JANE's POV “Did you see what she did, Mrs. Marilyn?“Ignore her; I already told you the kind of person she is; if she senses any fear inside of you, she will prey on it, so always keep your shoulders up and ignore whatever she does. Please get me coffee; I need to stay awake.“Now?“Yes, Jane, now.“You want me to share the same space with someone who looked like she was going to devour me with her eyes? If looks could kill, I would be dead by now.Mrs. Marilyn smiled and went back to her office. I had no choice but to obey her orders. I went into the kitchen to make her coffee. I was literally trying to avoid Victoria but she was always trying to bump into me, even in the small kitchen.“Victoria, can you watch where you are going, please?“And can you not look for my trouble, ma'am?“Look for your trouble. You’ve bumped into me three times without saying sorry.“Maybe if you had eyes, you would have known when to wait until I passed. “You are just full of tr
JANE's POV I took the painting to my room and I stood for a while staring at it. I never thought any of my kids would take after me, even if any of them were supposed to. I've always thought it was going to be Keith or Keana but not Keene, but nevertheless, I'm going to nurture his talent, I'm ready to lend him a helping hand, and I'll support him in any way possible, I'm going to take out time and mentor my child, and I'll give him all the support he needs.I never got much support as a child; I was always laughed at; I was told my painting was ugly so many times; Ben made it really worse; he would tell me that I have no business with painting and that all my paintings were ugly; I developed anxiety and was depressed for a while. I'm not going to allow Keene to go through all of that; I will give him all the moral support he needs to grow. I can't believe I now have a painting buddy in the house. I placed the drawing on my table and I brought out my pen from my bag. I wrote the date
JANE's POV When I reached down the stairs, I saw Keana sitting on the floor, her arms wrapped around her knees. She was sobbing, her face red and puffy. I kneeled next to her and put my hand on her shoulder.“What is wrong, baby? Why are you crying, Keana? Did your brother hurt you?“I just got frustrated with something, mummy.I looked at my five-year-old daughter, wondering what would possibly make her frustrated. Does she even know what the words mean? It got me a little.“Tell me what the problem is, my darling.“I was just trying to write a poem but I couldn't get the words to come out right. I kept starting over and over again, but it just wasn't working and it made me cry, mummy."It's okay, butterfly; sometimes inspiration doesn't come easy. It's normal to get frustrated when you're trying to create something and it's not working out the way you want it to.She nodded. "I know, mummy, but it's still hard."That's true, but sometimes, when you take a break and come back to it
JANE's POV Sarah has always been a good listener, and she has a way of making me feel understood. Even when I can't find the words to explain how I'm feeling, she seems to know exactly what I'm going through. I'm not sure how she does it, but it is something I have always appreciated about our friendship."I know it's hard to make decisions when you feel lost. Do you want to talk about the challenges you're facing?"I guess I'm just not sure what I want to do with my life; I'm feeling a bit vulnerable. I feel like I've been going through the motions, just doing what is expected of me. I know I should be grateful for the opportunities I have, but I don't feel fulfilled. I'm just...unsure of what I want."It's normal to feel this way, Jane. A lot of people go through periods of self-doubt and questioning. It's important to give yourself the space to figure things out. I nod, taking in her words. "You're right. I just feel like I'm running out of time."There's no such thing as a 'time
JANE's POV There's nowhere to run, nowhere to hide from my own thoughts. I feel trapped, like a prisoner in my own mind. I close my eyes, trying to block out the world around me, but it's no use. The darkness only makes the loneliness feel even more intense."I wish I could just feel normal again," I whispered to myself, my voice barely audible. "I just want to be happy. Why is that so hard for me to achieve? One moment things are going smoothly and the next minute, I am lost again. I wish I could turn off the feelings—the sadness and the despair—like a light switch. But it is not that simple. I have to work through the pain and the loneliness if I ever want to find happiness again. But it is taking longer than expected; why is it taking so long? Is it that my own case is different?Slowly, I felt the tears drying on my cheeks, and I took a deep breath. I felt calm, a little more clear-headed.And even though I was still feeling lonely, I knew that I wasn't
I woke to the sound of little feet jumping on the bed. I opened my eyes, feeling groggy and disoriented, and was greeted by the smiling faces of my children. Despite my exhaustion, I couldn't help but smile at their exuberance. I knew they were just excited to start the day, and I was grateful for their joyous energy.I struggled to sit up, my limbs feeling like lead. "Good morning, sweeties! I said I was doing my best to sound energetic. But inside, I just wanted to go back to sleep. I kissed their tender foreheads."Mummy, can you drive us to school today? Keana asked, her big brown eyes pleading. I knew I couldn't say no, even though I was feeling exhausted. My children were so full of life, and I didn't want to stifle their joy. They were so eager to learn, and I didn't want to disappoint them."Of course, sweetie, let’s go get ready for school!!I slowly got out of bed, trying to shake off the sleepiness. I handed them over to Esther and she bathed them and gave them breakfast
I rushed through the door, out of breath and slightly disheveled. I looked up, and the first person I saw was Victoria, the office gossip and my least favourite co-worker. She smirked as she looked me up and down, taking in my appearance. I could feel her judging me, and I felt my confidence starting to slip away. I stood facing Victoria. I braced myself for the inevitable onslaught of questions and gossip. But to my surprise, she simply gave me a curt nod and turned to walk away. I couldn't help but wonder what was going on. Was she up to something? Or was she simply having a rare moment of kindness?I pushed the thought out of my mind and made my way to my desk. Jaxson gave me a disapproving look."You're lateI took a deep breath and prepared to explain myself. I'm so sorry.trying to keep my voice steady. "There was a major accident on the highway, and the traffic was backed up for miles. I did my best to get here as quickly as possible.Jaxson's expression remained stern, but h
I could hear sirens in the distance as the operator continued to speak to me. She was telling me to look for a pulse, but I was too overwhelmed to focus on what she was saying. Then, the gallery door burst open, and we heard footsteps in the hallway. A moment later, two paramedics burst into the room. They kneeled down next to Jaxson and began to assess the situation. I stood back, trying to make sense of what was happening. I felt numb, like I was in a dream.One of the paramedics looked up at me. "Do you know what happened? he asked, his voice calm and professional.I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. I couldn't seem to find the right words to explain what had happened."We need to know what happened so we can determine the best course of action. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself."I... I don't know," I said, my voice trembling. “We found him like this.The paramedic nodded, and he and his partner began to work on Jaxson. I stood back, feeling helpless a