The Message

Director Wilbenny was a bit surprised that I didn't want to deal with Max and Chris's case in any way, and that I didn't even expect them to be suspended. I only asked that their fight be noted in the files, but that the editing of this note should not cause them much trouble in the future. Anyway, that's what I planned from the beginning of this whole incident.

Everyone already knew how this intervention ended for me, so the rest of the teachers, except for Flora, expected me to pack my bags and make a big scandal about it. Only the coach came and wanted to ask me not to punish his best and most harmonious duo in any way. In his head he was already planning to bribe me with flowers and chocolates, he did not hide that he was glad that he did not have to incur additional costs, even for the good of the team.

The director also informed me that my art club project had been given the green light by my parents' council, so I could now devote my full attention to this issue.

"I heard, congratulations," Flora said happily, coming to my office in the afternoon of her recess.

"Thank you," I replied honestly, smiling as I added another batch of cookies. I really did quite a lot of them.

"Can I, is it just for kids?" she asked.

"Sure, help yourself and if you want, you can also get some for Daisy."

The mention of Flora's teenage daughter made her a bit sad, but her thoughts did not create a unified picture for me. However, she quickly returned to her heartfelt smile, which usually won over her students. Daisy was fourteen years old and the long-awaited child of Flora. She gave birth to her late, two years before the age of forty, and then her husband left her, who said that he was not of age to become a father and wanted to enjoy life to the fullest. Although a long time had passed since then, Flora had thought of him often, and it hurt her to be left alone with her daughter, even though she loved Daisy more than life. She didn't want to talk about it right now, but I decided to bring it up with her at the earliest opportunity.

When I got home and made dinner, also leaving a portion for Victor, I locked myself in and tried to outline a poster advertising my club and a list for people to sign up for, but I also indicated that they could skip this step and just come over. I wanted to stay from three to five every day and just be there for the kids. Give them a substitute for a space to work and someone they could always talk to about their passion.

However, I myself suffered from a lack of artistic talent, so I had to tone down a bit of my pride and ask my brother for help. I heard he came back earlier that day, when I was walking to his room, I noticed that at least he had eaten his dinner. I took a deep breath and knocked, waiting a moment for Victor to come to the door and open it. He looked at me, hoping I wanted to apologize to him, but his expression fell when I didn't.

"I wanted to ask for your help," I said, looking down at his hands, letting him know that since we are at odds, I won't read his mind. "I need a nice poster, that's my initial idea." I handed him a piece of paper with my scribbles.

"How many pieces and for when?" he asked.

"It would be nice for tomorrow," I replied. "Three will be fine."

"Okay," he just muttered and closed the door.

It hurt, but pride didn't allow me to apologize yet. I got back to myself and started watching the first-ever culinary program. After two episodes, this time Victor knocked on me and when he came in he handed me three printed posters. I looked at them with a smile, he included all the information I wanted, he left a place for the list, and he added some graphics with people playing instruments, writing, and crocheting, on a soft blue background.

"It's great," I said honestly. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome," he signed casually. "Thanks for dinner and cookies," he added and left.

I don't know a child who likes to introduce himself on his first day at a new school. I didn't want to do this, but I had to. During the first lesson, the tutor asked me to get up, go to the center and tell something about myself. Victor waved me cheerfully and gave me a thumbs-up. Many children, seeing this, rolled their eyes and laughed under their breaths. They still didn't believe Victor's stories that he suddenly had a sister and that I was. It seemed unreal to them because we were not alike and generally did not understand why this could have happened. It was difficult for Victor to explain because the kids in his class did not know sign language well and were too impatient to wait for him to write down what he wanted to convey.

"Um, I'm Lucretia Jones," I said uncertainly. "I'm eight years old and I come from Comitown. I came here because I no longer have parents. Mr. and Mrs. Parker adopted me, so the Victor you already know is my brother."

"Lucretia, why don't you tell us what you like to do, what are you interested in?" the teacher asked.

"I don't know," I replied, surprised by her question. I never thought about it, I discovered my passion for baking later. "I think I like to help," I said then.

Victor was proud to show me around the school and introduce me to everyone as his sister. I didn't want to take away from him that he felt like an older brother. We haven't talked about how I attacked him yet, so I felt insecure even in his company. Back then, I couldn't tell anyone how overwhelming it was.

