Infidelity

II

Mercedes

Placing the brush I used to tame my edges on my wooden drawer, I took a last look at myself. A tight lipped smile formed on my face and it fell along with my shoulders as I shrugged.

Faking something until it actually happens was only valid, for some things.

"Momma, there's a book I'd like to buy for school. Can I please have thirty dollars?" I tried my luck, normally I would have to use my own money to pay for everything that I had wanted, including needs.

"Check my purse." She mumbled with a cigarette in between her lips.

I was about to unzip her unoriginal Coco Chanel purse before she stopped me.

"As a matter of fact, give that to me," she got off the couch and snatched it from my grasp. "before you see more dollars than you need and start claiming that you have more needs."

"Here." She handed me a a ten and a twenty meanwhile her smoke burned my throat.

I had become accustomed to her different ways as to a normal mother but time and again she never seized to amaze me by her ability to make me feel like I was not of her flesh and blood.

"Thank you." I spoke before making my way to that dreadful place, Randford Academy.

I had lived quite a distance away from the school in comparison to majority of the other kids who lived very near and so I left home very early to arrive on time.

I opened my locker and pulled out the books I'd need before lunch in accordance to my timetable and made my way to my first lesson.

•

By the seventh lesson, I made my way to my English class and hoped it would go hastily as the rest of the day had gone.

"I've completed grading all of you." He neatly rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt before buttoning them.

"I must say, there's a gaping hole in between many of your writing abilities. Some of you are just....okay," the class chuckled

"others are really good and a few of you are extraordinary, however I assure you that you're going to fill up that hole. It isn't a requirement for all of you to write the same but I find it mandatory that you should all be on a grade twelve level or higher nothing less, like most of you are." He said earning chuckles again.

After

"Sir." A girl, Becca called as he had his back faced towards us.

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course." He turned around and placed the cap of the marker back onto the pen.

"I'm not trying to be inappropriate or anything it's just a friendly question. Are you married?"

I looked around the class and noticed many faces particularly of females were keen to hear his response.

"Engaged." He spoke and gave her a small quick smile before facing the whiteboard again.

"Damn. She lucky." A girl mumbled but the class still heard. many 'yeah's and 'uh-huh's chimed in after her comment.

"Sir, did you actually want to become a teacher?" Becca went on but the bell rang.

I wrote down my last few notes as everyone packed away.

"Uhm..." He looked down at a paper on his desk and continued "Mercedes may I have a word with you." His eyes skimmed around the room of students who were beginning to file out as though he was searching for me. I figured he had no idea who I was.

"Yes Sir?" I stood next to his desk with my books clutched to my chest as he flipped through some pages.

I gained his attention and he gave me a double take, his full brows scrunched and relaxed themselves within the same second.

"Uhh.. I find your writing exquisite, I was very impressed." He spoke with a small smile. As much as his eyes were hooded by his brows and not very exposed they still beamed. He genuinely meant what he had said. I mentally gave myself a pat on the back, I was hardly acknowledged for my efforts at school and at home.

"Thank you Sir." I mirrored his expression.

He handed me my paper. A+

"I wanted to know whether you'd be interested in joining the English Olympiad this yea-"

"Oh no Sir I could never." I rushed out.

"Why not?"

"I know you think I'm good... but those kids, in the Olympiad are on a level that I'm not even close to." I genuinely expressed, however leaving out the part that I was afraid of failing.

"I've graded quite a number of essays from the Olympiad and your writing exceeds a number of what I've read. To boost your confidence I could give you more topics to practice on and I'd help you 'polish' what you've written." He kindly suggested. He awaited a response as I pondered about it.

"Don't stress over it, it's a month from now March nineteenth. I'll give you time to think about it and when you've thought about it come talk to me." He looked up from the papers he was skimming through and gave me another small smile which made me think that he actually had to think before issuing a full teethed smile.

I nodded and exited the classroom.

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