Page 6 of Stat: Love In Scrubs
“Congratulations, Son. It sounds like you’re going to be able to afford to send your mother and me on a vacation.”
All of us burst into laughter as I nodded.
“I’ll see what I can do. My only problem with the job is that you two are already doing so much. If I take this?—”
“What do you mean by ‘if’? You’ve been working hard all this time to gain this position, correct?” my father interrupted with a stern tone.
“Yes, sir, I have but?—”
He shook his head, stopping all further protest.
“But nothing. If your mother and I thought we couldn’t do it, we would have told you that. Esa is a very easy child to take care of while you’re working, so don’t use that as a reason to block your blessings. If you don’t want this position, let it be because it doesn’t align with what you see for your life. Nothing else,” he lectured.
I heard him loud and clear, but I still felt they did more than enough. My daughter was my responsibility, but with my job, she fell more on my parents. It made me feel like shit sometimes when I thought about how much more they knew about her day to day.
“Thanks, Pops. I hear you, and I’ll consider that when making my choice. Speaking of a break, I will be picking up Esa tomorrow from the Academy. You want to leave early tomorrow, Esa?” I asked her after speaking to my dad.
“Not too early. Ms. Sinclair is coming to my class tomorrow, and I want to show her my new picture of her,” she responded, still coloring.
I pointed down at the picture of the woman she was coloring. My baby was a natural. It wasn’t clear yet, but I could tell that she wouldn’t be going in the science direction once she was older.
“Is that Ms. Sinclair?” I asked.
She tilted her head to the side and nodded.
“Isn’t she so pretty, Daddy?” she asked.
“Very.”
Esa smiled brightly at me, then continued coloring.
“I guess I’ll come a little later to get you, then we will go get ice cream. How does that sound?” I asked.
She looked up at me with wide eyes and a grin while nodding with her thumb raised. I tousled her hair with a chuckle and grabbed an orange out of the fruit basket in front of me.
Isat at my desk, reviewing the financial reports, hoping to find something that would help us get out of this financial bind. Little Angels Academy had become my entire life, and I was sure the others felt the same way.
I groaned and dropped my pencil against the top of my desk, then allowed my face to lie in my open palms. I needed a moment to reboot and get my head together, so I left my office to visit with the kids. I needed to see their smiling faces, and I knew my world would at least be alright for the moment.
I released a sigh and dropped my hands to my side, then made my way to Mrs. Mavi’s classroom. I knew it wasn’t good to have a favorite, but I wanted to see Esa’s little face.
I knocked on the classroom door before letting myself in. My eyes automatically went in search of her. When I finally located her, I frowned. She was lying with her head against the desk, herarms wrapped around her face. I glanced up at Mrs. Mavis, who could tell what I was going to ask before it came out.
I made my way over to her and leaned down to speak to her in a low tone.
“Hey, what’s going on with Esa?” I asked, getting right to the point.
“She came in a little lower today. I thought she was just down and maybe needed some time with the therapist today. I sent her down, but nothing changed, and she won’t tell me what’s wrong. I’m not too sure much was gotten out of her from the therapist, but you can try if you want to.”
I lifted a brow and then smiled. I shook my head, then walked around her desk to head in the direction of Esa. I squatted down beside her and tapped my nails against the surface to get her attention.
“Esa, what’s going on, honey?” I asked.
I waited a moment as she slowly lifted her head to turn it in my direction, but she continued to lie against her arms.
“My tummy hurts,” she mumbled in a low voice.
I leaned a little closer to get her to say it again, although I was almost certain I heard her.
