I yawned when I entered the class. I didn’t even close my eyes to sleep last night-not even a blink. Ismael was true to what he said. I hope I did not agree with what he wants. He kissed me all night! We made love as if we were trying to release the stress we faced all day. We were both exhausted, and apart from that, we stayed up, so we are now so sleepy when we entered Marcus University. My only intention was to get some clothes yesterday, but look at my condition right now! I can’t even walk straight.
“Hey, Thea, have you contributed yet?” Sav asked me when she sat next to me.
“Contribution? For what?” I came to say to her.
“Gosh, you didn’t know? It’s Professor Mondalla’s birthday today. Atacia said, We’re going to buy him a cake.”
I took a breath and turned my gaze to Ismael, who was now in the front and speaking. He’s still discussing some topics, even though we are exempt from his final exam. He was constantly hiding his yawn. Now I know why we did that all night. It was his birthday today, and I don’t even know about it. He didn’t say either.
I realized I still have a lot to know about him. Just like today, his birthday is December 4th.
“Alright. Thank you for telling me, Sav,” I mouthed.
“No worries.”
I yawned and sniffled again. It looks like I’m going to catch a cold because I’ve been up all night. I don’t know if I can make it to class until the afternoon. My eyes are also watering.
“You were yawning a while ago. Didn’t you sleep?” Sav whispered to me as she sat next to me. I just shrugged when she also said, “Professor Ismael is also doing the same. He also seems very sleepy and yawns constantly. Don’t tell me…”
I didn’t answer even one of her questions. She already knows that. She jokingly poked me in the side.
After our class with Ismael, I texted him to meet at his office. I bought two coffees for us. Even though I don’t drink coffee often, I drank it today.
“Here,” I said while handing the coffee to him. I sat opposite his table.
“Thank you.” He yawned before taking a sip of coffee.
“Let’s not do that again, okay? If it’s not the weekend tomorrow.”
He smiled and nodded before taking another sip of coffee. I just shook my head. I doubt that he will listen to me.
“You should have slept in my class,” he commented.
“It’s fine. I’ll just sleep later at lunch. You too, take a nap because later we’re going somewhere.”
His eyebrows arched. “Really? Where?”
“Tsk.” I glared at him to let him know that I knew why we were all awake last night. That’s because it’s his birthday! “We will celebrate your birthday. You’re twenty-eight,” I teased.
He laughed. “Shush. Are you making fun of my age?” I smirked and watched his face while drinking coffee. I feel so ecstatic, even with this small talk we’re having. Even if we just look at each other without saying a word, I will be glad and thankful. My heart is thrilled even at these simple things. God, considering that his two beautiful eyes are looking at me, is way too flattering to me. I feel very lucky. Even though I’m unlucky in my family, I have someone who reminds me that it’s still fun to live in this world.
*****
“They are here as well?!” I yelled annoyed because we had been hiding for a while. Now I can confirm, it is indeed hard to date a professor!
He just laughed at me. Earlier we went to the mall to go ice skating, but we saw other lower years there, so we moved to the seaside, but then there were other higher years still in uniform. We will definitely be reported if we are seen together. Now here in the park, my schoolmates are still here!
“I wish we were in disguise,” I commented.
He just grinned. “You’re so cute, baby.” He squeezed my hand that was holding him. “Don’t worry, I know a place where we can date freely.” I faced him, and he winked at me. Where is it?
“Really?” I asked with a smile, but that smile also disappeared when I saw the place he was referring to. “Hardware?! Are you kidding me, Ismael?”
“Nope.” He pulled me in there. I can’t believe it. What a nice place to date your special someone!
“You know what? Let’s just go home. We’ll just stay at my house. I’ll cook for you,” I suggested.
He pinched my nose. “Chill. I have something to buy here since you keep on telling me you’ll stay at your house tonight.” He showed me the smart door lock. I was stunned. Don’t tell me he’s been thinking about this since earlier. Is he that worried about what happened to me? But for sure, Professor Sybill will not come back, especially Joth.
