FELL IN LOVE AGAIN.

Chapter 9

Teresa! A voice yelled out as she was pasting posters on the wall.

On the wall, the poster says: The graduation party of the year, 2024.

She proceeded to attentively examine the decorations that were placed on the stage where the graduates were seated. As she raised up her chin she noticed Frances' face looking worried and disturbed. She went closer and confirmed if her eyes were not indicating a wrong view of him.

As she stepped forward to meet Frances, she heard him mention to one of his classmates named John that he was anxious to see his mother.

John was surprised, taken aback to repeat what he had just spoken out loud.

“Like you have a mother? But I thought you were an orphan,” John exclaimed.

“Ohhh hooo! I meant godmother, ma’am Shalok is my godmother.” He replied, frantically analyzing why he would think of that.

Frances bowed down to check John's shoes. He noticed a feminine leg in a fancy shoe close to John's shoes. He looked up to check who had the fancy shoe on, just to notice Teresa Derell, giving him a pet on his face.

“Frances, how are you doing?” Teresa asked, still petting his cheek.

There was no response from him.

Teresa decided to ask again. This time she threw out a different question.

“I know you aren't happy graduating toda…”

Before she could complete her statement, Frances jumped on harshly, removing Teresa's hand from her cheek to ask Sherlock's whereabouts.

“Sweetheart, about your mother, we have been trying her line but not reachable.”

Immediately, Frances lied in tears at the news of her disappointment. Teresa warned him to stop the cry so as not to let Mrs. Helena knew what was going on.

Frances knew it was against the rules to make Sherlock his godmother because no staff apart from Teresa knew.

“But where is she? I really need her to be here,” he hesitated.

“Be patient, my boy, she will definitely come, I assure you,” she said, hugging him tight on her chest.

Teresa returned to speak to the staff member who had previously drawn her attention, but she was unable to do so right away due to Frances' demeanor.

“Why won't Sherlock answer her phone? Is it because of the snow falling?”

That shouldn't be an excuse, since the snow is not sufficiently deep, she should still be able to drive on it.

The frigid weather that day made everyone cover up well. They feel much better when they have a thick sweater on. In fact, the kindergartners were playing as if they were not caught up in the cold weather that appeared that day. They were following each other, playing after each other, and chanting loud poetry.

Preparations were still going on as Teresa was still worried about Sherlock. Teresa had covered up for Sherlock when Mrs. Helena asked her where she was. She had told her that she was a bit out of the weather. That she might be a bit late for the party.

Several calls have been passed across to her repeatedly, but none was returned. Teresa concluded that she will eventually come but might just be a bit late. The more she thinks about it, the more she feels so worried because of Frances. Frances had been acting restless since she went to see him.

She looked from afar to check on him again. She saw that he was walking around and expecting Sherlock.

“Sherlock oo, don't disappoint this poor kid”, she soliloqued, as she stretched her hands to hang the last poster on the wall.

__________________________________

Frederick received a warm welcome from the security man at the entrance of Queen Frans’s Kindergarten. He knew he was so late, so he didn't bother to reply to the man or check his wave at all.

He questioned him in a horrifying tone. "Have they begun?"

“No, sir. They were waiting for you to arrive. He made a gesture of relief, saying, "Oh, thank God." He jumped in and entered the class.

He adjusted his dress and straightened his collar while walking. He knew he was looking good and very okay for the event.

One thing in his mind was a bit anxious, as he wasn't really sure what would happen and hoped to definitely meet with the stranger that refused him. He has prepared his apology and is ready to prove to her that the incident that happened in the pizzeria was a coincidence.

As he walked down to the main theater where all the kids and parents of some kids were seated, he saw the teachers gathered in a circle for a brief meeting. Immediately, he saw their eyes fixed on him at his arrival.

“Oh, thank you sir, you are just right in time”, said Mrs. Helene as she wore a warm smile that conveyed joy about honoring her invite.

“Being here is a pleasure." He smiled.

Garrett stylishly rolled out his eyeball to check if Sherlock, the stranger, was among the teachers gathered, but unfortunately, he didn't see her. He was surprised by that atmosphere.

