The early afternoon sun stretched lazily across the quiet residential road in front of the kindergarten. Leonard tapped the steering wheel with his index finger, humming faintly to the soft jazz playing on the radio. He had arrived fifteen minutes early, didn't mind the wait. In fact, he liked these little moments of pause—when the day slowed down, and all he had to do was sit and watch the world move around him.
Today, he had even asked Claudio if it would be alright for him to pick up Julio again while Paula was away on her girls' trip. Claudio, mildly surprised but not questioning his intentions, had agreed easily enough.
Leonard turned off the car engine and stepped out, the warm breeze ruffling his shirt. He walked a few paces away from the car and stood beneath the shade of a tree, one hand tucked into his pants pocket while the other ran through his hair.
