Oxygen (Romance, Completed)

Chapter 13

The black Mercedes glided smoothly through the dusk, taking me back to Hisashi. Usually on the ride home, all I thought of was seeing my son, but tonight, the episode with Jansen—and indeed the aftermath—weighed heavy on my mind.

"Is everything okay, ma'am?" Clint's eyes watched me in the rear-view mirror.

"Yes, fine."

"I was a little surprised when a gentleman answered the phone."

I avoided telling him what happened at practice because Emmy would hear about it before I got back to school the next day, and Jude and Jansen would most probably find themselves in the dean's office. And as I'd told Lincoln, I didn't want to get branded a troublemaker.

"Oh, I got done early, so we were just chatting before I left. I was playing Schubert, and he likes to listen when he's finished work."

"He said he was the janitor?"

"Yes, I see him cleaning most evenings."

We lapsed into silence for the rest of the ride, and thankfully traffic was light. When I arrived home, Sofia and Hisashi were playing on a multi-coloured mat spread out in the living room, although Hisashi was laughing rather than matching up the shapes like he was supposed to. They both looked surprised when I walked through the door.

"Is everything okay?" Sofia asked. "I wasn't expecting you home so early. I haven't even started dinner yet."

"It's a surprise to me too."

"Did something happen?"

I'd never had a girlfriend I could confide in before, but I needed to talk to someone about the mess at school. Who else was there? Emmy wasn't the kind of person I could call up for a chat, and besides, Sofia deserved to know the details because what happened at Holborn affected her as well.

"Why don't we order a pizza and I'll tell you about it?"

"Sounds good to me. You go and change, and I'll get Hisashi's dinner ready so you can spend some time with him while we wait for the food to arrive."

What would I do without her? I hoped I'd never have to find out.

Usually, I treasured time spent with my son, but that evening, feeding Hisashi took longer than usual because he decided he hated carrots. Why tonight, of all nights? I tried once more to get the spoon in his mouth, but he turned his head away.

"Please, little one. Carrots are good for you."

He glared at me as if they were poisonous. So tiny, yet he'd mastered that look of disdain perfectly.

"Your daddy loved carrots."

Even that didn't work. I was close to tears when Sofia gently took the spoon out of my hand. The frustrations of an awful week were catching up with me.

"How about I finish feeding him? I've got some melon slices if he won't eat carrots today. We can try the carrots again tomorrow."

"It should be me. I should be helping him with his dinner."

"You've had a long day, and not a good one by the sound of it. Why don't you order our dinner instead?"

Feeling utterly inadequate, I did as she suggested and dialled for pizza. Every day, I felt more homesick, and every hour, I questioned what I was doing in Boston. Face it, I wasn't cut out for this world. I slumped on a chair as Sofia did what I couldn't and convinced my son he loved carrots. Even though she was helping, the bond they'd so obviously formed made me feel worse than ever.