Chapter 1-The Word on the Screen
1374 Words
At 8:03 in the morning, Elena Marquez discovered that a single word could make her forget how to breathe.
Her finger hovered above the mouse.
The computer screen glowed in the dim corner of their small house, displaying the page she had been afraid to open for the last thirty minutes.
She had checked the internet connection twice. Refreshed the page four times. Wiped her palms against her blouse until the fabric wrinkled.
Still, she couldn't click.
“Lena.”
She didn't move.
“Lena, anak.”
“I know, Ma.”
“Then click it.”
“I can't.”
Rosa Marquez sighed and stood beside her daughter.
“You studied for months. You took the examination. You prayed. Whatever happens today, you already did your part.”
Lena swallowed.
Outside, the morning continued as usual. A motorcycle passed. A neighbor's radio played softly. Someone called a child to breakfast.
Only Lena seemed trapped inside the few inches of glowing screen.
She was twenty-one years old—young enough to be told she had plenty of time, but old enough to understand how easily dreams could disappear.
Her phone vibrated.
CARLA: Have you checked already???
Another message followed.
CARLA: Don't tell me you're still scared.
Lena smiled despite herself.
She typed, I'm just waiting.
Carla replied:
Waiting for what? Retirement?
Lena laughed.
“Carla?” her mother asked.
“Who else?”
Rosa shook her head.
“Both of you.”
The smile faded as Lena looked back at the screen.
She remembered the review center—the crowded room, plastic chairs, piles of reviewers, sleepless nights, and endless cups of instant coffee. She remembered the moments when she had wanted to give up.
One night, she had called her mother after midnight.
“Ma, I don't think I can do this.”
“Then sleep first.”
“I mean the exam.”
“I know.”
“What if I fail?”
Her mother's answer had been simple.
“Then you try again.”
Lena had cried.
“What if I can't?”
“You rest. Then you try again.”
That had always been her mother's answer.
Rest.
Then try again.
Lena took a deep breath.
“Ma?”
“Yes?”
“If I pass, I want to teach in DepEd.”
“I know.”
“I want to help you.”
“You don't have to become a teacher just to help me.”
“I know.”
“Then why?”
Lena looked at the screen.
“Because I want it.”
Her mother placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Then click.”
Lena inhaled and clicked.
The page disappeared.
A loading symbol appeared.
“Oh, no.”
“What?”
“It's loading.”
“So?”
“What if the internet disappears?”
“Lena.”
“Yes?”
“Breathe.”
She realized she had been holding her breath.
The page finally loaded.
Her name appeared.
Her examination information.
And beneath it—
PASSED.
Lena froze.
She blinked twice.
“Ma…”
Rosa looked at the screen.
Lena pointed at the word.
“I passed.”
Her mother's hand covered her mouth.
“You passed?”
Lena nodded.
“I passed.”
Rosa pulled her into an embrace.
Lena cried against her mother's shoulder.
“Teacher na ko,” she whispered.
“Yes, anak.”
“Teacher na gyud ko.”
“Yes.”
For a few beautiful minutes, there were no applications, interviews, deadlines, or fears.
There was only the feeling of finally reaching the other side of something she had spent years trying to cross.
Her phone began vibrating again.
Messages filled the screen.
Congratulations!
You passed!
LPT na ta!
Then Carla called.
Lena answered.
“YOU PASSED!”
“So did you!”
“I KNOW!”
They both laughed.
“We're teachers!”
Lena smiled.
“We really made it.”
There was a pause.
Then Carla asked, “So what's next, Teacher Lena?”
“DepEd,” Lena answered immediately.
“Obviously. But should we apply for the ranking first?”
Lena's smile softened.
The DepEd ranking or being listed in the RQA had always been part of the dream. Passing the LET was a major step, but it didn't automatically mean a public-school position would be waiting for them.
“We should,” Lena said. “That's the goal.”
“But what if we don't get hired right away?”
Lena was quiet.
Carla continued.
“What if we apply to a private school first?”
Lena leaned back in her chair.
She hadn't seriously considered it before.
“I heard there's a small private school near the town center,” Carla said. “They're looking for teachers.”
“What's the salary?”
Carla hesitated.
“Two thousand five hundred pesos twice a month.”
Lena stared at the number when Carla sent it.
“That's not much.”
“I know.”
Rosa, who had been preparing breakfast, looked over.
“How much?”
“₱2,500 twice a month.”
Her mother raised an eyebrow.
“That's very little.”
“I know.”
“Then why consider it?”
Lena looked at her mother.
“Experience.”
She explained that working in a private school could help them gain classroom experience, develop their skills and confidence, and hopefully strengthen their credentials when they eventually apply for DepEd ranking.
Rosa listened quietly.
Then she said, “Don't let a small salary make you think your work is small.”
Lena looked at her.
The words stayed with her.
Carla called again.
“So?”
Lena smiled.
“I think we should try.”
“Even with the salary?”
“Even with the salary.”
“Why?”
“Because we need experience.”
Carla was silent for a moment.
“When we were reviewing for the LET, I thought passing would be the hard part.”
“So did I.”
“And now?”
Lena looked at her LET result still displayed on the computer.
“Now I think passing was just the beginning.”
Carla laughed.
“Welcome to adulthood, Teacher Lena.”
“Don't remind me.”
After the call, Lena searched for the school's contact information.
She stared at the phone number for several seconds before finally pressing Call.
One ring.
Two.
Three.
“Good morning. Private school office.”
Lena sat up straight.
“Good morning, Ma'am. I'm Elena Marquez. I'd like to ask if you're still accepting applicants for a teaching position.”
She answered the woman's questions carefully.
When the call ended, she placed the phone on the table.
“Well?” Rosa asked.
Lena smiled.
“They're accepting applications.”
“When do you submit?”
“Tomorrow.”
Rosa nodded.
Lena looked again at the screen.
PASSED.
She imagined the future ahead of her.
The private school would only be a beginning.
She would learn how to handle a classroom, gain experience, build confidence, and prepare herself for the DepEd ranking.
One day, she would stand inside a public-school classroom.
One day, she would hear students call her Ma'am.
For now, she had a smaller classroom waiting somewhere in town.
A modest salary.
A first chance.
And a long road ahead.
“Ma?”
“Yes?”
“I think I'm really going to be a teacher.”
Her mother smiled.
“You already are.”
Lena looked down at her hands.
For the first time that morning, she believed it.
She didn't know yet how much her first classroom would teach her.
She didn't know how many times she would question herself or how different teaching would be from everything she had imagined.
All she knew was that she had passed.
And tomorrow, she would take her first step.
Not into the school she had dreamed about.
Not yet.
But into a small private school where she would earn ₱2,500 twice a month—and hopefully gain something far more valuable.
Experience.
Lena smiled.
The dream had not disappeared.
It had simply taken a different route.
And somewhere ahead, beyond that small classroom, another bell was waiting to ring.
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