CHAPTER THREE

VENITA:

The universe must want me to end up somewhere unfortunate. A jail, perhaps. Because why would a man who thinks the world was his to dominate come in contact with me this morning? And, why was he calling my child sweetheart? I had zero tolerance in me.

As a surge of anger coursed through my veins, about to intervene, I noticed that Sasha was abruptly in pain. My heart skipped in worry. Hopefully, it was nothing serious, please. We can't afford a hospital bill, either. Before I got out of my shell shock, the arrogant man was next to her, a gentle smile plastered on his face. His voice was reassuring.

“Take a deep breath for me, Sweetheart. Inhale. Exhale,” he instructed Sasha. Why was he calling her Sweetheart?

“Move away,” I busted out, not minding if tons of kids were watching us. “I need to take her to the hospital,” I cried out after seeing that her pain was worsening.

“Just allow me to concentrate,” he barked. “Keep quiet!”

I was too stunned to speak. His audacity needed to be studied. “That’s it! I'm calling the police,” I threatened into the thin air since nobody was moving. They all stood there frozen.

“Breath,” he repeated, ignoring my rant. Sasha's tense shoulders gradually eased as she looked up into the stranger's eyes. With a hesitant nod, she took a deep breath. My watchful gaze softened just a fraction. “That's it,” the stranger encouraged. “Now let's close our eyes and imagine a peaceful place.”

As Sasha obediently followed his instructions, my skepticism began to wane. I watched as my daughter's features slowly softened, the tension in her expression giving way to a sense of calm. The stranger's presence, once a threat in my eyes, now seemed oddly comforting.

A few moments later, she opened her eyes, her smile radiant and genuine. “Thank you,” she whispered to the stranger.

“You're welcome,” he replied, his voice a blend of kindness and reassurance. "Remember, whenever you're feeling anxious, you can always come back to that peaceful place in your mind. And, if your head hurts…” he leaned in and whispered something in her ears, which made Sasha giggle loudly.

Still standing at a distance, I found myself at a loss for words. My initial anger had transformed into a profound admiration for the stranger's ability to connect with my daughter. I watched as they exchanged a few more words, my daughter hanging onto the stranger's every utterance. He has saved Sasha twice today. And, the way he looked into her eyes as if they knew each other. It was confusing and alarming at the same time.

To worsen the situation, it was as if my smelling sense could pick everything. Most of all, the stranger's scent. It was so intense and confusing. He smelled like earth and orchid. This man was almost six feet away from me. Yet, I could scent him as if we were cuddling. I could also smell a rotten muffin, ink, and numerous things that were far away from me. Why?

“Are you okay?” I finally asked Sasha when I found my voice, dragging my attention from this stranger who made me feel uneasy and safe at the same time.

“Yes,” she simply answered.

Tapping Sasha on her shoulder, he rose to his full length. “Who are you to keep meddling? I need to speak to her mother and not an ordinary teacher,” he added.

Clearing my throat, I squared my shoulders. “Mr., I don't know what gave you the impression that I was a teacher here. I'm not. Why do you keep calling my daughter sweetheart?” His eyes went wide, and his face drew into a hard frown before he masked his expression almost immediately. “Surprised? Why? I don't look like a mother?”

“You're her mum?” He regarded me from head to toe, maintaining silence.

“Yes, I am,” I answered, arms crossed over my chest.

“I hope to see you some other time, beautiful, “he said to my daughter. “Peter, let’s take care of why we’re here,” he told a curly redhead guy in a suit.

“Yes, Mr. Kurt,” the principal whom I had a bone to pick, giggled. All smiles and jittery. “Thank you for saving one of our children. It could’ve been worse if not for you.” Snaring at me, “That’s the child’s mother, Miss Venita Lowell.”

'Hey ma’am, I'm right here and if I want to thank him, I have a mouth to do so,' I desperately wanted to say but held back.

The jerk rolled his eyes and dismissively waved his hands at the principal.

He was led out while I spent time making sure that Sasha was okay before joining them. The principal asked me to stay back, even though It wasn't yet the slated time for parents.

Throughout being around him, I resisted myself so much from whacking him across the head. I was growing impatient with his domineering attitude. He spoke harshly to everyone, criticized efforts, and went as far as having four people fired in one day. The most I have seen his human side was with Sasha. If I didn’t get a glimpse of that, I would have concluded that this man was from hell, out to make lives difficult. And, his stupid scent didn't want to leave my nostrils. It was becoming a memory, fast registering at the back of my mind.

If that wasn't enough, the way he shot condescending stares at me, angered me more. Thankfully, the day ended with him donating a huge sum to the school. Before he left, he requested to see Sasha. He instructed her to reach out to him should she ever have a problem.

* * * * *

“Do you know that man, honey?” I questioned Sasha while I tucked her in. The day had finally ended and somehow, I didn't go to work. I called in and sent a couple of emails, hoping they would understand. Today was important to Sasha and no job could beat that, even if it was the one that paid our bills.

“No, mummy,” she answered with a yawn.

I took a moment to evaluate the whole chemistry they had. 'What a weirdo,' I thought to myself. Well, he did save the day and also made sure that the issue of bullying would be taken seriously in Sasha's school. “Baby, you can't be all nice and trusting towards strangers. People are bad and might hurt you. Do you understand?”

“Yes, mummy. But, he seems like someone I know and it didn't feel like I was with a stranger even for a moment," she told me, yawning.

"That's absurd. I'm sure none of us has ever encountered that man. Anyway, stay away from people."

Kissing her good night, I turned the lights off and headed to my room to end the day. My thoughts were overwhelmed with what was happening with my health and sense organs. Why couldn't I get rid of that stranger's scent in my head? For real, was I going to need medical attention if this happened again? Was I having a mental breakdown? What was going on with me? Because there was no way a human could randomly hear people's whispers, smell everything, and hallucinate about glowing eyes.