While she was on a break, Edith Qian took out her phone and checked her messages.
It was after lunch hour and the kids were now taking their naps. This was the only time that she could relax and did a bit of her study in peace.
It has become a habit of hers to turn her phone on silent mode while she was in class and would only check on it during a break. If someone was in an emergency to find her, they will need to call the school. These days, the people who would look for her for an emergency were not that many. Only her grandpa, Michael Qian, and her friend, Lily Zhou knew how to contact her.
When she unlocked her phone, there was only one message notification and it was from her grandpa. He only sent her a message to tell her that she might not be able to contact him for a few days a he was going on another fishing trip with his friend.
Just as she slid her phone back into her apron, there was a soft knock on the door.
Edith stood up quietly when she saw Headmistress Fu through the glass window. She glanced at the sleeping kids to make sure that they were sleeping and headed out silently.
"Headmistress Fu." Edith greeted as she closed the door behind her.
The headmistress peeked inside the classroom. "Are the kids asleep?"
Edith nodded. "Is something the matter?"
Headmistress Fu smiled. "Nothing much. I received a phone call from Hazel Mo's guardian just now. He had an important meeting today and will be picking his niece a bit later."
"I understand." Edith nodded. She can only hope that Hazel's uncle won't be showing up as later than the first time he picked her up. She really did not want to crash over at her friend's house again.
Ever since that night where President Mo first showed up, he was never late again when he came to pick up Hazel. However, because of his timely presence, a few parents started to swarm around him in hoping to make a connection with him.
After that day, he would send his driver, Uncle Tang to pick up Hazel while he waited for her in the car. Fortunately, both Uncle Tang and Assistant Shawn's names were already registered with the kindergarten as the authorized person to pick up Hazel.
"It has been a couple of months since Hazel Mo returned to the kindergarten. Is she doing well?" Headmistress Fu asked with concern.
"She's adjusting quite well," Edith answered. She thought about it for a few seconds and added, "I think she will be alright with President Mo looking after her."
The last time Mrs. Mo came to look for her, Headmistress Fu was present and knew that the Mo family was asking her to keep her eyes on Hazel and her uncle in any way that she can.
"I'm glad to hear that." Headmistress Fu heaved a sigh. "I was worried when I heard that Hazel will be living with her uncle from Madam Mo. If President Mo can look after Hazel well, then, that's good."
"You can stop worrying too much, Headmistress Fu. I will look after Hazel while she's in school." Edith said. "If I noticed anything unusual, I will inform you right away."
Edith continued to chat with the Headmistress about the kids for a while and then she went back into the classroom. She grabbed her backpack and pulled out a few study materials.
The room was a bit dark as the children were asleep. Edith had to rely only on the dim light from the study lamp to read her books.
She was focusing on her books when her ears suddenly picked up muffled sounds.
Her ears perked up as she tried to find the source of that sound, but then, the sound stopped. She looked around only to see the students were sleeping soundly.
At the thought that her mind was playing tricks on her, Edith turned back to her books. But seconds later, she could hear the sound again. Edith straightened up her body to focus on the sound. Her eyes darted to a corner where the sound came from: it was one of the girls!
Edith stood up stealthily and walked towards the direction. Her eyes went wide with surprise when she saw Hazel hugging her knee closely to her chest. Her body shaking.
Was she having a nightmare?
Swiftly, Edith knelt beside her. It was then that the sobbing stop. From the look of it, it doesn't look like Hazel was sleeping at all.
Edith touched her shoulder lightly and whispered. "Hazel. What's wrong?"
Hazel stayed still. Only the sound of sniffing could be heard.
"Do you want to come out?" she whispered to Hazel again.
Hazel tightened her grip on her knees. After a minute has passed, she nodded.
Edith held her hand to pull her up but changed her mind. She scooped up the girl and brought the girl out to the small resting room. Then, she poured a glass of water for the little girl.
As Hazel drank her water quietly, Edith went over to the headmistress room and told her the situation. The headmistress then volunteered to watch over the other kids while Edith comforted the little girl.
When Edith entered the room again, Hazel has stopped her hiccup. She took a seat beside Hazel and smiled gently. "Are you alright now?"
Hazel replied with a nod.
"Do you want to talk?" asked Edith again.
Hazel tilted her head down and swung her feet slowly. Then she looked at her teacher and opened her mouth to speak, but it seemed like she didn't know what she wanted to tell her.
When Edith saw that the girl didn't want to talk, she pulled the girl closer into her embrace. The little girl's head was resting on her chest as she patted her soft hair. "It's fine if you don't want to talk about it. But if you ever need someone to talk to, you can find me, alright?"
Then, Hazel began to sniffle again. "Teacher Qian," she called. Her voice trembled. Her small hand was curled into a fist.
"Hmm?" Edith pulled away a little bit to look at her. "What is it?"
"Teacher Qian," she called again.
"Yes?" Edith rocked her body back and forth to comfort Hazel. "I'm right here."
"I—I miss my mom and dad."