There were a lot of children in the class and school, even if it was a private facility. Everywhere I looked, even with the lenses on, I read their thoughts. Their density and variability were too much for me for this period. It was like that for many years, until I learned to quiet it down a bit, then I was able to deal with it by looking at the floor. So there was no place at school where I could have a little peace and just go about my own business. I was considered a freak because I couldn't even talk to others normally.

I recalled this as I stood in front of one of my posters on the main notice board on Friday, staring at the empty space where the names of willing students should be. For the last three days, no one showed up either while I was waiting in the classroom. Although I would like to admit a disgraceful defeat, I tried to stick to the thought that for now it is just the beginning and it will get going.

"Do not worry, give the kids some time." I heard the nice voice of Flora, who was leaving the school. She herself had extra classes with experiments and supplementary courses for students who were not keeping up with the material in her subject. She hugged me lightly. "Now let's go, there will be enough work for this weekend."

This is how the long-awaited free time began, but I had nothing to do with myself. We didn't talk to Victor each other, and although I liked watching TV series, I was fed up with them at the moment. So I decided to go to the club in the evening, hoping that maybe the nice bartender Alex would be there. I didn't dress up too much, and it was getting colder in the evenings. I only wore a blouse that was slightly more suitable for the club, it had only a slightly deeper neckline, black pants, ankle boots, and a brown jacket. I came quite early so it wasn't crowded yet. I found a seat at the bar with ease and looked for Alex. Luckily, he was at work, and I was glad he recognized me.

"Lucretia? Do I remember the name well?" he asked.

"Yes." I smiled and asked for a drink with some fruit juice.

I didn't come here with a drink, but somehow to kill the time and remorse caused by not talking to Victor. Alex disappeared from my sight for a moment and came back with the note, I looked at him questioningly.

"It's a message from that guy Snakey hunted back then, he came back a week later and left it for you if you ever showed up," he explained to me.

I read the message quickly and smiled sadly. The young bartender stared at me, expecting that I would reveal to him what was there.

"In the end, the betrayal did not take place. They ended up kissing, but the guy regretted it anyway, confessed to his wife what he wanted to do, and she kicked him out of the house. But he writes that he will try to get her back at any cost," I said.

"A bittersweet ending," he only commented, satisfying his curiosity. "Maybe somehow it will end well for them."

The movement started, so Alex had to deal with other clients. I sipped my drink in peace, wondering why Victor was so often in his mind. He was also glancing in my direction, wanting to ask if I came with him or if he would be coming later, but he couldn't summarize the courage. Curiosity was taking over, but I didn't want to rudely enter his mind and look for the cause of it there.

"By any chance, my brother hasn't been here lately? I guess you remember him, a drunken unfortunate looking for his significant other?" I asked as he handed me my second drink.

"Actually," he hesitated for a moment. "He was here last Saturday, but not in the mood. He didn't talk to anyone, just drank, and he got very angry at everything and everyone. "Including me, even though I wanted to be nice to him because I liked him the first time" he added the last sentence only in his mind.

That would be correct though, it was the day after the Hyacinth incident, but I didn't think my brother would react like this. Interestingly, Alex also thought about giving Victor his number from our first visit here. He had fought with himself for weeks, resolving that if he saw him again, he would dare to do so, but circumstances and my brother's behavior were not favorable. And now the bartender had doubts again as to whether he should put himself and his needs first.

So what was our surprise when we turned to see who was in the larger group of people who had just walked in and was making a little fuss? Among these people was Victor, who looked quite pleased. His face fell when he saw me, but he came over to me.

"What are you doing here, Lulu?" he asked with sign language. "You shouldn't go to clubs alone." He signaled to me that he wanted to switch to a mental conversation.

"I'm already an adult," I replied sternly. "And what brings you here?"

"We all celebrate the end of my project, after all, this is our most important client."

"I'm glad you did it," I said. "So go back to your colleagues and enjoy your success."

"Thanks," he muttered and twirled around.

I called Alex and asked for the bill, he was surprised I will be gone so fast, but I promised him we'd see each other again. I didn't want to be here, especially since my week had been a bad one. I didn't want to spoil Victor's evening by accident if he could celebrate his success with his friends. Even though I was sad that he didn't celebrate it with me, under normal circumstances he would also cheer me, because of the failure of my art club project. I shuddered slightly and smiled sadly at my reflection in the shop window on the opposite side of the street. Though initially, I wasn't going to meddle, I pulled out my phone and wrote a short message, “Alex the bartender likes you, he's been trying to give you his number recently, but he's still hesitating. Don't screw it up!”