My elementary school teacher said that life is like sailing, a perilous one. It was relaxing to hear the waves crashing when the weather was beautiful. But sometimes, the storm comes, and the huge waves crash. It will capsize your boat.
And that storm is what I felt.
During December, the students had different reactions. First, they are happy because Christmas vacation is finally starting. Second, others were worrying about whether they can pass. They also get anxious if there were incomplete projects.
If you would ask me, I am quite happy. There were no projects to finish, and I surely passed this semester. Here I am staring at a poster where I am third in ...
"You are a genius! Could you please donate some intelligence?" one of my classmates joked.
I just laughed and said he was also smart. He nodded, tore off a page of his notebook, twisted the paper, and glued the two ends together to make a paper crown.
He walked like a drunk cat staggering in the hallway.
Although I was laughing, I stopped because it scared me. He was brave enough to make the hallway of the 3rd floor his catwalk where the offices of deans from various colleges/departments were located!
The two of us became as cold as an ice cap in Antarctica when the door of one office suddenly opened. We turned away so that no one would recognize us. I whispered to Beks that we would slowly walk away.
"Miss Santiago, the Dean wants to talk to you," called one of our professors.
"Go! I will wait for you," Beks even pushed me to the door.
We greeted our professor, then I went inside the office. As I slowly closed the door, I heard Beks was flattering our teacher. I let out a sigh after I closed the door.
We just avoided another catastrophe.
I adjusted my uniform first to make sure it was not too tangled. I centered my necktie and parted my hair.
We will deal with a dean so, I should look good. Do not worry because I am still in the lobby / receiving area of the office. I will open another door before I reach the primary office.
"Good afternoon Miss Diaz," I greeted.
When I sat down, she immediately handed me a white envelope containing money. I thanked Ms. Dean and said that money was a big help to our family today.
"You deserve it. Again, Congratulations on being one of the top students."
She asked me if I was interested in participating in an upcoming contest in Japan next year.
That was a great opportunity. I want to experience my first winter ever and see snow. I wanted to taste authentic ramen at Ichiran buy anime merch., etc. Unfortunately, I had to refuse it.
I could clearly see Miss Dean frowned and shook her head. She fanned herself even though I was shivering in the cold because of the chilly temperature. It even drank water after hearing my revelation.
"You are a scholar. It was a pity, Miss Santiago. It is only two more semesters, then you will graduate!"
I appreciated her concern. I explained my situation and why it would be better for me to stop studying first.
She told me she could do nothing if I already decided.
I thanked her again before leaving the office.
When I came out of the office, Beks was still there. He tapped me on the shoulder.
"Come on! I will treat you and then bring gifts for the twins!"
Beks was a spendthrift. He ordered 2 boxes of pizza, a gallon of ice cream, and even had two cakes. Fortunately, he has a car because otherwise, I might hit him even though he had good intentions.
"Baks, why do you not want to borrow from me? The twins are special. They are like brothers and sisters to me!"
I just shook my head. I thanked him for his desire to help but; we have been indebted to them since their condition got worse. They did not ask us to pay them back. His family was very kind that I did not want to take advantage of their kindness.
"Big Sister!"
From a distance, we saw the twins. They ran towards us.
I hugged them. They also immediately let go when they saw Beks holding food. I winked at Beks and he got it. He will be the babysitter. After all, the twins loved him.
I asked my parents if I could talk to them in private about an important matter. They nodded as a response.
We went to the garden of this hospital because there are benches here. It was quite quiet. And at least they can focus on what I have to say. I did not want to beat around the bush. The moment we all sat down, I informed them about my decision.
They both looked at each other. My mother cried. My father explained that it also crossed their minds. They knew that one of my dreams was to finish my studies so, they just kept quiet.
I explained that I would still go back to school after their surgery. The doctor recommended that my siblings should undergo an operation as soon as possible because they would have heart complications.
The problem here is they must carry this complicated operation out in the USA. My sister has already sent all her savings, and we have sold the car. We have asked for help from the foundations, but it was still not enough.
It has been two days since the Christmas vacation started. I immediately looked for a job. The problem was as if I was entering a needle hole. They did not accept me because I do not seem to have job experience. Even for small establishments, the result was still the same.
I just stumbled on the road when I felt exhausted. My stomach growled. I grabbed my pocket from my black backpack. As I was chewing on the bread, I saw a poster in the opposite building. It is impossible for you not to notice this because it is red. But it does not look like a commercial building. I can say it looks like a condominium because it has a balcony on each floor.
I blinked a few times and almost choked when I read the job offer and their compensation.
Is this true? Can I still apply?