Chapter 2
KIARA
I gathered all the test papers I had graded last night and organized them according to the students’ names while two pairs of eyes watched me from their tiny desks.
Sighing, I raised my brow at them, “What happened? Why are you two frowning?”
I couldn’t blame them. They were the only kids left in my classroom while others were in the cafeteria, having fun with their friends and eating lunch.
Ben swung his legs, sitting on the desk. It wasn’t allowed, but I didn’t mind. “Do you really have to call in my mom, Miss Kiara?” he asked, his voice small.
I gave him a reassuring smile and cleaned up the desk. “Yes, Ben, you know the drill. We call in parents when teachers need to talk to parents about some stuff.”
I didn’t need to tell him all the details. He was still a kid. I would talk about it with his parents.
Andrew Wu stopped doodling in his notebook. His light brown eyes, similar to his mom’s, narrowed in confusion. “What will you tell Mom? You talk to her every day.”
I did because he and his mom were my roommates for the past two years. We were more than roommates.
“I do, but this is related to school and Mr. Davis personally asked me to call and talk to them, so I have to.”
I asked if they took the notes of the adverb clause I had taught them today and cleared up the whiteboard. I checked the time and heard the little growls in their stomach.
Walking to my handbag, I pulled out my lunch box and kept it on my empty desk. “Who wants to eat gulab jamuns?”
The legs of the desk squeaked as they shuffled out of it and ran for the sweets covered in sugary syrup. I smiled at them as they fought for the last piece after stuffing it in their mouths like squirrels. It almost reminded me of me and Eth—
My stomach coiled, and the smile wiped off my face. I sat down on the desk and tried to count to ten. He still slipped into my brain. Six years and I still couldn’t forget him. My therapist had told me I never would. Too much had happened in too little time. I could never forget him.
How could I when he was the most important part of my life?
Ben and Andrew were distracted and having their own lunch, talking about a new anime they were watching while I pulled out a small journal and wrote what I felt about thinking about him all of a sudden.
I wondered if I should check in with my therapist and sent her a quick text.
Her reply came fast as it was lunch hour.
She told me not to worry too much. Fragments of memories were inevitable, and I didn’t need to worry about it every time I thought of him.
My stomach clenched with nerves. I knew something was missing. Shaking my head, I decided I would figure it out after school. I needed to be at my best right then.
After finishing the lunch with Ben and Andrew, who were now grinning from ear to ear because of the sweet gulab jamuns, I made a quick trip to the washroom and cooled down before two more classes.
I was on my way to my class when I saw a kid trip down the stairs because of his shoelace. I rushed to him and helped him on the stairs, looking for any wound. He had bruised his elbow a little. He seemed about seven to eight years old, much younger than the kids I teach.
I gently inspected his elbow, his shoulders slouching as he tried hard not to cry. “It’s okay, love. I will help you clean it. Come on, I have a bandage in my bag just over here.”
I helped him tie up his shoelace, and he followed me quietly. He said he was going back to his class after having lunch with his friends, but he wanted to go to the washroom first. I smiled and sat him down on my chair, pulling out a bandage and cotton from my bag.
As I cleaned the minor wound, I asked, “So, what’s your name? I am Kiara.”
“Rahul,” he mumbled, biting his lip.
“That’s a really good name,” I said. “I have a friend in India named Rahul.”
“Oh,” his dark brown eyes widened. “I bet he doesn’t trip like I do.”
“I will tell you a secret, Rahul.” He listened to me and I whispered, “He is worse.”
A fit of giggles escaped his lips, and I grinned at him.
“But don’t be afraid to fall, okay?” I said. “It is okay to fall. You know why?”
He shook his head, his attention fixed on me as I took a small bandage.
“Because you have the courage to stand up again.”
He nodded and looked at his elbow where I had applied the bandage. He gasped, “Spiderman!”
“Yes, Spiderman. Just like him.”
His grin was so wide, I could see the freckles splattered over his small nose and cheeks, his chocolate skin glowing. “Thank you, Miss! I will show this Spiderman to all my friends, they will be so jealous.”
I let out a soft chuckle, and he kissed my cheek before rushing out of the classroom.
“Watch your steps!” I called after him, but he was already out of earshot.
