Chapter 6

Kelly pressed her lips together before calling out, “Dad.”

William glanced at her before scanning the room. “Where’s your younger brother? Is he not home?”

Kelly was about to say she had no idea, but Helena beat her to it. “I just called him. He said he was playing basketball with his classmates. They just finished, and he’s on his way back.”

William knotted his brow. “All he ever does is play basketball. He never studies. Useless brat.”

“He’s only in his first year of high school. How do you know he’s useless? What kind of father talks about his own son like that?”

Dinner was ready. The three of them sat around the table, but no one picked up their cutlery. They never ate until Jackson came home.

Kelly was used to it. She stared blankly at the pasta in front of her.

“What’s taking him so long? You don’t think something’s happened, do you?” Helena asked anxiously.

“He’s a teenager, not a toddler. What could possibly happen?” He paused before asking, “Why don’t you give him a call?”

All of a sudden, Kelly’s mind drifted back to her senior year. She had run out of living expenses and had to go home on the weekends to ask for more from her parents. It was pouring when she was on her way home that day, and she’d waited ages under an eave for the downpour to ease.

When she finally got home and opened the front door, drenched, her parents and younger brother, Jackson Valencia, were already at the dining table, eating. They didn’t even seem to care that she was soaked.

“We thought you’d be home tomorrow because of the downpour.”

Kelly had been only an hour late that day, yet all she got was their leftovers. However, Jackson wasn’t treated the same way. If he was even a few minutes late, they’d call to chide him, and they wouldn’t eat until he was back.

Helena was about to call Jackson when the front door creaked open. She jumped to her feet and rushed to the doorway. “Jackson, you’re back!”

In walked a 16-year-old boy, his face a blend of youth and burgeoning maturity. His tousled hair hung over his forehead, and his laid-back demeanor was reflected in the unrumpled school uniform that hung loosely at his sides.

“You must be starving. I made your favorite lasagna,” Helena said with a beaming smile.

“That was ages ago. I don’t even like that anymore!” Jackson complained.

“Oh. Well, what do you like now? I’ll make it for you next time.”

“Whatever,” he responded dismissively. When he walked in and saw Kelly, he stopped in his tracks and asked, “What’s she doing here?” He didn’t even acknowledge her.

“It’s the weekend. Your sister came home for dinner,” Helena said as she nudged him toward the kitchen. “Go wash up and eat before the food gets cold.”

Jackson reluctantly walked into the kitchen.

Kelly remained quiet throughout dinner, while Helena kept loading Jackson’s plate with food, as if she was afraid he’d go hungry.

Jackson didn’t appreciate it, though. He dodged her attempts and grumbled, “I have hands, y’know, I can serve myself.”

William, who was watching from the side, chimed in, “That’s enough. Can’t we eat in peace?”

Kelly felt out of place around them.

That was until she absentmindedly bit into a fatty piece of meat. The greasy sensation spread in her mouth, and her stomach churned violently. She gagged, abruptly leaned over, and threw up on the floor.

In an instant, all eyes were on her. Jackson wrinkled his nose in disgust and covered it with his hand. She had to sap everything she had eaten.

Before she could say a word, her stomach churned again; she rushed to the bathroom as fast as she could, crouched down, and threw up.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” Helena asked, following her into the bathroom and gently patting her back. “Why are you throwing up all of a sudden?”

Kelly was throwing up so much that tears were almost spilling from her eyes. Her eyes misted over when she felt the warmth of her mother’s hand on her back. For a moment, she wondered if her mother had ever gently patted her back when she was sick, before Jackson was born.

At that moment, a heavy sadness clouded her eyes, and all the fear and anxiety she’d been carrying for days surged to the surface. She wanted to tell her mother that she was pregnant and that she didn’t know what to do. She wanted to ask her if her life was over.

“Are you feeling any better?” Helena inquired as she looked at her.

