Healing Wounds (Completed)

Chapter 2 (Edited)

The pain you feel today, is the strength you feel tomorrow. - Unknown

Two weeks passed, and yet the two women remained buried under a truckload of work.

The struggle of churning out constant house layouts, and other designs weighed on Tara. Even though she enjoyed the projects, their sheer quantity gave her no time to breathe. She hardly slept at night, simply because her overtaxed mind refused to wind down.

In the thick of another busy day, Tara hunched over her laptop screen, engrossed in a complicated design. Any voices in the office blended into a murmur.

Then a tap on Tara's shoulder ripped her attention from her work. She glanced up with a start. Her friend and colleague Alice stood over her.

"Tara, Mrs. Ade is asking if you are through with the design for Mr. Morris?" Alice said. "She said he is expecting it in thirty minutes."

Kneading her forehead between her thumb and index finger, Tara turned back to her laptop. "I am almost through; I'm working on the finishing touches."

"Okay, I'll inform her," Alice said, and she stepped away, but something stopped her. She whirled about and returned to Tara with a certain friendly sternness in her eyes.

"How long are you going to do this, Tara?" Alice asked. "Look at your eyes... the bags under them are so pronounced. It looks like you haven't slept in ages!"

"I can't control it. I simply have difficulty sleeping." Frustration filled Tara's voice. 

"Then go see a doctor! At least do something!"

Tara sighed. "I am doing something. I'm finishing Mr. Morris' design."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it. Anyone can tell by looking at you, that you've got something going on." Alice's voice rose an octave but not high enough to draw the attention of people around. 

You can talk to me, you know." Her voice lowered at the end. 

"I know, Alice. And thank you." Tara said without looking at her.

A few seconds of silence intervened before Alice spoke up again. "I'd better be going. Take care of yourself; that's what matters." Alice squeezed Tara's shoulder and walked away.

Tara smiled slightly and drifted into deep thought. Alice may not have known it, but she'd been onto something. As she dove back into her work, Tara wondered when all the pain and despair she felt would go away.

She didn't feel the need to talk to someone about it, and she didn't want anyone to worry about her. Alice wasn't the only one who'd attempted reaching out to her. Her mom also reached out several times, but all to no avail. Tara shut them out every time.

                         ★★★★

Dora left the exam hall exhausted after handling 25 boisterous children. With a stack of papers in her hand and tiredness in her shoulders, she headed to a room down the hall. Claudia, the French teacher, had been designated as the exam monitor for the day, which happened to be one of the most tedious jobs during exam week. Unruly children tended not to cooperate when asked to settle down for testing, and one needed to watch like a hawk to ensure no malpractice took place.

When Dora reached the staff room, she moved to the west side, where Claudia sat. A sigh escaped her lips as she surrendered the papers to her colleague, who was light-skinned and quite robust. Claudia had been absorbed in marking exam scripts, but her attention flitted upward upon hearing Dora's voice.

"Those children are something else." Dora vented. "It took me almost an hour to settle them down to write their exams."

Claudia smiled, shaking her head. "They are typical children. They act as though their bodies are on fire; they are so restless."

Dora laughed quietly, filtering Claudia's words through her own experiences earlier that day.

Two children in the class she'd monitored had caused quite a stir and tested Dora's patience. The first one had been a girl named Grace, who kept asking for permission to go to the toilet, even after going twice. Only after being threatened with losing her lunch period did Grace settle down and write her exam.

Then there was Jim. He'd repeatedly broken his pencils and hammered Dora's ears by constantly asking for new ones. Suddenly, when recess was in jeopardy, the pencils stopped shattering, and his test answers filled up.

Her mind reentering the present, Dora took her seat, which stood directly opposite Claudia's. There, she had a place for everything, and everything was in its place. No matter how chaotic other places could be, Dora always ensured her own workspace remained neat and perfect. Her daughter Tara always teased her for her meticulousness, which only showed how different the two women were.

To call Tara dirty or unclean would be untrue, but she really couldn't be bothered whether her surroundings were aligned to perfection. Her cares lay elsewhere.

Dora feared Tara's cares would overwhelm her someday. Every day, Tara seemed more and more a shadow of herself and persisted in refusing to let anyone in.

As her mother, Dora could only pray a miracle would happen and all their wounds would be healed. Perhaps God would be gracious and take their pains away.

                           ★★★★

Here goes chapter two.

If you loved it don't forget to vote, comment and share.

Hmmm...🤔

What do you think is disturbing Tara in her heart?

Question of the chapter: Do you have the perfectionist attitude or "I really couldn't be bothered" attitude or are right in the middle ( messy organized)????

I believe I am right in the middle (Messy organized).😀😀But sometimes I can be obsessed with things around being perfect. XD

Until next time, stay blessed ❤️