As the early morning hours passed, Simone stifled a yawn and worked through the hoard of books. Most of the heavy lifting had been done on Friday so she just rolled her chair this way and that each time she had to shift her pile.
By 10am she was more than halfway done. She put down her stamp and leaned back in her chair.
Stretching back in her seat, she winced slightly as the posture of her stretch cause a slight sting between her legs.
She was starting to feel some soreness now, but still no true pain. She just had to make sure she adjusted her legs from time to time before it became too uncomfortable.
She looked up when Mrs.Veela came back in holding a large box. For someone pushing 70, she was very spry. Simone credited it to happiness and internal peace. Even so, she got up wincing once more as she walked over to take the box.
"Mrs.Veela, why didn't you call for me? I could have brought it in."
The older woman smiled. "No need. I'm old, not disabled."
Simone chuckled as she set the box on top of a stack of books she'd placed on the floor. Opening the lid she saw that it was all new textbooks. How had she missed it? She thought she'd brought them all in on Friday.
"I missed one."
"Actually, no. It was delivered to the wrong school. It was picked up and rerouted back here after we'd already locked up and left on Friday. One of the janitors just brought it."
"Ah." Simone sat back down and finished her cup of cold coffee.
Mrs.Veela studied her expression for a bit before taking a seat on the nearby stool. "Simone, what's bothering you?"
Simone flushed and looked up. "So fast?"
Mrs.Veela smiled. "Shouldn't surprise you. I'm very good at reading people and you my dear are an open book."
"You look very different today. You've dressed up, put on makeup and appear well rested. Even so, I can see you're upset about something."
Simone signed. She knew she couldn't tell her the full truth. It would be far too embarrassing. Besides, allowing a stranger to fuck her wasn't even the source of her misery. How messed up was that?
Even though she'd messily rationalized it, she still felt she should be bothered by it. Well, I guess that part will be determined the next time I see him. Gods, I hope I'm not about to be screwed over again.
"It's my father. I met him, or rather, he brought Mina to see me yesterday. It was supposed to be a happy day spent between the two of us. I barely got any sleep Saturday night but I still went and tried to be as happy and perky as possible, but his constant presence ruined the entire night." Simone's shoulders slumped.
Mrs.Veela nodded. Having come from a loving home with very supportive parents and having had an amazing marriage with her late husband, she simply couldn't wrap her mind around parents who acted the way Simone's father did.
A man who led a double life. A man who had an affair, fathered another child and concealed it from his actual wife and first daughter. Then proceeded to abandon his first family for the second one.
And, if Simone's description was indeed completely accurate, had done so without an ounce of shame or remorse.
Simone had told her that her father had always been cold to her and her mother. And they had hardly even been a true family as he was always gone, claiming he had to work.
Apparently, his second wife was the one actually loved and her and her mother had been an obstacle.
Mrs.Veela was very curious about that last part, but didn't press too much as she did not want to add to Simone's pain. She doubted the young woman even noticed it, but she had a very expressive face and each time she talked about her father, she looked like she was going to cry.
Which she was starting to do right now.
"What did he do? Was he hovering and discreetly insulting you in front of your sister?"
Simone laughed and rubbed at her eyes, noticing the added moisture on her fingertips. "He wasn't so discreet. It would appear he doesn't even care to hide his disdain for me in front of her anymore. He clearly hates the fact that Mina even wants to see me."
"I don't know why he couldn't have just dropped her off at my apartment and gotten lost until it was time pick her up. We went to the park. Mina wanted to ride my bike and it was all dandy until...."
By the time Simone reached the end of her tale, Mrs.Veela felt sick to her stomach. She was also in a state of disbelief. How old was Simone's father? What sort of childish antics were those? Did the man even have an ounce of maturity in him? Heck, even his 11 year old appeared more mature than him.
"That's very sad," she commented, watching Simone reach for some tissues to blow her nose. "Your father is an absolute scoundrel. And what baffles me the most is that he clearly knows how to be loving but chooses to only favor his youngest daughter and openly hate you. You've done nothing to deserve such treatment from him."
Simone chuckled bitterly. "It's as I said before Mrs.Veela, he hates me because he never loved my mother and I'm just a thing attached to her. With Mina...clearly he loves her mother as well. I've long since accepted it and I'm...I never even wanted to meet Mina, but I did it anyway cause he kept asking and now I have a good bond with her so what's the problem? Why can't he just suck it up and smile or at the very least be civil during the visits? Does he think I want to be around him? He's repulsive to me as well."
Mrs.Veela was about to respond when she heard a voice call out from the front.
In the next second the phone rang as well.
She walked out first and a moment later Simone joined her. As she dealt with the student who asked for help logging into the computer, Simone answered the phone.
Mrs.Veela looked over her shoulder and smiled. Simone was very good at compartmentalizing her emotions. No matter how sad she was or how bad her insomnia was she was already ready to work and be helpful.
That father is an absolute idiot to not cherish his eldest daughter as well. Whatever the reason, I'm certain the fool will come to regret his decision later on in life. Who's to say his precious Mina won't end up finding out about his crimes once she's older? How long could something like that stay hidden from her as well?
Mrs.Veela was pulled from her thoughts as a teacher approached her.
Behind the front desk, Simone held the phone to her ear as she reached for a post it and wrote down a note. After putting the call on hold, she walked out and went to the D section.
For the next two hours, both women were so busy there was no time to dwell in sad memories.
Once the bell for lunch rang, Simone got a text from an unknown number.