You and I, Wolf

Chapter 3

Because she was really smart, the university allowed her to take a certain test that would assess her knowledge. After the result, they moved her up to Grade 8, and Veena could only feel so happy about it.

“Thank God that you like reading, Veena! I am so proud of you!”

“Thank you, Ms. Ami! I'm just really having a hard time coping with Mathematics.”

“Don't worry, I can help you with Algebra and Geometry, and I am sure that you will ace them.”

“I really thought I would just die without getting a proper education.”

Ms. Ami smiled sweetly at her, suggesting that she was very proud of her achievement.

“Hey, before I forget, there is actually someone waiting for you.”

“Really, Ms. Ami? Who?”

“Someone who has been dying to see you,” she answered.

“Mrs. Fullerton!” Veena could not help but screamed, excited to see Mrs. Fullerton in the library. Her voice filled the whole room, making everyone annoyed by her. “I'm sorry,” she murmured.

Mrs. Fullerton got up from her seat and approached her, “I have to visit you here since you have not visited us for almost tfive months now.”

“I am sorry, I have been so busy lately.”

“Ms. Ami told me that you are already attending weekend classes and you just got accelerated to grade 8? I am so impressed and I am very proud of you Veena,” she narrated.

“I am holding on to what you told me, Mrs. Fullerton!”

“Right? I am glad that you listened to me! I have seen all these things coming towards you, and I am pretty sure that there are more to come!”

“Thank you,” she sweetly replied.

“I also heard that the library also gave you a job, Ms. Ami told me that you have been frequenting this library ever since you left the orphanage. I could only wish that everyone in the orphanage would have the same determination as yours.”

“You know very well that one of my inspirations is the kids there. I want to be able to help them someday, I want to help them learn just like you helped me learn.”

“I still wished that you got adopted before, I could only imagine how your life would be if you ever got adopted by a rich family.”

“Oh, don't fret over it, Mrs. Fullerton,” she uttered. “Destiny probably has something else for me, and I can't wait to find that out.”

“You have the most beautiful perception about life, Veena. By the way, I came here to actually give you this. I think it's the right time for you to have it,” she said, handing over an old photo of her mother carrying her, alongside an American man.

Veena's tears started streaming down her face. She gasped, swallowing a lump of discomfort in her throat. “So this is what they looked like? Why did you not give this to me before?”

“We intentionally did it, Veena, sorry. I just don't want you to focus more on finding your father instead of focusing more on your own self. But I can see that your disposition in life now will not be shaken by it anymore.”

“Is it true that my mother died a day after she left me?”

“Well, that's what the news said. We also did some investigation, and we found out that the woman on the news was your mother because she looked exactly like the woman in that photo.”

“Did you know anything about my father?”

“Unfortunately, we didn't gather any information about him,” she uttered, placing her hand at the top of Veena's hand. “I am hoping that your dad is still alive, Veena.”

“If he's still alive, then why didn't he look for me?’’ she sadly asked, wiping her tears with her palm.

“I am sorry that I don't have an answer for that, and I just want to inform you about your parents with the little information that we have about them.”

“Thank you, at least now I have an idea of what they looked like. Don't worry, Mrs. Fullerton, this won't stop me from chasing my dreams. I am going to set aside my questions about my father for the meantime. Someday, when I already have the resources, I will try to look for him.”

“Come here,” Mrs. Fullerton pulled her into a tight hug, “I am always behind you, Veena.”

“I know that, and I will be forever grateful for all the love that you have been giving me ever since I was a kid.”

“I have to leave now, Veena. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me, okay?”

“I promise, and I will make a point to visit the orphanage soon.”

“Don't worry about it, just focus on your studies. The orphanage is just there, with its door always open for you.”

After a long and tiring day, Veena went home to her apartment. Spending more than two hours staring at the old photo that Mrs. Fullerton gave her.

She smiled, accepting the life that she was living, and thankful that she was still breathing. As she washed her face, Veena stared at the mirror, realizing how time had changed her physically.

Being biracial, she knew that she looked less Thai, with her fair skin, light brown eyes, and natural golden brown hair. She was beautiful, and she got compliments everyday about her physical attributes.

There were also some men who were trying to get noticed by her, but she was never interested in any men. She knew that she needed to focus more on herself, spending most of her free time learning and studying.

She also remembered meeting some people who told her that she could pass as a beauty queen, but she only laughed about it. She was very conservative, and she could not even imagine herself standing in front of the people wearing only bikinis.

She woke up the next day feeling excited to begin the day. She thought it was Thursday already, so she hurriedly got herself ready. Without checking the calendar, Veena rushed to her mystery boss' apartment.

She would usually put her phone on silent mode when she worked, making her miss Ms. Ami's calls, who had been trying to reach her when she didn't make it to the library that morning. It was just Wednesday that day, but she thought it was already Thursday—-her scheduled day to clean Luke's apartment.

Veena had a spare key to the apartment, and the building security no longer asked for her ID whenever she arrived there. They only smiled at her everytime she greeted them.

“Hi, Veena!” the head security greeted her with a confused expression on his face.

“Hi, sorry I am almost late,” she replied, rushing towards the elevator.

Veena didn't pay attention to his expression, she thought she needed to finish early that day so she could get to the library before the traffic jam became heavy.