Kelly turned to her and nodded. She hesitated for a moment before choking out, “Mom, I…”

Before she could finish, Helena rose to her feet and frowned as she walked out of the bathroom. “In that case, clean up this mess. We’re eating dinner here, and now the whole place stinks. Couldn’t you have held it in a bit longer and made it to the toilet?”

Her words felt like a punch to the gut.

Later that night, Helena asked, “Why aren’t you eating, ako? I’ll clear up in a second. You should eat a little more.”

“I’m done eating. I’ve lost my appetite,” Jackson snapped.

William’s stern voice sounded. “Clean it up already. I want to finish dinner.”

None of them seemed to care about Kelly’s condition. No one brought her tissues or a glass of water.

Crouching in the bathroom, Kelly burst into tears. She shouldn’t have expected anything from them. She thought maybe—just maybe—her family would offer her a sliver of support.

But she had forgotten that all the pain she had suffered came from her own family. Whenever she made a mistake, all they ever did was blame and criticize her. Not once had they thought about how she felt.

Through her tear-filled eyes, she thought of the man who was as bright as the moon. Maybe he could be the one to show her the way.

Late at night, Leon sat at his desk with a laptop in front of him. The light from the screen reflected on his face as his long fingers danced over the keyboard.

Just then, his phone buzzed beside him. He frowned as he picked it up and saw that it was a call from an unknown number.

“Hello, who’s this?” His voice was deep and magnetic.

There was no response on the other end of the line. He reiterated, “Hello, may I know who I’m talking to?”

There was still no answer. Leon suspected it was a prank call and was about to hang up when a hesitant voice came through. “P-Professor Butler.” Leon instantly recognized the voice as Kelly’s and brought the phone back to his ear.

“I—it’s me, Kelly.” She sounded a little strained.

“I’m sorry for bothering you at this hour,” her voice trembled. “Are you free tomorrow? Can we meet?”

Leon didn’t press her. He stared at the desk lamp before him and said, “Yeah, we…”

Leon picked the time and place. When he walked into the restaurant, he spotted her right away.

Kelly was wearing the same gray jacket she had on when they first met in school. Her head was lowered, and her fingers were fidgeting on the table, revealing just…

Leon walked toward her. Kelly looked up when she heard footsteps approaching.

As soon as she saw his face, she rose from her seat and called out, “Professor Butler.”

Leon motioned for her to sit down before taking a seat himself.

The two of them sat across from each other in silence.

Leon broke it first, asking, “What would you like to eat?”

Kelly hurriedly waved her hands. “No, I’m good.”

“I invited you here for lunch,” he said, pushing the menu toward her. “Pick something you like.” His tone was firm, leaving no room for refusal.

Kelly randomly pointed at something on the menu and said, “I want this.”

Leon glanced at the dish—cajun jambalaya. Without saying a word, he called the waiter over and ordered three more dishes along with the cajun jambalaya.

Kelly took a few sips of water while they waited for the food to arrive. Leon didn’t rush her, nor did he ask why she wanted to meet.

When the food arrived, her scalp tingled at the sight of the cajun jambalaya. She couldn’t handle spicy food well, but her thoughts had been elsewhere when she ordered. She hadn’t even realized what she’d ordered.

But since she chose it, she had to eat it. She forced herself to take a few bites, and before long, her forehead was covered in a sheen of sweat, and her lips had turned bright red.

Leon reached over and filled her glass with water. “Lemon water helps with the spiciness. If you can’t handle it, you don’t have to force yourself to eat it.”

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, embarrassed.

“Don’t be.” He moved the dish away. “At least now I know you can’t handle spice.”

His words stirred something in her heart, and she looked up at him. His tone was calm, as always. Even when he first learned she was his student, he’d only lost composure for a moment before regaining it.

He was probably much older than her, and that was the maturity that came with time. Maybe seeking him out was the right call after all.

With newfound courage, Kelly took a deep breath and said, “There’s something I need to tell you, Professor Butler.”

Finally, she decided to come clean.

Leon nodded. “Go ahead.”

Kelly unzipped her bag and retrieved the results from her checkup. Her hands were shaking as she handed them to him.