Thank goodness it was Friday already.
After an eventful week, I was too glad that the weekend was here already. I would finally get a break from working. Don't get me wrong, I love the children but that doesn't mean I don't get exhausted dealing with their energy for too long.
I was a bit early today, so I decided to grab a cup of coffee from my favorite coffee shop on the way to school. At the counter, I placed my order and waited.
From the corner of my eye, I could see two ladies sitting beside where I stood. They spoke in hushed tones sneaking glances at me. I did a quick check of what I wore. In my loose slacks and floral blouse, I looked normal.
Deciding to mind my own business, I took my hot plastic cup of coffee and left the coffee shop.
Ellen stood in front of the doorway welcoming the students to school. Her eyes were searching among the cluster of students like she was looking for something, or someone.
When her eyes finally landed on me, I waved at her but she didn't seem to notice at all. She walked briskly towards me and pulled me by my arm along with her.
"What's up Ellen?" I asked looking confused and startled. She said nothing, only dragging me like a little mischievous child towards my office. Tossing me in and making sure the door was shut, she brought out her phone and brought the screen to my face.
"Explain this, Leia."
I looked at the screen and saw she was showing me a picture. The picture Ethan had taken of me yesterday at the resort.
From my side profile, it was easy to tell that I was the one in the picture. I couldn't deny when everything was so glaringly obvious.
"Ethan Sterling uploaded this video of you yesterday evening and the media hasn't shut up since then. What's going on?"
I heaved a huge sigh, thinking of the most appropriate way to tell her what was going on.
"Well, the thing is..." this wasn't going to be easy. But it had to be done. "Ethan and I are dating."
I watched as her mouth fell open.
"Engaged actually." I added.
Her mouth fell open even wider.
"We'll be getting married soon." I added again.
Her eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
"What?!" she exclaimed. "How? Where? When..." she rambled and I had to grab her shoulder to get her to calm down.
"Breathe Ellen. I'll answer your questions. Just breathe first. You look like you're going to have a cardiac arrest." I said with a smile.
But she didn't appreciate my sense of humor at that time.
"Start talking." She said through gritted teeth. I didn't know whether to be scared or not.
"Fine. What do you want to know?" I asked her.
"How did you guys meet? How long have you been dating? Why are you keeping it a secret? Do your parents know about this? Is that the reason why..."
"Whoa! Slow down. One question at a time." I told her and went to take a seat at my desk.
Thank goodness we had gone through those lines we would tell the people yesterday, else what would I say to Ellen?
I felt bad lying to her, but it was what had to be done.
"We initially met at the Solstice Art Gallery three months ago."
"And?" Ellen asked with her hands on her waist.
"And we shared our views over a piece of art. Then we started talking. That's it." I had to keep my story short so that I would be believable.
"You're telling me you just—got engaged? To Ethan Sterling?" Ellen asked incredulously with her hands resting on her hips.
I looked up from the stack of papers I had been arranging.
"Yes. We're engaged."
"Leia, this isn't 'yes, I'll have the soup' kind of news. This is engagement. Marriage. The man's barely ever seen in public without a three-piece suit and a headline. He's way out of your league and you know it." she pointed out. I feigned hurt at her words.
"I know what I'm doing, Ellen." I tried to assure her. She didn't seem to believe me though.
"Do you? Because this feels rushed and reckless, and I know you. You can get spontaneous and impulsive. No offense or anything." She raised her hands up.
She was right. I could get spontaneous and impulsive. But this decision was caused by dire times.
I know you're worried about me Ellen. But I want you to know that I didn't make this decision lightly. I had my reasons. Good ones." I tried to reason with her
"Are any of those reasons even remotely related to love?" Ellen blurted almost immediately.
I flinched, but recovers quickly. "Why else would I be with Ethan in the first place. Are you implying that I'm a gold digger?" I asked unable to hide the defensiveness in my voice.
"That's not what I'm saying Leia. But this isn't you, Leia. This isn't the girl who turned down a full ride to law school to teach second graders."
I walked toward my window , watching a few children still lingering in the playground.
This school means everything to me. To these kids. Some things are worth doing if it means protecting that. Even if people don't understand it yet.
"Are you saying you're doing this... for the school? You don't have to. The school will survive and thrive regardless, you don't need to go through such extremes."
"Why won't you believe me? I'm not forced. This is not about the schooI. Ethan and I fell in love and we want to get married. I thought you'd be rooting for me." I turned away from her pretending to be hurt.
I smiled internally as I heard Ellen sigh.
"I am rooting for you. I'm just worried for you. But you're an adult. You're capable of making choices for yourself."
I turned around to face Ellen. "I'm glad you're worried for me. You're such a good friend and I can never replace you. That's why I need you by my side at this time."
Ellen pulled me into a hug and pulled away with a soft smile.
"Okay. I'll stand by you. Just—next time don't hide such a thing from me." She chided.
"I won't. Thank you Ellen." I smiled gratefully.
We share a quiet moment before Ellen shakes her head, smiling faintly.
"Still can't believe you bagged Ethan Sterling. You're gonna give the internet a heart attack." Ellen scrolled through her phone and showed me the pictures again.
Over 1 million likes.
Ethan Sterling was right about the photo. It was just what we needed to capture the media attention.