Chapter 287

“Some light exercise is good for you. Don’t just lie around all day, or your circulation will worsen. Walking or a slow jog is fine, but nothing too intense, okay?”

“I drank a little and got a bit tipsy. I’ll definitely be more careful next time,” Teresa replied, finally glancing at the doctor’s name tag: Rebecca Nelson. She wondered, ‘Another Nelson. There really are a lot of people with that surname.’

Rebecca’s voice rose. “You drank? Are you out of your mind? You’ve got pregnancy brain, you know!”

Snapped back to reality by Rebecca’s outburst, Teresa pressed her lips together. Honestly, pregnancy brain was real—she’d even woken up groggy and almost gone out to buy contraceptive pills. But after seeing that scene on TV—Jonathan laughing and chatting with a female boss, and realizing that everyone else seemed to move on with their lives—Teresa just felt so awful that she couldn’t help but have a drink.

Rebecca added, “You young people these days are really something. I’ve seen it all—women fighting with their husbands, coming for abortions and then being coaxed into going home, or partying so hard that they lose the baby and come here crying. Nothing surprises me anymore.”

“I don’t go clubbing, and I’d never get an abortion,” Teresa said. “He was the one who started it.”

Rebecca said, “Tell your husband to hold back. He’s a grown man and won’t die from waiting. If he won’t listen, send him to me. I’ll set him straight.”

“No need,” Teresa said. She thought to herself, ‘I’m not going to see that man again anyway, and I’m definitely not going to end up in bed with him again. That night was just like a fleeting dream—gone without a trace.’

Seeing her reaction, Rebecca sighed. “Just get plenty of rest and have your husband keep you company. Next time, bring him along for your checkup.”

“I understand. Thank you,” replied Teresa.

Teresa left the hospital, and since it was already afternoon, she headed to the kindergarten to pick up Michael. She’d already contacted the kindergarten on Monday, letting Michael try it out for a couple of days to see if he could get used to the place. If he settled in, he’d stay.

Michael had lunch at the kindergarten, and Teresa promised to pick him up in the afternoon. She’d also promised him a little electric scooter, and it was already bought—a white one.

School was out. “Mom!” Michael shouted, running over with his little backpack bouncing behind him. The other kids around him were all clearly older than Michael. He was so little, and Teresa’s heart ached. Attending kindergarten at his age wasn’t easy, but she couldn’t just stay home with him forever and do nothing else.

Back at home, Michael told Teresa the food at kindergarten was pretty good, saying he’d had a big sandwich and some sautéed vegetables for lunch, plus fruit and dessert afterward.

“Mom, two girls even gave me chocolate today,” he said.

Teresa looked at his cute, little face. “I see. Girls from your class?”

“One sits in front of me, and the other is from the older class,” Michael replied.

Teresa was speechless. She thought, ‘He’s already making friends with the older kids? Well, as long as he’s settling in, that’s all that matters.’

After getting Michael settled in, Teresa went to report at Everport Experimental Primary School. The next day, she started as the literature teacher for Grade 3, Class 2—not as a homeroom teacher. She didn’t care about the homeroom teacher bonus, and besides, being pregnant, she just didn’t have the energy to manage a whole class. With only two classes a day, the workload was pretty light. After signing the contract, Teresa found out her monthly salary was 1,000 dollars, which made her think back to her days working at NewEdge Media.

“Teresa, make sure to learn from the more experienced teachers,” Principal Lysander Carrington said in his office, giving Teresa a pat on the shoulder. Teresa quietly stepped back, frowning a little but keeping her cool.

“I will, Mr. Carrington. I’ll head back to my office now,” Teresa said, turning to leave. Lysander narrowed his eyes, watching the graceful curve of Teresa’s back as she walked away.