We see Mr. Miller walking through the school's hallways with determined, angry steps, heading straight toward Cohen. He had made up his mind to expose him in front of everyone, for he had warned him more than once not to steal again — yet Cohen never stopped.
In the cafeteria, Ms. Emily called out to Cohen as he sat quietly, sipping his coffee.
"Cohen," she said firmly, "I've heard reports that you stole a watch."
He replied coldly, "Be quiet. It's mine."
Cohen was a thief by nature — he would steal something, then convince himself it belonged to him.
After hearing such a response, Ms. Emily couldn't control her anger. She slapped him across the face and shouted,
"How dare you say that after stealing! Do you think you can threaten us just because your father is a friend of the principal? Shame on you, on your father, and on the principal too!"
A sudden silence followed. Then Cohen, lowering his tone, said softly,
"I'm very sorry. As an apology, allow me to take you to dinner."
Ms. Emily was one of those people so kind and honest that it bordered on naivety. She believed his apology instantly. The children loved her — her gentleness and innocence made her special among the teachers.
But in this dark world, innocence rarely leads to a good ending.
(I, as the writer, know that well — I once faced one of the worst moments of my life because of my own innocence.)
Ms. Emily calmed down, thinking Cohen was sincere, while he secretly hid darker thoughts.
He managed to slip away before Mr. Miller could confront him — he knew the teacher was not as naive as Ms. Emily.
The school bell rang, marking the end of the day. Students rushed outside to meet their parents.
Every child went home — except Ibrahim. His aunt was busy with work and couldn't pick him up.
Losing one's parents means losing everything. Their absence leaves a hollow space that never truly heals — especially for children.
(The word "orphan" refers to a child who has lost one or both parents while still young; when an adult loses them, the term no longer applies.)
We then see a tender scene between Ibrahim and Adam.
Adam pulled Ibrahim toward his father's worn-out car, grinning:
"Come on, my dad's waiting for us!"
Ibrahim laughed. "I'm afraid he's not waiting — he's trying to fix it again."
They both burst out laughing until Adam's father called,
"What are you two doing?"
Ibrahim and Adam answered together, still laughing, "Damn, we knew this would happen!"
They jumped out of the car and began pushing it to start the engine. Each time it stalled, they got out and pushed again, laughing all the way until they reached home.
When they arrived, Adam's mother greeted Ibrahim with a warm smile. She never treated his visits as a burden.
She had already set a place for him at the table, the dishes neatly arranged — as if he were truly part of the family, as if he were Adam's brother.
It was a simple, heartwarming scene — a rare moment of peace in a world that often forgets kindness.
To be continued...
---
© Copyright Ibrahim Abdullah.
Reposting, copying, or quoting any part of this work without the author's written permission is strictly prohibited.
Thank you for reading —subscribe to get notified when the next chapter is released.
In the next part, the truth behind Cohen's intentions will begin to unfold...