Connection

Chapter 18

/THIRD PERSON/

Another school year opens at Lord’s Angels University.

And so the campus is back to its crowded state after being a ghost town for more two months. The hallways of each building are once again filled with noise. The faculty rooms regain their lives… which is quite the contrary to the faculty members. New academic year equates to a new set of academic loads and stress.

“Welcome back,” Victoria greeted Lea as soon as they crossed paths inside the faculty.

“You, too.”

“You owe me a story,” she whispered. “About Baler. I wished I had two weeks to spend on an island with my hot and rich husband.”

She bit her lower lip but only for a moment, afraid a co-teacher would catch her suppressing a smile, “It’s a stretch to describe that workation that way. Don’t let him hear that.”

“So, you’re finally calling him that again?”

“What?”

“Husband. I don’t get any violent reaction to that word now. Are you two officially back together?”

Lea looked at her and actually considered answering that with all honesty when her seatmate, Mrs. Adriano arrived at her table. This gave Victoria the feeling of needing to leave already because aside from the other endeavors she needs to attend to, they cannot continue the private conversation with a third person around.

“Ma’am Lea, do you have a 7AM class today?” Mrs. Adriano inquired.

“I don’t, Ma’am. My first class is 12 GAS-B at 8:30, why?”

“I have a favor to ask of you sana, Ma’am. Kung pwede paki-sub si Ma’am Maricar sa klase niya sa 12 STEM-A. Tumawag kasi siya sa akin at hindi raw siya makakapasok ngayon dahil may family emergency. May klase rin kasi ako ng alas-siyete kaya hindi pwedeng ako.”

Lea wasn’t able to answer right away, not because she’s hesitating to do the job but because of the section Mrs. Adriano mentioned. It’s technically her daughter’s class— also her previous advisory class— which got her thinking if she will be seeing her today. Is Hael already back in the country? Is she going to start attending school again because her sister enrolled her along with her niece? How is she? How has she been since she left?

The strong creak of the faculty door opening cut Lea’s train of thoughts and automatically made her whip her head over the direction. Only for the person who came in to humanize the answers to a bunch of her questions. Standing there by the door, holding the doorknob, and peeping in is Hael— in her complete uniform, with chest-length healthy hair that has rose gold highlights. It’s one of the reasons she was caught off guard. It’s the first time she’d see a bright color in Hael’s otherwise all brunette hair.

She looks quite different. Not only with the hair color, but with the way she stands, the way her eyes emanate life. All these have left Lea dumbstruck.

“Good morning—”

It seemed like she was not the only one who was surprised by her daughter’s reappearance as the whole faculty almost erupted upon her entrance, “Hael! You’re back!”

“How are you?”

“We’ve missed you!”

“Welcome back, Miss President!”

Hael managed to smile and give an answer to every greeting and question the teachers welcomed her with. Lea content herself with listening because, for some reason, she couldn’t open her mouth to say a word to her own daughter.