fℓσωєяѕ fσя уσυ 💐 | Ongoing 🟣

Chrysanthemums

The floral meaning of Chrysanthemums is loyalty and friendship. There are about 30 different kinds of this flower, and they are found in various colors like white, yellow, pink, and red. Yellow Chrysanthemums symbolize gently declining, amorous advances; red Chrysanthemums mean an invitation to form a new relationship; white Chrysanthemums symbolize honesty; and violet Chrysanthemums mean a merry wish for wellness.

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"Do you have everything, Danika?" Akira asked her five-year-old daughter.
"Yes, mommy," Danika replied as she stuffed her doll into her red backpack then zipped it up.
"Did you put your lunch at the bottom? It might spill over if you put it on its side." She gathered her hair into a ponytail and tied it then grabbed her car keys. "Let's go now, or you'll be late for school."
Danika grabbed her mom's hand, and they walked to the white car parked in the driveway. They got in, and Akira helped her daughter with the seatbelt in the back before driving off. On the road, she put on some music for Danika to sing along to delightfully.
"Sweetie, when did you say 'Career Day' was again?"
     Her daughter stopped singing and gasped. "Mommy, it's today!"
     Akira slammed her foot on the brakes and turned around. "What?! Danika!"
"Sorry, mommy! I forgot!"
     She looked at her watch and pursed her lips. "I think we can still make it if we make a stop by the hospital to grab my scrubs and doctor's coat. Hold on, sweetie." She changed her gear shift and quickly drove to the hospital then apologized to her superior and asked someone to cover her shift. When they reached, she released Danika's seatbelt and checked her backpack. "Danika, you do not bring your dolls to school," she chided.
"But Jade wanted to see it."
"Your best friend?" Her daughter nodded, and she sighed. "Just make sure not to take it out and let your teacher see. Only show her once school is done."
"Okay, mommy."
"Now, hurry to your class. I'll follow you after I change in the bathroom." She waved her daughter off and hurried to one of the bathrooms to put on her light blue scrubs and doctor's coat then jogged to Danika's homeroom.
She quietly entered the classroom while the teacher talks at the front of the class. She smiled at her to which she returned then took a seat next to one of the dads of who was also wearing a doctor's coat over formal attire.
He smiled at her, and she nodded then turned to the front to see her daughter looking at her. Akira knitted her brows and motioned for her to pay attention, and Danika quickly obeyed.
     Someone tapped her shoulder, and she turned to look at the fellow doctor. "Is Danika your daughter?" he asked quietly as not to disturb the teacher and others.
     She nodded slowly. "Yes, she is."
"Ah, my daughter, Jade, is best friends with her," he remarked.
"Oh, you're Jade's dad. Nice to meet you, I'm Akira Delfin." She stuck her hand out for him to shake.
     He enveloped hers with his big and soft hand then shook it gently. "I'm Cyrus Tomas. It's nice to meet you as well."
"Danika, do you see my daddy talking to your mommy?" Jade whispered to Danika.
"You're right. They must be friends like us now," Danika responded.
"Excuse me, Jade Tomas and Danika Canoy," their homeroom teacher said. "Can't you see I'm talking here? That's very disrespectful of you two." Cyrus and Akira looked at them after hearing their names being called, and they stopped talking too.
"Sorry, Ms. Sayson," Jade apologized and bowed her head then Danika followed along.
"Alright, apology accepted. Just don't do it again." She smiled. "Now, as I was saying, we're going to start 'Career Day' now, so I'd like to call Mr. Bondoc up here to lead the way." She clapped her hands, and the parents followed along with the children as Mr. Bondoc, one of the parents, made his way to the front dressed in a construction outfit.
"We can continue later, Mr. Tomas," Akira whispered into his ear, and he nodded. Not long after, it was Cyrus' turn to talk about his career. To be honest, Akira was curious about which hospital and department he was working for.
     He stood tall and handsome at the front with a gentle and comforting smile on his face. "Good morning, kids!" he greeted cheerfully, and they responded accordingly. "I'm Mr. Tomas, Jade's dad. Can you guys guess what I am from my clothes?" He looked around expectantly.
'He's surprisingly good with kids...Well, makes sense since he's a father,' thought Akira. One of the kids raised their hands.
"Yes? What's your name?" Cyrus asked.
"I'm Denis, and you're a scientist!" the little boy exclaimed.
"Ooh, that's a big word you got there, Denis. Sadly, I am not a scientist. I wish I could be as smart as a scientist." He chuckled. "Anybody else knows?"
"A doctor! You're a doctor!" a chubby girl shouted.
"Gina, you do not shout out answers. You have to raise your hand," Ms. Sayson stated.
"Sorry, Ms. Sayson."
"That's correct, Gina!" Cyrus remarked. "I am a doctor, a neurosurgeon to be specific. Do you guys know what a neurosurgeon is?"
'He's a neurosurgeon?' Akira's eyes widened. 'That's admirable.' The kids shook their heads.
"You see, a neurosurgeon is a kind of doctor who studies the nervous system that is connected throughout our bodies from our brains. This means that I can look at your nervous system and determine whether you are healthy or not," Cyrus explained.
     A kid raised their hand, and he nodded for them to go ahead. "How do you look at our nervous system?"
"Well, I open up your head and look inside," he joked, and the kids gasped in terror to which he laughed heartily. "I'm just joking, kiddos. Don't worry, no doctor will open up your head to look at your brain. We use machines for that."
'Well, we actually do look inside, during surgery that is,' thought Akira.
"Where do you work?" another kid asked.
"I work at The Medical City hospital here in Pasig City," he answered with a smile.
'He works there too?! How come I've never seen him around? Is it because I work in the ER?' Akira furrowed her brows as she watched him, and he gave her a small smile.
