“Whom do you seek?” the school security asked when he saw Jasper enter the school gate. Since he was wearing his sunshade, he couldn't recognize the popular businessman in his presence.
“I'm a parent here,” Jasper said and went straight to his daughter's class without removing his sunshade or waiting for the security's response.
Getting there, he met her isolated in the balcony of her class. He knew clearly well that it was to prevent her cries from disturbing other pupils. Which normal human would listen to another human's cries and won't get disturbed?. He bent his tall figure to her height and pulled her into a hug as she cried the more on his shoulder.
Finally, she stopped crying and Jasper cupped her face in his palm cleaning the line of tears on her face.
“What's making my baby cry. Were you beaten or shouted at?” he palmed her hair soothingly and she nodded a no. Funny enough, when he wanted to enroll her in the school, he had given the proprietor and teachers some warnings and a list of things that should never be done to his daughter.
Shouting at her was one of the instructions. Ever since Jasmine was a baby, she disliked someone shouting at her or making frightening noises beside her. No, she hated it.
“Then what's the problem princess?” Jasper asked with the softest voice ever. Looking up at her father's face, she explained what happened to him. It turned out to be that one of her friends had abused her for not being taught well by her mother when she mistakenly stepped on him, whereas she doesn't even know what her mother smells like.
To everyone, Jasmine might look small and young, but having been brought up by Jasper, she took after everything about him without excluding smartness and intelligence.
Jasper felt hurt by her narration as well, though he doesn't have a choice but to console her. All he could do was pat her back and calm her.
"You don't have to cry baby, we're stronger than a lot of people out there right?" he asked and she nodded her small head.
“That's my girl. Don't cry anymore okay?”
“Yes daddy, I won't cry.” she wiped her tears with a little smile that vanished quickly.
“Come show me who uttered those words to you.” Jasper held her hand leading her into her class.
Entering the class, the class teacher raised her head from what she was doing. Seeing her made Jasper shocked and short of words at that moment. The same reaction as Jasper's also showed on the teacher's face.
“Caitlyn!” exclaimed Jasper.
“Jas...” the teacher couldn't complete her word. Jasmine looked between them both trying to decipher what was going on but couldn't understand no matter how she tried.
“Daddy, that's him.” she jolted her father back to reality from the world of surprise he suddenly found himself in, as she pointed her index finger at the boy that uttered the hurting words to her.
“What are you doing here?” Jasper asked stuttering a little.
“What does it look like I'm doing?” she replied harshly and continued what she was doing ignoring Jasper like he was not important or does not need to be attended to.
Jasper cleared his throat and asked if he could see the boy who hurt his daughter. Not that he can't query him without the teacher's permission, but the fact that the person he once loved and cherished most was the present teacher, he couldn't act rashly. He owes her a lot as he had hurt her beyond words in the past.
Caitlyn didn't look at Jasper, but she sent the boy in question to meet Jasper. He bent in front of the little figure and asked why he said those words to Jasmine. The little boy explained incoherently and Jasper smiled. Caitlyn who saw this smile also smiled as she had been stealing glances at him at intervals while he was talking to the boy.
“Hey champ, why did you say such a sentence to her?”
“I was angry. She stepped on me and acted like she doesn't care.” said the boy in a childish manner.
“Where did you learn such bad words?” he asked the boy sweetly.
“My stepmother used to say it to me whenever I annoy her” he uttered shocking Jasper and Caitlyn.
“Your stepmother?. What about your mummy?” Jasper pressed further.
“My sister says she has gone to a faraway place and she is watching us from where she is. I ask her why she can't come back, she tells me I should wait till I grow up.”
Jasper wanted to ask about his father but thought otherwise. Instead, he asked the boy another question.
“How did you feel when your stepmother tells you that?”
“I miss my mummy whenever she tells me that” the boy uttered innocently.
“You see champ, saying such a word to someone makes them feel bad. Don't say that next time okay?” The boy nodded at Jasper and Jasper pinched his cheek as he does to Jasmine.
On a normal day, he would have told the boy to apologise, by all means, however, with the possibility that the little boy might be going through some pains unsuitable for his age, he decided to let go.
“I'm sorry Drake, I didn't know I stepped on you.” Jasmine apologised placing her hand on Drake's head.
“I'm sorry too. This man said I did something bad.”
Caitlyn who had been listening to the conversation and stealing glances at Jasper smiled surprisingly as Jasper smiled too. He hugged the two figures in front of him and they returned to their seats.
“Bye, daddy!. Greet uncle Carl for me”
“Sure, I will,” said Jasper. After her father, another person Jasmine was used to is Carl, her father's best friend and brother.
“Bye uncle” Drake muttered waving his hand at Jasper.
“See you some other time champ” he waved back at him.
Caitlyn walked to the entrance of the class where Jasper was to see him off as she does to every other parent who pays a visit to the class. Walking closer to her, Jasper asked for a few minutes out of her time. As a parent of one of the wards in the school, she obliged and followed him out of the class.
“What do you want to see me for Mr. Callaghan?” she spoke professionally with a courteous pose.
“Er..mm..mm, can I see you today?. Like..., I mean can we see after you clock out today?”
“For what matter sir?. You may say whatever you want right now and here. I'll just give the kids work to do to keep them busy.”
“Caitlyn, you know this is not what I mean. For heaven's sake, it's been years. Can you make time for us to catch up with each other?.”
“With due respect sir, I don't understand what you're talking about.” Caitlyn looked away behind Jasper not wanting to look at his face.
“Still pretending?. Alright, I'm sorry for whatever it is I've done, but please, create time.......”
“There's no catching up to do. I've long decided to forget every bad thing about my past, including you!” she showed nothing but utmost anger and perhaps, untold pain.
Jasper felt as if he was struck in the chest by an arrow with Caitlyn's words, but he pushed further knowing fully well that he was the reason for her act up.
“Please Caitlyn, just this once. At least, let me explain. Then you can decide not to meet me after that.” he pleaded. Caitlyn looked up at him with something of a bit of scorn and sighed.
“Fine,” she said not wanting to make a scene as a passing teacher looked at her suspiciously while she talked to Jasmine's father.
Jasper passed his business card to her and told her he'd pick her up together with Jasmine later in the afternoon. He bade her goodbye and turned around to leave, but suddenly turned back to face her.
“That reminds me. That boy from earlier...Drake or something..”
“Yeah, Drake. What's wrong with him?”
“Nothing, I need detailed information about who his parents are and where he lives.”
“And why would I give you such information?. You should know what privacy means. After all, I'm not your private investigator or something."
“I'm not asking you to do that as Jasper, I'm asking you as Jasmine's father. If I want, I can turn this whole school down just for my baby.”
With that, he turned around and walked away. Caitlyn smirked at his words and scoffed.
“Typical Callaghan!. Not a single bit of change.” she huffed.