Ismael and I went home after he bought that smart door lock. He was busy fixing the door of my house while I was cooking dinner for us. Fortunately, I have some leftover scallops in my fridge. It can be our dinner tonight. I haven’t done grocery shopping yet, especially since I don’t have any extra money. Good thing, Mr. Vargas wired to my bank my salary last time, so I still have some left even though Joth has taken everything. I just need to get back to the casino so I can have income for my expenses in the following days. Good thing Mr. Vargas understands my situation and put me on the on-call list.
After I finished cooking seared scallops with lemon-herb rice, I set up the table. I even poured white wine into our glasses. I also took the gift I prepared for Ismael. I chose not to sleep earlier at lunch to buy this.
“Done?” I asked Ismael when I saw him enter the door. “Yup, come here, and we’ll set up our fingerprints.”
“Our? What do you mean by that, Ismael?” I asked him with a smile.
“Don’t ask if you already know the answer.”
I chuckled. He took my hand and placed it on the screen of the smart door lock. I don’t know what he was doing, but he did the same with his finger. So, he’s planning to go here?
After setting up our fingerprints, we went back inside to eat. A smile never left my lips the whole time. I lit up the candles on the table and turned off the lights. Seriously, I’m thrilled!
“Here, love, happy birthday.” I gave my gift for him. It seems that he did not expect that.
“Thank you, baby,” he said before kissing me on the cheek and opening my gift.
“Remember when I accidentally got your book in the pool? I really felt bad about what happened, so I thought I’d buy you a new one. I don’t know if you’ve bought it yet, and I don’t know if you’ll like it. That’s all I can think of to give you because it looks like you already have everything and you can buy it-”
“I haven’t bought it yet,” he replied while smiling at me. “Thank you for this gift, my love. I really like it.” He kissed me again on the cheek. I can tell from his actions that he is happy with what I gave. It seems that he didn’t even expect that I would give him a gift. Compared to what he has done for me, what is a book?
“Why are you reading that?” I refer to his book. He pulled out the chair for me, so I sat down. He sat across from me.
“To know you more, to understand you more, my love.”
I gasped. Did I hear it right? Is he reading a book for me?
“It Didn’t Start With You talks about how inherited family trauma shapes who you are and breaking free from it. I have really loved this book since then. It helps me a lot, and I’m reading it again, not for me but to understand the woman who’s really special for me,” he explained, making my heart melt with his words. How come a man was willing to read a book just to understand me?
“God, Ismael, why are you like this? Why are you loving me this way?” I inquired even though I already knew the answer.
“Do I really have to answer that?”
I smiled and looked at him intently.
“Come on, let’s eat. I want to eat what you prepared for me.”
I nodded, and we shared the food I prepared for both of us together. Would it be like this every year on his birthday? ‘Cause I wish to be with him just like this. Even if we just talk, eat, and look at each other, then a smile is enough for me. I tear up to think that despite the bitterness that I have experienced in my whole life, he is here to relieve it all. I am so thankful to God that he brought him here for me.
“You’re aware that your eyes can melt me, right?” he joked before wiping his mouth with a napkin. He sipped his wine and looked at me.
“I am just enjoying my view,” I answered. “I can’t see you tomorrow because it’s Tuesday. We don’t have class with you,” I added.
“Someday, you will get tired of seeing my face every day.”
I laughed at what he said. “I doubt it. How about you? Will you get tired of my face?”
He shook his head. “No, you are my favorite scenery-the art I want to bring into my house so I can stare at you forever.”
I just closed my eyes and smiled. He’s so poetic. It would be a mistake if I made an excuse for him to leave me. I will never let him go. This one is mine.
*****
I was listening to our marketing professor because he’s talking about the pointers to review when we heard a lady shouting at the corridor. We all glanced outside.
“Get that girl out! Get my husband’s mistress out!”
I gasped. Who would be here at the university and make a scene when all of the students might witness it? I looked at Sav. She just shrugged. I just turned my attention back to the front, but I immediately blinked when I heard my name.
“Bring Jothea Alvandra out! Where is she? I need to talk to her! She’s been seducing my husband! How old is she? Didn’t she think she was hooking up with a married man? She’s destroying our family!”
I gasped as the attention of the crowd darted towards me. I immediately looked at the woman at the door. She was the lady I saw that night at the Island Motel Bar-Professor Sybill’s wife.
