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Sitting up, he turned back at the pile of papers on his desk, files of students he had seen that day. He flipped open the folder, his gaze on the name in bold. The young girl had been sent to him for fighting, defending herself against a group of three other girls. She was a bigger girl, a loner, who pretty much went through the halls with her head down and mouth closed until that day. She had reached her limit; that was the reason she gave Martin earlier that day. He knew he should have suspended her for the week, but as he sat across from her, Rose came to his mind. So, he gave her a pass and told her if she needed him, he would be there. It was all he could do.
Writing the report in the folder, he closed it and tossed it to his tray when he heard a knock on his door.
“Sarah.” He stood up, his confused stare on Rose’s best friend.
“Sorry to bother you at work.” She spoke, her hand lifted as Martin made his way around his desk toward her. “May I come in?” She asked.
Martin nodded and motioned to the chairs across from him. “Sorry, of course.” She closed the door with her slow entrance. He waited for her to sit before he did the same, remaining silent.
“Strange being here after so long.” She admitted.
Martin with a chuckle. “I’ve heard that a time or two.”
Sarah nodded her head, her gaze lowered to the pictures placed along his desk. “Parents?” She motioned to a picture of him, a woman, and an older couple. Martin glanced down at the picture briefly with a short nod. “Wife?”
Martin shook his head. “Sister.” A moment of silence built between them once again. He could see the nervousness on her face. The way she wiggled in the chair. She paused as though she worked to find the words she came to say. “What is it?” He finally asked.
“I’m not supposed to be here.” She began. “Perhaps I shouldn’t be here. Rose will kill me if…”
“How is Rose?” He quickly asked. Sarah tilted her head, and in that instance, he saw a slight change in how she looked at him. Had it been how he asked his question so eagerly? Could it have been the hope in his eyes she was there to say Rose missed him as much as he did her?
“She’s getting by,” Sarah answered. “Though she is different. Since that night, something has changed in her, and I know it’s not my place to tell you what I’m here to tell you, but I know she never will. Because to her, even with your history, she thinks you deserve more than her.” Sarah paused. “Because she doesn’t see herself as worthy of a man when she can’t give him what he might someday want. And she surely doesn’t want to be the reason for ruining what someone else is already giving you.”
Martin grew more confused, sitting up in his chair. Had he missed something? “I don’t understand.” He admitted.
“Rose married a man who put the charm on and lovingly treated her. She told him it would be hard to give him a family, but she would try her best.” Sara sighed, “He promised her that it didn’t matter, that they didn’t need kids to have a happy and full life.”
“But she quickly found that he didn’t mean anything he said.” Martin sat back in his chair as he continued to listen. “So he started to cheat on her. Leaving her to have multiple miscarriages alone. Telling her she was a failure and not a woman if she couldn’t even carry a child for a month.”
Martin felt his blood start to boil. He had changed how he acted and saw the world, yet, at that moment, he wanted nothing more than to meet her ex. To have him in front of him and be his younger version. Martin’s jaw tightened, his gaze lowered with Rose back at the forefront of his mind. He realized how truly amazing she was, how she had gone through so much, and still, she held a high smile on her face and her head. She was stronger than he could have ever thought to be, even when he thought he was invincible.
“Her illness makes becoming a mother harder, and for Rose, she has convinced herself impossible.” Sarah continued.
“Illness?”
“She has PCOS.” Martin had heard the term used loosely throughout his life, but never had he given it further studies.
“I don’t know…” He shook his head in hopes Sarah would explain.
“Polycystic ovary syndrome,” Sarah answered. “It’s something women can get that causes them to be infertile or have difficulties conceiving.” Martin nodded his head and glanced down. “It also causes acne, excessive body and facial hair, and trouble losing weight.” Martin’s attention snapped back at her.
“You mean…” his words stopped as he understood everything. At a time when Rose was sick with an illness she probably didn’t know she had, he tortured her over direct symptoms. He caused her pain, and then she married a man who continued that cycle of things she had no control over. The anger he had towards her ex shifted, in that instance, onto himself.
“She got divorced because her ex got his mistress pregnant. It was the final nail in the coffin of her self-respect and reuniting with you while you placed an order for a gender reveal. I mean…”
“I get it.” Martin exhaled. “I can’t say I regret being sent there, though, not when it brought her back into my life.” He explained. “My sister heard such good things about the bakery and…”
“Wait!” Sarah snapped. “Your what?”
“My sister. She’s the one having the baby.” Martin answered, Sarah’s mouth parting in a gasp.
“Are you not married?” She asked.
Martin chuckled. “I just took your friend on a date. Of course, I’m not married. I’ve been many things in my life, never a cheater.” Sarah laughed with a shake of her head and stood up. Martin stood and made his way to the side of his desk as she opened the door to leave, turning back toward him with a smile.
“It’s good to meet the new you, Martin. I hope it’s not the last time.” She gave him a slight nod before she stepped from the office. Martin, confused, remained beside his desk. Everything made sense, from how she acted toward him after their kiss. How nervous she was to trust him. How she refused to speak about herself.
* * *
