Is Dad that fun?”
“No,” Diego answered, hiding his smile with a duck of his head as his arms crossed over his chest.
Sam blew a raspberry. “I was asking Mr. Elias. Here, have a cookie– Dad needs friends, too…” And once that was accepted, her shoulders rose at the sight of a family entering the area, a little boy with them that she was absolutely certain she could make want a cookie. Once more, Sam was skipping away, but not without a gentle ‘perdón, Papi’ to excuse herself.
Diego sighed as he watched her go again, head lifting properly as he afforded Elias a smile and a shrug. “I hope you at least like chocolate chip.”
As much as he missed being the teacher who got to see the children each and every day, he knew that he had made the right call in retiring and allowing someone else the majesty of teaching. And he knew full well that he could still be involved with the school, even after retiring, in ways such as this.
When the new buyers had come over and Diego had excused himself, Elias was ready to say good bye if only so he wasn’t in the way. Though, he didn’t want to leave without saying he was on his way, so he waited patiently to the side.
He couldn’t help the fondness that welled up in his heart as he watched the father and daughter work together to make the sale. Elias adored his role as a teacher, but nothing was better than seeing children bond with their parents.
“Well, I didn’t want to be rude and leave without a good bye when you were both busy,” he explained, chuckling as he watched the two interact.
“I’m sure a man like your father has plenty of friends. He’s too nice,” he responded sincerely and without a doubt in his mind that perhaps Sam wasn’t just teasing in the way children do. “Though, thank you for the cookie!”
Elias hummed and nodded as he turned his attention back towards Diego when he spoke up once more.
“My favorite,” he cooed as he eyed the treat. “I had a partner, years ago, who made fun of me. Of all the cookies in the world, isn’t that so boring? he’d say. I guess I’m just a boring kind of guy.”
He laughed and shook his head before continuing, “How much do I owe for it? I don’t want to take away from sales.”