I gazed back at my empty chair and nibbled on my lip. I took a deep breath and focused on the next class, which was about to begin.
After the last students left, handing me their assignments, I erased the board and solved the question one girl had.
She thanked me when I helped her with my own notes and allowed her to take a picture on her phone.
I watched her leave and saw a gorgeous blonde woman in fitted trousers and a blouse as she smiled warmly at me, knocking lightly at the door.
I let her in and saw Ben following his mother.
I could see the resemblance between the two.
Same golden blonde hair, small nose and deep blue eyes.
Her voice was sweet when she introduced herself. “Hello, I am Ben’s mother, Stacy, and I am so glad to finally meet you. Benny can’t stop talking about the new English teacher, and because of you, his grades have improved a lot. Thank you so much for all the extra lessons.”
My cheeks flushed. “Oh, I am sure it’s because of all the hard work Ben puts in his studies. I am very proud of all my students. He worked hard to get the grades he has.”
Andrew kept doodling as Ben went to stand beside him, talking to his friend. Other kids’ parents had already talked to me, but Ben had told me that his mother wanted to personally meet me.
I handed her Ben’s test papers and heat bloomed in my chest when I noticed her face light up.
I could see it all. She was proud of her son for all the A’s he scored, way better than the C’s from last semester.
She would kiss him on his cheek and maybe treat him with junk food on their way back home.
Or their family would go out for dinner, or maybe she would make his favorite dish.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. My mother used to do that when she was alive.
She would make delicious Indian sweets for me and Ethan when either of us scored good.
Or not. It didn’t matter. She loved to spoil us with sugary goods, and my dad would banter playfully with her while he helped her make the sweets.
Snapping my mind out of the old memories, I focused on talking to Stacy about the next month’s meeting when Ben stood close to his mom and whispered in her ear.
“Mom, can we please hurry? Dad’s visiting us for dinner today and he promised he will play video games with me.”
I smiled at him and looked at Andrew. My heart felt heavy.
He looked down at his doodles. I knew that he was longing for his father too, with whom he could play video games and talk about all the boy stuff.
But how could I tell him that his father was a douchebag who left his mom as soon as she told him she was pregnant.
Stacy patted his hand and calmly said, “Of course, sweetheart. I am thanking your teacher for helping you with the essay.”
I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Okay, I won’t hold you guys longer. Be sure to come to the meeting. The principal, Mr. Davis, is very strict about it as we will discuss the syllabus and chat with every parent.”
She promised she would, and I was surprised when she hugged me before walking out of the classroom with Ben as he waved at his friend and me.
Andrew didn’t want to talk, and I decided not to disturb him while he worked on his sketch. I asked him if he wanted me to call his mom, but he just shrugged.
It relieved me when she walked into the class, slipping off her sunglasses and nodding at me. She was in her I-am-a-lawyer-and-I-am-all-business dress code with a nice fitting suit for her slender frame, her sleek black hair in a perfect long bob.
Andrew rolled his eyes at his mom. “About time you got here.”
Anya Wu narrowed her eyes at her son, pinching his ear. “Watch it, you.”
I grinned at them when he whined, “Ow, Mom. Not in the school.”
She let go and turned to me, “So, what did he do this time?”
“Have faith in your son, Anya. He is doing really great at his studies, but Davis wanted to call in all the parents and make sure they are present at the meeting next month. Show how serious we all are.”
She nodded and helped pack up her son’s stationary. “I will be there,” she ruffled his hair and smiled at me, “Come on, let’s go home.”
I always let Andrew sit in the passenger seat as Anya drove the car back to the apartment we lived in. I had rented it two years ago when Anya, with her son and twin sister, shared the three-bedroom apartment. As Leni Wu was getting married, she had emptied her room and rented it to me.
But soon, I have to empty it too.
Smiling, I tried calling him, but his phone seemed switched off. Probably on a flight. He was coming back to San Diego from New York, and he had told me to get ready for a date. My stomach knotted with excitement. I would see him after two weeks.
I helped Anya and Andrew in making the dinner, cutting the tofu and watching her make a delicious curry while rice cooked in the rice cooker.
I showered, applied lotion and changed into a navy-blue dress which hugged my body, accentuating my curves.
My makeup was minimal, and my hair was down.
Wearing black sandals, I waited for him.
Jake would be with me soon.