The Possibility Of You And Me

CHAPTER 15: WALTER

Accompanied by my mother, we embarked on a trip to the mall in search of new items to decorate my room. Reflecting on Omar's words, I realized that it was time for me to move on. He was right-I was the one holding onto the pain, not Sam. Earlier that morning, I carefully packed away all the reminders of Sam, burying them in the past to truly embrace a fresh start. It's disheartening to realize that I needed to hurt someone dear to me in order to understand my own unreasonable behavior.

As my mother busily picked out a new curtain to liven up my room, I found myself browsing the cold aisles of the department store, selecting new clothes. Previously, much of my wardrobe was filled with items gifted to me by Sam.

Wandering through the chilly department store, a sense of emptiness enveloped me. This was the first time I shopped without Sam by my side. They were always there, guiding me on which colors and designs suited me best. I now have to learn to make choices on my own, feeling as if a part of me has been lost.

But I must move forward, learning to adjust to this new reality without Sam. I have to let go and begin anew.

"Hey, it's Sir Walter!" a young woman's voice suddenly called out.

I turned towards the high pitched voice and saw three young girls hurrying towards me. One by one, they greeted me with excitement.

"Sir, how are you? We missed you in class. Please come back," Jenny, a tall, thin girl with glasses, said.

I forced a smile and let out a sigh. "Did you genuinely miss me?" I asked.

"Oh yes, sir. We really missed you. Especially Christine, who had a crush on you," Jenny, the smallest among them, remarked. Christine blushed and playfully pushed her, embarrassed.

"It's not true, sir," Christine shyly denied, deflecting the blame onto Shaira.

"Well then, if you all truly missed me, I'll return on Monday," I said, amused by their enthusiasm.

Their faces instantly lit up with joy and excitement upon hearing my response.

"Really?" they exclaimed almost in unison. "Promise, sir?"

"Yes, I promise. I'll be back. My sick leave is over as well," I reassured them.

"Yes! Life will be happy again because the most handsome teacher in our school will be back," Christine exclaimed loudly, capturing the attention of onlookers in the department store.

I couldn't help but chuckle at the reactions of my students. They're going through the typical teenage phase, much like I did at their age.

"What brings you all here?" I inquired.

"Well, sir, since it's Saturday, we thought we'd take a break and have some fun before tackling our assignments," Christine responded.

"Oh, please. You hardly ever do your assignments," Jenny retorted.

"Come on, I do them. It's actually you who doesn't," Christine quickly fired back, teasing her friend.

Jorene, the quietest one of the three, suddenly spoke up, saying, "You only complete assignments for Sir's subject."

"Oh no! You're all ganging up on me. Is that how it is? Despite us being friends," Christine said, her face turning red, which didn't escape my notice.

"Alright, that's enough. I might just hear about this on Monday, and then it'll be the end of your friendship," I playfully said to my students.

"It's their fault, sir," Christine blamed, laughing along.

"Anyway, are you three the only ones exploring the mall?" I asked them.