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I caught his eyes defiantly, and I watched him consider me. For a moment, I wondered if I had gone too far. But it didn’t seem that way since he shrugged and turned his attention back to making his way to the office.
I followed his steps doggedly. He didn’t once check to see if I was behind him. I wasn’t sure if it was because he didn’t care or because he assumed I knew what I was doing. Once we made it into his office, he plopped down on the poor chair behind his desk like the lecture had drained all his strength,
“Ok, let’s get this over with.”
Immediately, I was on guard; he seemed to be treating me more like I was a burden than someone sent to be useful.
“You need to set up the curriculum following this schedule for the next week,” he announced, pushing a list toward me.
I raised a brow, “I thought I was supposed to be a ‘T.A.’ Isn’t this more of your job, then?”
His lips quirked into a cool smirk, “Yourjobis to make my job easier. And hopefully, learn something halfway decent in the process if you have any brain cells. Which . . . it seems you do.”
Talk about a backhanded compliment, my lip curled, and I knew a hint of my teeth was showing. Everything inside me wanted to rise to his jabs, but I wasn’t sure how he would respond. I’d pushed back some, but hewasmy employer, so I needed to watch myself. I held my tongue, despite my hands twitching, to grab the nearest pen and lob it at his forehead.
He didn’t want to teach me. It seemed, instead, he wanted a slave to do his work.
I sighed as I dragged the paper toward myself and began to jot down notes. The time ticked by, and I was acutely aware throughout the day that it was getting closer to ending. I felt like I was barely keeping up.
My feet were killing me after running around after Aldric all day, who refused to slow down. And I couldn’t stop thinking about Ciro whenever I saw his face. It was just the first day, yet I felt like I was drowning.
At the end of the day, I slowly packed my bags, feeling exhaustion dragging at my limbs with each movement. Even as I shuffled in my small office space, I was acutely aware of Aldric’s weighted stare.
“Not going home?” I asked.
I didn’t look at him; he didn’t seem to be letting up his attention. Instead, I focused on collecting everything I needed and making sure not to leave anything behind so I could get to Ciro faster and with a clear conscience.
“No, I have things to do yet. You seem in a hurry, though?” he prompted, and I stiffened.
It would be natural to explain why, but I didn’t want to. I wanted to protect Ciro, and I wanted to protect myself from this man who could throw our entire world into chaos. I finally let myself look at him.
As I bent to grab my bag, something in his innocent words and cordial expression reminded me of that night. All the hostility had melted from earlier, and he instead seemed sincerely curious about me now. It made my guard rise even more. My resolve tightened even as my heart pounded because his eyes burned with an unnamable emotion I had recognized so many years ago.
“I have somewhere to be, don’t worry I’ll get the work done,” I said. Although my words sounded clipped, there was a softness to them.
I didn’t want to leave on the wrong terms. Oddly enough, I hoped we could be on good terms for the rest of the semester, no matter if it was a lie. Even if he never knew who I was. Aldric not recognizing me was for the best, even though it stung. He had changedmylife forever. And obviously, I hadn’t even been a blip in his.
I gave him a hesitant smile and said, “See you tomorrow.”
rested his head on his knuckles as he turned his attention to a folder in front of him. But he still sent me a small goodbye wave. There was a strange feeling rising in my stomach once I left. It was a feeling of calm sprinkled with a tiny bit of hope.
Perhaps I wouldn’t be shuttled to another mentor right as I was getting used to things; perhaps things would stay balanced. Lord, I knew I needed it, considering having a four-year-old meant security was a luxury.
I drove to pick up Ciro with the radio on in the background. I was painfully aware of the hunger gnawing away at my gut now that I could take in how I felt. I wasn’t sure if I had eaten lunch since the day had passed in such a blur.
I could remember distinctly that I had spent the entire time next to my child’s father, and he had no idea who I was. The thought made a hysterical laugh bubble out of my lips. How unlucky could I be?
When Ciro came rushing out of the building, well rushing as much as his short legs would let him without falling right on his face, every stress of the day seemed to melt away. His lips were spread wide in a smile as he wrapped his small arms around me, letting go just long enough to let me pick him up.
“Mama!” he said and giggled brightly as I pressed kiss after kiss on his adorable face. “Love you!”
“I love you too,” I laughed. “Did you have a good day?”
“Yup! I have friends,” he babbled.
“Oh? Who are they?” I asked as we walked to the car.
We spent the entire car ride talking about Ciro’s day. He repeated things as I was used to. But I wouldn’t want to spend my evening any other way, especially when every worry and every fear seemed miles away whenever I saw him smile.