“Excuse me, ma’am, this is not a place for this kind of issue. I can assist you to our dean’s office if you want,” said our marketing professor.
“Are you kidding me? This is where they do their lewd things!” She yelled. “So if you’re here, Jothea Alvandra, get out if you don’t want me to drag your hair!”
I felt Sav’s hand clinging to mine. “Don’t go there, Thea. I’m sure Professor Mondalla will do something about this.”
I saw Ismael, and that made me feel awful. He is talking to that lady in a calm way; it looks like he’s asking her to deal with the issue in a way that nobody can hear. My breathing became heavier. Even in this mess of mine, he will still fix it.
I stood up and followed them. They noticed my presence, so they turned around. I saw how the reaction on Ismael’s face changed, as if he were asking what I was doing there.
“I am Jothea Alvandra; I am the girl you are looking for,” I exclaimed. “I am s-”
My explanation was interrupted when I received a strong slap from her. The intensity of her hand turned my face to the side. I saw the students in the hallway watching us.
“Where do you get delicadeza to destroy a family, wench?” she asked angrily. Every word is stressed. She seems to want to kill me. “Really, you will it on my husband? What for?! Don’t you know that we already have a child?”
“I didn’t know-”
“Miss Alvandra, go back to your room,” Ismael ordered me as if he wasn’t letting me explain. What’s wrong with what I did? I’m just facing my mistake then. Because if I had known that Professor Sybill was married, I would not have forced myself on him. That’s what I did when I found out, didn’t I?
“No, sir. She was asking for me. I should at least apologize to her.”
“I said, go back to your room, Jothea Alvandra!”
I was surprised by his yelling. My heart felt like it was broken. Especially when I see his face disgusted with me. I gulped. Am I doing this too, wrong again?
“Why are you asking her to leave?” We turned to the speaker. It was Raviel. It is my first time to see him again after he threatened me at the campsite. “I’m interested.”
“Raviel, can you not interfere in this?” I asked, but he just grinned. He approached Mrs. Enciso before speaking. I don’t understand what he is doing, and he is getting involved with us. “Ma’am, your husband has a lot of women. Jothea was one of them, but that was a long time ago.” Raviel explained that I couldn’t do earlier because Ismael kept cutting me off.
I was about to thank him for what he did, but it seems I already know the answer to all my questions about why he is here. “Jothea is not a timer. She’s very loyal to her man now. Right, Professor Mondalla?”
I heard the gasps across the corridor. All of the students are whispering in disbelief. I bit my lip, especially when I saw Ismael’s reaction. I want to cry. It seems that I have put him in a situation that is not appropriate for him.
“Raviel! Stop it!” I heard Savannah shout.
“Why would I? I have proofs of how unethical Professor Mondalla is,” he proclaimed arrogantly while waving his cell phone in the air where the videos of Ismael and I were. Especially the one scene where Ismael kissed me when I was in my bridal gown.
“What’s the meaning of this, Professor Mondalla?” asked our marketing professor, who had been listening to what was happening. Soon the other members of the faculty also arrived, even Dean Dator.
“I also have pictures of them at the casino. I also have evidence that he brought Jothea to his penthouse,” he added, clenching my fist even more. What is he trying to point out?
“Is this true, Professor Mondalla?” Dean Dator asked when he saw the evidence from Raviel’s phone. “Are you in a relationship with a student?”
I gulped as I tried to be ready for the consequences of loving a professor. I never thought this day would come. But at least now I know, no matter what happens, I have Ismael. I can handle everything because I’m with him.
“No, we are not in a relationship. I was just using her so I could stay here longer.”
A tear fell from my eyes. He said that while looking at me. No, that was a lie.
“I’m sorry, Miss Alvandra.”
He turned his back to me as he walked away, leaving me all dumbfounded. What is this? This can’t be true. I might be dreaming. There is no way that Ismael will waste his time on something ridiculous like this.
But the more he took those steps away from me, the more I began to believe.
He really did when I told him to take me down.
I was really taken down by a professor.
I was defeated by Ismael Mondalla-the guy who I believed would lift me up from the misery.