I tried my best to pull myself together and stop crying, wiping away the evidence from my puffy eyes. Seriously, I didn't want to give anyone a reason to laugh at or mock me. Nurse Ma-An and I had been at it until five in the afternoon. She even powdered my face and joked about calling a tricycle to pick us up so we could avoid the crowd. I was so out of it, I almost forgot about Magnolia.
Turns out, Magnolia was just outside the clinic door. She didn't even knock. When she saw me, her eyebrows furrowed, clearly noticing my tear-streaked face and sniffly nose. I had really let it all out.
"Hey…" Mags said with worry in her voice.
"Miss Magnolia, you should talk to him. Chris got some news... it's really tough for him."
Even Nurse couldn't help but get teary-eyed. She didn't want to leave me alone with Mags because she was worried. Honestly, I just wanted everyone to clear out of the campus before we made a move.
"Want us all to leave together?" Nurse Ma-An asked, trying to comfort me like a kid.
"Are you okay now?" They must've asked me a million times, trying to coax me out of there. These two were really patient with me. I kept pulling my sweatshirt hood over my head and bawling. No clue if there were any other people in the Admin Building besides the three of us. I was completely shattered when I learned Liza had died.
I tried to walk properly with Nurse and Mags, feeling embarrassed about the trouble I was causing. We timed it just right so there were only a few people around when we left. I matched their slow pace, especially since Nurse said her legs were short and she couldn't keep up with us. We ended up laughing, joking that Nurse looked like our kid because of her height. She's such a character.
"Both of you, hop in with me," Nurse invited us to ride the tricycle.
"Where are you headed?"
"Ma'am, we're off to the market," Mags replied.
"Oh, that's on the way. Come on, get in."
Mags sat inside next to Nurse. They probably chatted about what had happened to Liza.