ASSISTANT TEACHER
Rosalia
I vaguely recall doing the things Viviana accused me of. I knew I took one too many shots. But I, Rosalia Aldo, calling a man Ken. No no never.
Yes I love Barbie and I have seen every Barbie movie and representation of Barbie ever but I wouldn’t disgrace myself and my bloodline by calling a random stranger Ken. Or would I?
I saunter into the kitchen where Viviana is already whisking eggs. Such a darling.
I pour myself a cup of coffee and slowly I feel myself begin to feel like a human.
“I don’t feel like going to work today.” I complain. Viviana nodded. “Same here. I don’t. But I can understand you. After saying a load of gibberish to a stranger, I also wouldn’t want to step a foot into the outside world again.”
I sigh. “Now you are making me pressure myself into thinking I must remember.
Are you certain you do not know this guy? Because how can a stranger crouch before me and attentively listen to me as he claim.
Or could be a kidnapper? A human trafficker? Was he trying to lure me? Or a rapist!”
I gasped and Viviana shook her head, flipping the egg in the pan. “I don’t know him. None of the guys we both know have such tattoos. His tattoos crawled and climbed all over his arms and neck. I think his face might be the only spotless part of him.”
Viviana shuddered. “I swear he looked scary. If you were just a random acquaintance, I would have abandoned you there. Turned around and ran for my life.”
I sighed for the nth time. “I promise never to drink again.”
Viviana turned to face me. Our eyes met for like two second before the both of us broke into peaks of laughter at once. I know I was lying to compensate for the moment. She also knew I’m lying.
But from now henceforth, I must learn not to go over the top.
What if Viviana had not come when she had? I don’t even want to think of other bad things that could have happened.
We finish our breakfast in record speed. Since our work places are on the same route, I drive Viviana to work and place a kiss on her forehead once she was about to step out. She is about five minutes late as she makes her way into the building. The towering skyscraper of Bianchi Corporations winks its shininess at me before I drive myself to my own work.
Work for me is being an assistant teacher to a number of pre-schoolers. Don’t get me wrong.
I love my job a lot but there are lazy days when all you want to do is lie on your bed- fresh sheets laid- with a good television series playing and a bucket of pop corn plopped on your lap. Today is one of those days.
But I don’t have that luxury and my pre-schoolers must be taught. I warmly greet the children and the woman I am assisting Mrs Steelheart. She is a small woman with a fierce attitude. Just like her name, her heart and attitude to life, are made of steel. But today might be different because the smile I meet her with doesn’t leave her face even as I go to my desk and arrange my things.
The day continues and that smile remains unfazed, no matter the number of things the children do. Such transformation is too big not to be known and before I can help it, I found myself asking as to parents come to get their children .
“Mrs Steelheart, will you share this good news already? You have been smiling and humming to yourself all day. Tell me, did you win the lottery?” I ask.
She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Nothing of such.” She said pulling out her phone. She typed on it for a second before she turned the screen toward me. I looked to see a gorgeous man in a navy blue suit. Black slicked hair, sharp eyes with a small smile on.
“My son just returned to the country and will be spending some time with me and his Papa before he travels back. I can’t help it, I’m just so happy.”
I smiled back at her. I guess I know what that is. My own mother always has a huge smile on her face whenever my sister takes a break from the busiest schedule in the universe to come see her.
Well I have nothing like a very busy schedule on my plate and so whenever I visit, no matter the time I spend away, it’s always like she has been seeing me, almost like there’s not much joy.
It was one of the things that propelled me to choose to live with Viviana, the angel in my life.
We were standing outside and I was about to go to my car when an SUV rolled in. Happily Mrs Steelheart, walked towards it and hugged the man I had seen in the picture as he stepped out from it. Her son.