"How old are you, Mr. Tomas?" Danika questioned, and Akira looked at her.
"Danika, that is rude!" she chided.
"No, no, it's fine. I'm thirty-eight, Danika."
'So he's eight years older than me.' Akira tugged at the ends of her ponytail.
"Wow, you're old! My dad is twenty-nine," a boy declared.
"Calvin, you do not say that!" Ms. Sayson scolded him.
"Oh gosh, I apologize for my son, Mr. Tomas and Ms. Sayson," his mom said. "Calvin, say sorry right now."
     The kid bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Mr. Tomas."
     Cyrus smiled a little. "It's alright, Calvin. You don't need to be so harsh on him Ms. Sayson and Calvin's mom."
"I'm Mrs. Lee, by the way," she added in between quietly with a shy smile.
"He was just curious."
'He is so kind and understanding...Can he be any more of a role model? He's even catching the attention of some of the moms,' thought Akira as she played with the string of her scrubs. After 'Career Day' finished, the parents and their children filed out of the classrooms. Cyrus and Akira walked side by side, watching Jade and Danika gush over their dolls.
"I didn't think you'd—"
     Before Cyrus could finish his sentence, their daughters ran up to them. "Mommy, can I go to Jade's house and play with her?" Danika asked Akira.
"Daddy, please let Danika come. Please, please, please!" Jade pleaded adorably.
     Akira and Cyrus looked at each other and chuckled. "Is that fine with you, Mr. Tomas?" Akira asked.
"Absolutely, and you don't suppose we can continue our conversation as well?" He smiled a little.
     Her eyes widened, and she nodded. "Of course..."
"Great, I'll lead the way." The two children cheered happily as they got into their cars. Akira followed behind Cyrus' car to his house. When they arrived, he unlocked his door, and the two girls rushed in holding hands.
"Danika, don't forget to take off your shoes!" Akira told her as she took off hers as well.
"Yes, mommy!" She plucked off her shoes and went upstairs with Jade.
"Have fun," Cyrus said.
"Sorry for barging in like this," Akira apologized.
"It's totally fine. The kids just want to have fun. Plus, I don't mind having someone to chat with for a while." He took off his coat and went to the kitchen. "You can have a seat there." He pointed to the table set by sliding glass doors looking out at the garden.
"You have a wonderful home, by the way."
"Thank you." He brought over a teapot along with teacups then set it on the table. "I hope you like tea."
"Oh, I love tea, to be honest." She chuckled. "It's very calming and tasteful."
"I completely agree." He smiled sincerely. "Oh, you can take your coat off."
     She removed her coat and hung it on her chair. "Is your wife at work?" she questioned.
     He stopped pouring the tea and hesitantly set the teapot down. "She probably is, but I'm not sure since she...divorced me a few years ago and left Jade." He set a cup in front of her.
"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to bring up bad memories for you." She looked down at the red tea in the cup.
"It's alright. You couldn't have known."
'I shouldn't delve deeper even though I'm curious,' thought Akira. She took a sip of the hot tea and blinked. "Oh, this is very fragrant. What kind of tea is this?"
He smiled and replied, "It's Kunlun Snow Chrysanthemum tea from China."
"Where did you buy it?" She took a few more sips.
"Oh, I know a seller in China, and I buy from them then have it shipped here to the Philippines. I can give you their contact if you're interested."
"Ah, okay. I'll think about it."
"I couldn't help but notice that Danika has a different surname from you. Did you keep your maiden name?" he questioned.
     Her hand faltered, and some tea spilled onto the table. "Oh, crap!" She backed away to avoid getting splashed.
"Are you alright?" He stood up to get a rag from the kitchen to wipe it up.
"Y-Yes...Thank you." She set the cup down. "Um, Danika isn't my daughter..." Cyrus looked up and sat back down. "She's actually my niece, but my sister passed away after giving birth. Nobody else could take care of her because our parents are no longer here either, and well, Danika's dad ran away when he found out my sister was pregnant," she explained. "Oh gosh, sorry I laid out such a sad family story when I just met you." She gave a nervous laugh.
"No, don't feel bad. In fact, I'm incredibly sorry for asking."
"Well, it's like you said, you couldn't have known. Curiosity gets the best of us, huh?" She shrugged with a sheepish smile.
"It certainly does." He offered another one of his sincere smiles. For some reason, his smiles warmed her heart; it was one of those random things that could give one comfort just by looking at it.
"You have a nice smile," Akira complimented, and she swore she saw his cheeks turn a tinge of red.
"Really?" He laughed a little. "Thank you."
"Yeah, it's like a bundle of warmth." She smiled and sipped her tea again. "Oh, also, I was surprised to find out you also work at The Medical City hospital."
"Right, I was going to say that when we were leaving the school campus. I can't believe we work in the same building."
"I've never seen you before though. Probably because I work in the ER, and it's pretty busy there."
"Could be and that the neurosurgery department is on floor three."
"But how is it possible that we have never seen each other at all? We come and go through the same building."
"We probably just missed each other getting around." She nodded her head then held her cup to her lips to realize it was empty. "Oh, would you like more?"
"Yes, please." She lowered the cup for him to pour in the tea and smiled at him to which he returned. "I'd like to hear about your department if you don't mind, Mr. Tomas."
"Oh, you can just call me Cyrus, and I'd like to call you Akira."
"Of course, that's no problem."
"You wouldn't find it boring?" He chuckled. "My department, that is."
"Well, we work in similar fields, so what difference would it make?" she remarked, and he gave a short laugh.
"Okay, be prepared to hear about more medical procedures."