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They soon gathered in a circle, and I sat down in front of them to read a book of fairytale stories that Anne had chosen. They were her favorites. I spent so much time with those children that I understood each of them very well, but that didn't mean I could replace the role of a mother.
When the lesson was over, I helped them all pick up their backpacks and lunchboxes to leave the school. I accompanied them to the exit, where Holly handed them over to their parents and checked their permission slips.
Timothy, another of my students, grabbed one of my hands and pulled me along until I reached the door- that's when I saw him. He was just another father like all the others. I shouldn't have noticed him, but after the conversation with the man's daughters, it was impossible to stop my eyes from wandering over his profile.
He was tall, with broad shoulders, dark hair cut low, perfectly aligned, and a goatee that looked like it had been drawn by the best of artists. His image, as well as his expensive suit, were impeccable, as if even a strand of hair out of place was unacceptable. I didn't see him often, but his expression was so serious that I imagined a man like that was forbidden to smile.
I wondered if he wore that closed expression even when he was alone with his daughters and thought that it might be even harder for them to cope with the lack of a mother and affection. Little girls like that should have the basic right to a happy life.
“Bye, Helena!” Mary waved to me as she took her father's hand.
“See you later.” I waved back, and that was the moment the man noticed me.
He didn't say a word; he just stared at me for a fraction of a second, which was enough to make my legs wobble and affect my breathing.
I stood still as they left and disappeared from view as if the whole situation was just a strange mirage in my head.
“Is everything all right, Helena?” Holly asked me when she realized that I was staring completely into nothingness.
“Yes.” I blinked a few times. “Do you need me for something?”
“You can go home.”
“Thank you.”
I went back inside the school and got my things to go to the subway.
I sat on one of the benches waiting for the train and reached into my bag for my cell phone. There were no messages or notifications, even after a whole day without touching it. I couldn't brag about being the most popular person of all; the few friends I had made in high school and college had drifted away over time. With my routine boiled down to home and work, I didn't have any opportunities to make new ones. But I wanted to be a good teacher, and I needed to look after my grandmother.
I was distracted and ended up opening a search engine, only to realize I had typed in the name of the twins' father: Thomas Lennox. The man came from a traditional law family in New York City. He was now thirty-six years old and running the business he had inherited. The eldest son of three brothers, he was the CEO of Lennox & Associates and known as the devil's advocate. The man had an impeccable career and seemed to win every case he was involved in.
I swallowed, thinking how cruel and unbeatable he could be.
Currently, his biggest case involved Atantics, a drinks distributor being sued by customers who had consumed a batch contaminated with a chemical used in the maintenance of refrigerators.
It seemed that the twins' father had quite a bomb on his hands, but given his track record, I assumed that he would do well.
Deep down, I felt a little sorry for them at the thought of having to live with a guy like that without a mother to protect them.
I got off at a station closer to my house and still had to wait for a bus to take me to the apartment where I lived with my grandmother. Although it was more isolated from my work, it had a reasonable amount of space and two bedrooms that provided us with a little more comfort.
Living there, I managed to make my salary cover the month's expenses and the cost of her health insurance and medication. After taking such good care of myself, I felt that my grandmother was my responsibility.
I let out a deep sigh and let my shoulders slump as I opened the living room door and entered the small room.
“Hi, Grandma!”
“Helena.” She turned to me from the sofa and gave me a smile. “Did you have a good day?”
“Yes.” I left the key on a piece of furniture and put my bag in a corner next to it.
I didn't realize how sore my back was until I got rid of all the weight.
“What about your student? The one who had a headache yesterday.”
“She was fine today.”
He talks about them so much that I feel like I know them too.