Ella Maria's POV
I woke up and reached out for my baby boy, I opened my eyes and see my cute three-year-old boy. My fingers traced his lovely face. My Leonard. The light of my dull life. Leonard stirred lightly in his sleeping form. His plump pink lips turned into a pout. Wrapping his small arm around my waist, he opened his eyes. With a single look in his eyes, all my sorrows melted away.
"Morwning, Mommy," he greeted me.
Slowly, my fingers tickled his arm, gaining a hard laugh from him. He climbed on top of me, trying to do the same. His little fingers tickled my neck. He smiled triumphantly, showing his pearl-white teeth when I squealed. Carrying him behind my back, I dance my way toward the bathroom, bathing him first and changing him into a new fresh set of clothes. Pinching his nose, I told him to play with his toy while I took a shower.
The bathroom was small. There was only a shower head and a small sink and the toilet at the end. Barely two people could enter. Brushing my teeth, I made a mental note on my grocery list and added Leonard's milk too. Sighing, I let the cold water wash over my body. The water droplet fell from my face along with my tears. The money would always be a problem in my life.
Closing the shower door behind me, I made my way to the small cupboard, changing into a white blouse and an A-line black skirt. Braiding my long wavy red hair, I looked into the mirror. A pair of blue eyes looked back at me. My eyes look bad, I thought to myself. Dabbing some eyeshadow and powder on and then I finished it with pink lipstick. I smiled back at the mirror, praising myself for the makeup skill I had, at least I had that.
Picking up Leonard, I scurried to the kitchen. I made a vanilla pancake, coffee for me, and milk for little Leonard. Sipping my coffee, I listened attentively to his story about his new friend. That new friend was living next door. After finishing our breakfast, I tucked my file under my arm and held Leonard’s hand tightly.
Today, I had to take Leonard with me to the interview as nobody was there to take care of him and I didn't have the resources to pay them. Locking the door of our small apartment, my eyes took in my surroundings. Leonard looked cute with his Mickey Mouse backpack.
Walking down the street, I waited for bus no. A12 to take me uptown. To the city where my dream job was waiting.
"Leonard," I looked down at my son.
"Yes, mummy," he replied while humming his favorite song.
Squatting down, I held both of his hands, trying to get his attention. When I finally did, I told him about my interview today.
"God pwease help Mommy," he prayed with joined hands.
The bus arrived and both of us hopped into it. Leonard took the seat beside the window. A few moments later, we reached our destination.
Standing in front of the building, I looked up. Taking a deep breath, I opened the glass door. Leonard tightened his grip on my hand. The cold air-con greeted us. The word "Sky" in gold adorned the white wall. A smiling blonde woman stood behind the reception counter. Pulling Leonard with me, I stepped forwards toward the reception counter.
"I'm Ella Maria. I came for the open interview," I said introducing myself.
The blonde-haired woman passed me a form and asked me to fill it up and give it back to her once completed. Looking across the lobby, my gaze fell on the other women chattering and filling up their forms. They looked young, I thought to myself. Sitting down on one of the empty couches. I took out a pen from my bag. I filled up the form answering the question one by one.
Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Leonard smiling while coloring an image of a bird on the coloring book I bought for him last month. The chattering sound and the shushing after that bothered me. It was a sign that the woman standing near the pillar had turned Leonard and me into a juicy gossip topic. Their feet were not in my shoe, they couldn't feel the tightness or the holes in the sole, so they were not the best judges. I knew that, but it was so hard to ignore it.
"Be strong, do it for Leo," I mentally told myself. I was so deep in my thought and focused on filling up the form, I forgot to check on Leonard.
"Leo, have you finished coloring?" I asked while looking at the form, checking that every question was answered carefully.
My eyes widened in horror when I turned my gaze to the spot where I last saw my baby. He was not there, only his book on the floor with the colored pencils scattered on the floor. Tears welled up in my eyes, as I realized that Leonard was missing.
He couldn't be far away, right? He should be somewhere inside the building, but where could he be?
Questions swarmed in my head. Craning my neck, I looked around, but he was nowhere to be found. The sound of my beating heart was almost audible to my ear. I stood up instantly and rushed towards the reception desk with the hope that the receptionist saw Leonard.
"Have you seen my son? He was with me not long ago," I asked her, stammering.
She shook her head.
My heart pounded, hammering inside my chest. I almost choked on my tears as I couldn't find him even after calling out his name a couple of times.
"Mommy," A faint sound came from a distance. Turning around, Leonard ran towards me. His tiny fingers wrapped around my calf as he clung to me. Relief washed over me. Finally, I could take a calm breath. Squatting down, I hugged him tightly. "Where did you go?"
"Toilet," he whispered to me.
There was a man trailing behind Leonard. His round grey eyes fixed on me. He looked handsome with his diamond shape face, sharp nose, and curly hair. Standing up, I could take a guess that he was at least 6' 2" tall. A powerful aura of authority emitted from him. His three-piece grey suit covered his perfectly molded body.
His hand tucked neatly inside his pocket, "I saw him running along the hallway near the toilet," he explained.
"Thank you, sir," I said smiling in gratitude at him.
He nodded his head and walked passed by me towards the elevator. He waved at Leonard as the door closed on him.
Pulling Leonard with me, I sat down and put him on my lap, waiting for my name to be called.