In Love With Ms. Manoban

Part 18

About a week had passed since the ultrasound day. Jeremiah normally stayed over at Lisa's house, but the teacher was worried. The student always tried to avoid topics about his parents and Lisa was worried. 'I'm definitely asking him tonight.'

The teacher walked to the staff room to have lunch with Jafhia, only to find her missing. Lisa would have waited on her best friend but she was extremely hungry today. 'She wouldn't mind if I ate anyway.' Lisa convinced herself, digging into her lasagne.

Meanwhile...

"Jeremiah." Jafhia called as the younger was going to the cafeteria, walking along with him. Jeremiah hummed in response. "I was going out of the city for the summer vacation and I'm inviting you to come with me."

"I don't know if I could come, Jafhia." The student said in a disappointed tone. "If I go, Lisa will be bored all by herself." He whispered so that the surrounding people would not hear.

"Oooh." Jisoo teased. "Well there's no need to worry because your girlfriend is coming with us."

"Really?!" The happy shout drew attention, leaving the man embarrassed. "I guess I could go then. I just have to inform my mother just in case she wonders where I am." Jeremiah gave a sad smile.

"Don't worry, Jer. She's going to get the help she needs." His older cousin gave him a quick hug. They were already at Jeremiah's usual table with Rain looking at them. He sat down.

"Rain." Jafhia greeted.

"Ms. Kim." Rain replied. Jafhia left right after.

...........

As she strolled along the sidewalk on her way home, Lisa saw a familiar bakery. 'We haven't been anywhere in a while.' Lisa thought. 'That's why I'm glad we will be going on vacation together, so we can do whatever we want.'

Lisa walked slower than usual so she was home eight minutes later. Jeremiah arrived soon after.

"Lili!" He shouted from the front door.

"I'm in the bathroom! Just come in!" Lisa shouted back. Jeremiah went in and headed straight to the living room. 'I finally have a chance to look at you." Jeremiah thought as he went through the photo frames in the teacher's house.

"Who is this?" He asked out loud. There was a picture of a beautiful brunette, with bright doe eyes.

"My mother." He heard in response. Lisa went next to him, looking at the picture too. "The real one."

"Oh." Realization hit him. The woman in the picture looked so much like the person beside him, but the one he met a few weeks ago shared no resemblance with Lisa.

"Yes. The one you saw adopted me after she married my father. The got married five years after my mother had died. My Dad was a widower." Lisa continued to admire her mother. "Speaking of mothers, there is something that I wanted to ask you." Jeremiah stiffened, already knowing where this was going. "We need to talk about this, Jeremiah. " The young man nodded and they sat on the couch.

"I have realized that every time I mentioned something about your parents, you get tense." Lisa started. "I'm guessing it is a sensitive topic for you, but I really want to know what is wrong, Jeremiah." She spoke as soft as she could.

"Here we go." Jeremiah took a deep breath. "My father, he died when I was in my teens." He paused. "I grieved so much over his death but my mother was worse. I mean, of course she was, he was the love of her life, still is. She got so bad that she started coming home late. And she always smell like cigarettes and alcohol."

"Sometimes my mother doesn't even remember things, even her own son and it just breaks my heart. And I want to help her but we just don't have the money." Jeremiah was full blown crying now, with Lisa giving him a warm hug.

"It's going to be okay."

"How Lili Bear? I just don't know what to do." Jeremiah wailed. "Ava and the others could help her but she's never around so that they could at least try."

"Everything is going to work out. You have God on your side, don't you?"

"I guess so." Silence enveloped them.

"So, ho did you meet the people from church?" Lisa changed the topic.

"Well, as you know, my mother was never around, so I had to eat whatever scraps I found in the house or whatever my mother left back whenever she did come back. I was walking one day aimlessly when the church appeared in my sight. Ava greeted me when I first went in and the members of the church took care if me ever since."

"Like a new family?"

"Like a new family."