bapa: from here to eternity

chapter 9: echoes of the past

Chapa POV:

It was Wednesday morning, and I woke up feeling the weight of another day of uncertainty. I grabbed my phone, noticing a strange notification from last night. I opened it, my eyes widening in disbelief. I screamed.

Sage groaned, clearly annoyed by the sudden noise. "What's going on?"

"$10,000," I whispered, hardly able to believe it myself. "The art academy deposited $10,000 into my bank account."

Sage sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Are you serious?"

I blinked rapidly, thinking I must still be asleep. But the numbers didn't change. "I'm serious. It's real."

After the initial shock wore off, I decided to call my father. He needed to know that I could pay for the car and the incident. I sent him a portion of the money, and he was as surprised as I was. I assured my parents I would take Sage to school on the bus this morning.

Dropping Sage off took more time than I anticipated, and I found myself rushing back to the academy. My mind was racing with questions. How could this have happened? Ms. Ambrose would've never done this right? She's not generous at all.

I dashed into the building, barely noticing the people around me. I had to find Ms. Ambrose. Bursting into the classroom, I rushed over to her desk.

"Hi Ms. Ambrose, did you deposit $10,000 into my account? Or was it a mistake?" I asked, my voice barely controlled.

Ms. Ambrose looked up from her papers, her expression calm. "Lower your voice! It wasn't a mistake, Chapa. But it wasn't my idea either."

"Whose idea was it then?" I demanded, my heart pounding.

"Mr. O'Brien's," she replied, her tone even.

I stood still, unable to process her words. Bose? No way. Why would he lend me so much money?

"I need to thank him," I said, the urgency in my voice undeniable. "Can I see him now?"

Ms. Ambrose nodded, giving me permission to go. Finding Bose's office was more challenging than I expected. The building was a maze of corridors and doors, but eventually, I found it. I took a deep breath, steeling myself for the encounter, and knocked on the door.

"Come in," came Bose's voice from inside.

I opened the door and stepped in, feeling a mix of gratitude and anxiety. Bose looked up from his desk, surprise flickering in his eyes.

"Chapa," he said, his tone neutral. "What brings you here?"

I took a step forward, feeling the weight of his gaze on me. "I wanted to thank you, Bose. For the money you lend me. I can't believe you did that for me."

He leaned back in his chair, his expression softening slightly. "You're welcome. I heard from Ms. Ambrose you asked her for the money in advance, so I decided to put a little bonus to it." Bonus? It's literally ten times the minimum price.

I swallowed, feeling a lump in my throat. "But Bose... I don't think I can repay you soon, there is only one art exhibition per month. And I might not even be able to get enough paintings done, let alone get a position every time for the art exhibition or sales."

I realized I was freaking out because how was I ever going to repay him. While I was stressing out I suddenly saw Bose standing in front of me.

"You don't have to repay me soon already, take your time," he said quietly. "Just don't tell anyone about this."

"But Bose, I really don't think I can ever," But bose already cut me off by telling me to be quiet.

"That comes later, first pay for the car damage and for the bills."