Comforting Hug

"Marzia, no…" Cassandra tried to make her friend back out, but Marzia persisted. "No, Cassandra. It's not right for her to slap you. That's assault!"

Mrs. Rochester scoffed. "Oh, so now you're talking back to me, miss? I'm paying you and this school to teach my child! But if you can't do that, then I guess you're not a competent teacher! And how dare you say that to Luis! I teach him manners, unlike that brat of yours! His behavior results from the lack of parental control! He's spoiled because his guardian is lenient with him! For God's sake, just have this little kid shipped to the mountains so he could work and have some use!"

Right at that moment, Ian parked his car at the school's lot. He walked across the field and towards them, clueless first and dumbfounded second. The man was stunned upon witnessing the scene. Looking at Marzia, who was shielding Chan behind her back, and his nephew, who was crying, he asked, "What happened here? Did Chan get hurt?"

"Thank God, you're here, Mr. Harrison!" Cassandra muttered in relief.

Marzia was about to respond to Ian when Mrs. Rochester butted in. "Your brat hurt my son again, Mr. Harrison! I don't care if he's your nephew or your adopted child, but you should discipline that kid! You're spoiling him too much!"

Ian rubbed his temples for a moment. He then lifted his gaze down to meet Luis' mother eye to eye. "I apolo—"

"Again? I don't need your apology! Get your son out of this school before he hurt anyone! He is a menace to society! I'm not surprised if he inherited that attitude from you, Mr. Harrison!" Mrs. Rochester shrieked.

When Marzia's gaze fell on Chan, who was now trembling his lips and crying uncontrollably, Mrs. Rochester's words enraged her. Stepping forward from them, she spat out, "How dare you tell that to Chan and his uncle! You don't have the right to judge them that way because Luis was hurt. Despite all your notions about him being a troublemaker, Chan is a good kid like his uncle. He isn't a bigot like everyone else, pretending how well-mannered and proper they are. If I were you, Mrs. Rochester, I would teach my son to not be a hypocrite like you."

Mrs. Rochester was rendered speechless by her rebuke. On the other hand, Cassandra and Ian were shocked by Marzia's bold actions. Meanwhile, Chan stopped crying and was tugging at the hem of her blouse.

With this, Marzia turned to the kid. "Are you alright, Chan? Were you hurt?"

He didn't answer her question and just pointed his finger at the man in front of them, the principal himself, the good ol' Lewis. Marzia's eyes flicked, and she gulped deeply as she felt the twisting reverse in her gut.

"In my office now, Miss Delta. As for you, Cassandra, assist Mr. Harrison and Mrs. Rochester, along with their kids to the guidance office," he commanded.

Marzia just nodded to him promptly, nervous at the repercussions of what she had done.

…

"You know how dangerous it is for you to talk back to a parent, Miss Delta," Lewis stated firmly while sitting on his recliner chair in front of Marzia. She was anxious about the imminent sanction she would receive for her doing.

"I—I'm sorry, Principal Lewis. I know I shouldn't have said that, but I couldn't take her anymore. She slapped Cassandra and kept on belittling Chan," Marzia explained.

Lewis fixed his eyeglasses. "I quite realize your inclination towards Mr. Harrison's nephew. It might get a negative response from the other parents, as they may assume you have a favorite in your class." He then leaned forward, interlocking his fingers as he propped it on his rotund stomach. "Even more, I have gathered from the faculty that you are dating his uncle. You know this is not good for the reputation of our school, Ms. Delta."

Marzia chewed the inside of her lips. "That's not it, Principal Lewis, and in all honesty, I'm not biased towards my students and treat them fairly like my own children. And as for my relationship with Mr. Harrison, it's personal and doesn't affect my work."

"I can't risk that for the integrity of this institution. Once your relationship with Chan's uncle gets out, it might tarnish the reputation of our school and our moral conduct. You also made the situation worse by talking back to a parent and defending Chan." Principal Lewis looked away and uttered with dismay, "I'm sorry, Miss Delta, but you have to be suspended for the meantime until the school board decides on a fair solution for you, whether you can retain the job or be sanctioned according to the school's policies."

The world came crashing down on her. Marzia was downcasted when she heard the doleful decision of Principal Lewis. Marzia leaned over the desk and pleaded, "Can you give me one more chance, Principal Lewis? I swear I'll do better, and if that happens again, I'll make sure to call you right away."

"I see your passion for teaching and your desire to teach the kids, Miss Delta. But rules are rules. You'll be suspended for two weeks, which will include the deduction of your salary. As for the position, it will be filled up with one of the prep teachers temporarily until your return. The school board will, however, assess the proper sanctions for your action and they will be implemented effectively once decided. Let's just hope that they'll have mercy on you, alright?"

With that, Marzia didn't push it through and obeyed his decision as she went to the faculty to pack her things. Cassandra entered the room and approached her immediately, giving her a tight hug.

"I'm sorry for what happened, Marzia! You took all the fault when I should also have a fair share." The math teacher was crestfallen by the turn of events.

Marzia faintly smiled, trying to uplift herself despite the bad news. "It's fine, Cassandra, and it's my fault, anyway. I shouldn't have let my emotions take a toll on me."

"I don't blame you, Marzia. Mrs. Rochester is a bitch. It was just unfortunate that it was you who had to deal with her."

Marzia chortled. "Ugh, I don't know what to do for two weeks, Cassandra! I don't know how I'll be able to pay my bills without my salary." She slumped her shoulders and went to get her things.

"Your handsome and rich boyfriend is waiting in the parking lot, you know. Why don't you ask him that, since he's kind of the reason why you got suspended?" Cassandra asked her in an impish manner.

Marzia became more nervous as she dashed back to the mirror on her desk and checked herself. Her eyes looked tired, her hair was in a matted bun, and her blouse was all wrinkled because of Chan's continuous crumpling on it.

"Uhm, so Mr. Harrison is really your boyfriend, right? The rumor is spot on then!" Cassandra smirked and playfully teased her.

"No, he's not, Cassandra. That's not it." Marzia wanted to tell her the truth but then controlled herself to not do that, knowing the deal was only between Ian and her.

"I can see it right on your face, Marzia. You can't lie to me." She giggled.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Anyway, I'm going, Cassandra! See you in two weeks, I guess." She smiled at her friend and gave her a big hug.

As they parted, Cassandra's mouth curled down. "I'm gonna miss you, Marzia! Just tell me if you need anything, or if you want to grab lunch with me!"

Marzia nodded to her in bright spirits. She then grabbed her box that was filled with documents and her bag from the table. After that, she bid goodbye to her colleagues and set off to head to the parking lot. When she got there, Marzia noticed Ian had quickly gotten out of the car to help her with her things. She was about to ask him why they were still here when, all of a sudden, he took the box from her and said, "Chan has to say something to you, Marzia."

Her eyebrows curved down in bewilderment. "What is it?"

"You'll see." Ian flashed her a smile when they walked toward the car.

By the time they reached the black sedan, she saw Chan getting out of the vehicle while playing with his fingers.