Sharlene hurriedly went to the office after receiving a call. She decided to take leave, even if just for a month, to search for and uncover the truth that now envelops her identity.
She is now standing in front of the principal's office. Today is also the official day she will take leave. Sharlene will miss her advisory class, but for her, it's for the best, because she is losing her composure thinking about her child.
She just sighed before entering; carrying some documents with her official leave form, she immediately knocked, and the secretary was already in the office.
The secretary signaled to her that the principal was also waiting for her.
She knocked on the door to announce that she had arrived.
"Go, come in." That's all she heard coming from the principal.
"Mrs. Fransisco." The principal just nodded at her and looked at her intently.
"Good morning, Ma'am." She shows respect to her superior.
"Good morning, please take a seat." Her principal offered a seat to Sharlene.
"Thank you." Sharlene just sat quietly.
There was a moment of silence between the two of them.
"This will be your last duty, right? You will get a month of paid vacation." The principal reminded Sharlene about her leave.
She only nodded in agreement with what the principal said.
"I will give this last document to H.R. later because they also asked for it." Sharlene added.
The principal just nodded at her as she watched her. The principal even sighed audibly.
"Many were shocked by the incident that happened, and many children passed away; it's a very scandalous event for our school. Therefore, the school has temporarily banned field trips for both the children and the junior high and senior high school departments." The principal even briefed her about the incident and the potential issues the school faced.
"How's your child?" The principal suddenly asked her and looked at her.
"Ashley is alright, Ma'am." Sharlene responds to that question.
"I heard she's in a coma right now. I know how heavy the burden of your problems is right now, Sharlene, but please come back after Ashley is okay, right?" The principal gently inquired about her situation and offered her encouragement.
"Yes, Ma'am, thank you very much for your concern." She only responded to the principal's kind words.
The principal even patted her on the back then. "Don't worry about your advisory class; their substitute teacher will be coming in tomorrow." The principal said to give her the assurance.
Sharlene just nodded again.
"Do you have something for me to sign?" The principal asked Sharlene politely.
"N—N-nothing, ma'am, this will be over soon." She could only say,.
"Okay, just take your time and take care of your vacation leave, okay?" She just nodded at her kind principal.
"Thank you." Sharlene stood up then. Before she left, she showed respect and gently closed the office door.
Sharlene just sighed. A colleague suddenly tapped her on the shoulder. Somehow, her fears about what will happen in her life now are alleviated by the simple support and pat on the shoulder, which lightens her heart.
Sharlene will first deliver the documents to their HR so she won't have to come back tomorrow, as she is now focusing on her child.
She received another notice from the lawyer Sheila hired; she really won't leave her alone, but she just ignored it. She also had an argument with his sister Vivianne about not fighting back in that case that Sheila filed.
That woman, really, never knew how to surrender. She could only say it in her mind and let out a sigh.
Sharlene went to H.R. and immediately submitted the other supporting documents. She also receives monthly assistance, and until her child recovers, she is grateful for that assistance because without it, she wouldn't know where to find such a large amount of money to pay for the hospital and her child's treatment.
I need to hurry. She thought to herself.
Sharlene was taken out of her classroom for now; she will also prepare the learning plan to find out which lesson she stopped teaching the children.
"Ma'am." She received a gentle call.
She glanced at her lone student.
"Will you come back too?" The student asked her.
"My leave is only for one month, and also, please tell your new subject teacher where you left off in the discussion," she reminded her students about their lesson.
"I hope and wish you all behave while I'm on leave; I would rather not hear any complaints from your section." She just sighed to the student.
She only received a nod from them. Sharlene looked at the faces of her students; they didn't show her that they were sad, so she secretly smiled at that moment.
Children, really. She thought to herself while gently shaking her head.
"I'm leaving now; see you when I see you." Sharlene just smiled at her advisory class.
She will no longer be a teacher in a month; she will first become a mother, and Sharlene needs to uncover the mystery shrouded in lies surrounding the woman Leah.
Sharlene went straight to the old house owned by her grandmother, and she was surprised to see someone waiting at the gate as if they were expecting her arrival.
She couldn't make out the face of the man waiting for her; as she got closer, she gradually discerned the face of that man, which shocked her.
"Lawrence?" She asked and gasped.
Lawrence smiled at her. "I'm glad you still remember me." He ended up saying it to her.
Her eyebrows met because she had been friends with Lawrence since she was taken in by her adoptive mother, Linda Rosario, daughter of her grandmother Felicia.
She still couldn't believe what she had witnessed.
"What are you doing here?" She asked Lawrence promptly.
Lawrence only just laughed at her. "I'm just on vacation; someone said you got married and moved to the neighboring town." He even smiled at her. "How are you?" Lawrence asked her politely.
"Yes, we relocated due to the presence of my husband. I'm fine." Sharlene lied to the man that she's facing.
"Eh? Are you on vacation here with your husband?" Lawrence asked innocently.
"Ah, Y--- Yes, but he's not here right now; he's busy right now." She lied again.
Lawrence stared at her silently but eventually nodded to what she was saying right now.
"J—J— Just go ahead." She urged the man to take some rest in her place.
It even made him laugh. "Glad to see you again, Sharlene. I happened to pass by here, and it was perfect timing that I found you." Lawrence explained to her.
She just nodded.
"Okay, I'm leaving now." Lawrence even said to her.
"Alright, take care."
Lawrence immediately got into the car and drove away, and she just watched it disappear into the distance.
Sharlene could only sigh, not expecting their meeting today.
I didn't even get to ask him how he was doing. Sharlene simply thought to herself while she was inside her house.
That man still has a smile on his face. She commented and just chuckled softly. Sharlene should refrain from speaking the truth; she didn't want his one and only friend in this world to become involved.
She first tidied herself up, as well as the house. Sharlene looked around; the surroundings were very quiet. She will rest for now, and she will also return to the hospital early tomorrow.