Garrett didn't know how to ask about her since he didn't know her name and didn't want to look foolish. He mellowed and obeyed the order to have his seat in the VIP stands as he proceeded to sit and bounce with energy on his chair to get his comfort.

He waited for their meeting to end 2 minutes after his arrival. He thought he was late but thank God he came right in time. An hour passed after the end of the party, Garrett was still expecting to see Sherlock but he couldn't.

He thought in his mind about where she could be and about where all the workers here are present.

“I hope she is good?” He gazed intently.

So he decides to meet Teresa, the lady he recognized she was with when he met her last. He has seen her beside Mrs. Helena during their meeting and knew that she might have the answer he needed to know.

So he went around to look for her without asking the workers around. He cautiously avoided questioning any nearby staff while searching for her because of being embarrassed.

Fortunately for him, he saw her conversing, backing a cute boy. He noticed that his face was familiar.

“Hello, ma'am!” Garrett, who was a kilometer away from her, called out and waved to her.

When Frances spotted his hand, he instructed her to turn around to see him. She saw Mr. Garrett when she turned around.

“Oh, sir. It is you.”

"Yes, may I speak with you for a moment?" he asked inquisitively.

“Sure.”, she said, leaving Frances to face Garrett, walking down a few kilometers from Frances to meet him .

"Oh, sir. It's you. He inquired curiously. "Sure," she replied, leaving Frances to meet Garrett by going a few km away.

“I really don't know her name, but I hope you can help me.”

“What is that sir?” Teresa asked curiously, looking at his eyeballs.

Yes, I mean I recognized you with her when I met you during the time I came to donate some toys to this place.

“Was I with anyone?” She asked back deeply, searching for an answer while thinking about who she was that day.

“Ohh, do you mean Sherlock?” Teresa inquired from him, eager to hear his reply.

“Sherlock? Is that her name?” Garrett looked at Teresa's face, as he raised a bewildered cringe.

“Yes, she was the only lady I was with when you met me and I remember you showed a bit of a familiarity towards her that day.”

“Yes, yes, that is true. He answered in agreement.”

“But I didn't see her during the just-ended party. Is she around?”

Hooo! Teresa raised her chin, signing a shocking turn.

“We don't know why she did not come to work today. We guess it was caused by the weather.”

Garrett heard her reply as he checked outside the door, surprised to see that the snow had finally stopped, and a lot had been dropped on the ground.

Teresa checked what he was glimpsing at as she raised her hand for her to get his attention back.

“The snowfall today was a little awful," Teresa said.

“It isn't that much compared to the one that fell in February,” he added.

“Yes! That is true, sir.”

“At least I was able to enter it.”

“Maybe Sherlock couldn't. Though we have been trying her number, it's not reachable,” Teresa stated.

“Maybe it was caused by the weather.”

"The network has undoubtedly been awful." Gerett said, in an attempt to cut the talk short, however, he still harbored a strong desire to see Sherlock.

“Yes, I was the one that was calling you earlier, but the network frowned at us.”

“Ohh, it was you?”

“Yes, so let us say the inability to reach Sherlock was caused by the network. I will keep on trying her line till it is connected. I will get back to you, sir.”

“No, don't bother. Since you have tried but not reachable, it is fine. Thank you for your time, ma’am.”

“It was such a pleasure, she said, returning to use the door next to them.

A minute she was leaving, a lady Garrett recognized was also part of their staff ran off to meet Terresa walking down towards her.

Although Garrett could not tell what they were talking about, he could see that they were staring at him.

In order to discern the next course of action, he stood in one spot without intending to move.

Immediately after feigning a moment of eye contact with Teresa, he grabbed his phone and began tapping on it.

He pretended to be aware that they were almost to where he was standing, but he continued to bow his head while focusing on his phone and responding to texts,

Concentrating on his phone and replying to his messages.

“Yes sir, Teresa called him.

“You are called by Mrs. Helena to her office.”

“Oh okay, where is her office located?

He asked Terresa.

“Don't worry, we will be going together.”

Teresa replied, looking at her colleague as they walked together.