Tight

Part 2

"Kaatib and Cabin don't need to be affected by this," she says.

"Kaatib is a matured kid, Mrs Laasya," Wapala replies to my mother.

"My son lost his father."

"Cabin lost both his parents."

"I think you and Laadan should keep things to yourselves."

"I'll end it Mrs Laasya, I plan to."

"It'll be better if you both can end it."

"Yes, me being Laadan's teacher will worsen this situation."

"I didn't know you're a teacher."

"I didn't know your daughter's in high school."

"Now that you do, leave her."

"I planned to do that the moment I found out."

"Laadan or I'll pick them up after school," my mother discusses with Wapala.

"Yes, Laadan can pick them up on her way back home," he replies.

"My daughter already has feelings for you."

"I'm aware of that. Your daughter has a piece of me too."

"My daughter last went on a date a whole year ago."

"Why'd she stops dating after?"

"Because she wants a real person in her life."

"Well, I guess I'm not real enough."

"You're real, it's just, you're her teacher."

"I didn't know. I wouldn't have taken her to a date if I did."

He does not finish his sentence. He looks at me and I just look at him. It is a shame that I cannot finish my high school though I am nineteen. That date was perfect. I do not have any other word for it. But now getting to know this fact. A direct teacher-student romantic relationship is never accepted. He took me to a stand-up poetry show. Not only did we watch the show but he also performed at my request. Because of that I take the poetry class.

"There's nothing currently going on that I'd need to inform them about," my mother states.

"No miss, nothing's going on," Wapala replies.

"Good, let's forget you ever took my daughter on this date."

"I can only forget that date if I've a short term memory loss."

"Many things happened in our life."

"I know, only if my parents were alive."

"If my husband was alive, we'd have never left Texas."

"I shouldn't thank God for taking him."

"No, we should always be grateful to God."

"You didn't even give me the opportunity to explain," I shout at my mother as soon as I get home.

"I did what's right. No explanation needed," she replies.

"You just banged into his house."

"We couldn't end this otherwise."

"What if you're in my place?"

"I'd pretend not to know him."

"Well, I don't know how to pretend."

"That's why I went there."

"I think there's another way to handle it."

"If we gave it more time, things would become more complicated."

"Maybe I'm old enough to handle this."