Cherry got in the car but didn't start the engine right away, and instead reflected on what had happened to her in the parking lot. Although she had no idea of the driver's identity, she was sure that he had targeted at her life.
Cherry then suddenly thought of Joe, and was afraid that he might also get hurt.
She drove to Joe's school to check on him and to be sure that he was safe.
She stopped the car outside the school's gate. Although school wasn't over yet and all the students were in their classes, she still felt worried that her son might be in danger.
Cherry thought for a moment and then went to the porter to explain to him that she wanted to see her son. The porter was friendly, and he was more than glad to call Joe's class teacher.
A few minutes later, Joe's teacher came out with him.
Cherry felt relieved when she saw that her son was safe and sound.
Joe walked to his mom and held her hands. He said, "Mommy, why're you here?"
"I was worried about you, so I came here to check on you, " answered Cherry, smiling at her cute little boy. She relished to see her son happy and carefree.
Cherry then turned her gaze from Joe to his class teacher who was standing nearby, the same one that she had met last time.
The teacher gave Cherry a broad smile, and said, "Mrs. Cherry, are you here to take Joe home?"
Cherry put on a serious look on her face, and answered, "Yes, I have to take Joe away now. Can I ask for a leave for Joe?"
"That's alright, you can take your son now, everything is fine with me, " quickly said the teacher. She knew that Joe was Jackson's son, and that she had to treat him and Cherry respectfully. She knew that if she ever dared to provoke them she might get herself into greater trouble.
Cherry was surprised to see that the teacher permitted her son to leave immediately. She said, "Thank you, madam!"
"No problem, goodbye!" politely said the teacher.
The smile on her face quickly disappeared after she saw Cherry's car pull away from the school's gates. The porter then came to her, and as he looked at the fading car, he said, "As far as I'm concerned, she looks to be too young to be a mother."
"She's the most revered woman in the city!" said the class teacher, with genuine admiration in her voice. Although Cherry wasn't as beautiful as a goddess, she had a special character, and she was also greatly admired because she was Jackson's wife, a status which made her unique.
"The most revered woman?" The porter was a bit confused. He knew that most of the students of the school were coming from noble families, but he had never heard that one of their parents was the most revered woman in the city.
"She's Jackson Chu's wife, " answered the teacher.
Inside the car, Joe noticed that his mother looked different. She should have been at work during that time of the day, and Joe wondered why had she come to school to pick him up so early.
"Mommy, why didn't you tell me that you were going to be home early today?" asked Joe.
Driving her car, Cherry answered him, "I finished all of my work for today, and since I had nothing else to do, I decided to drop by at your school."
Joe could tell from his Mommy's voice that she was worried about him.
"Mommy, are you worried about my safety?" asked Joe straightforwardly.
Cherry was taken aback, because she was always surprised whenever Joe was smart enough to know what she was thinking of.
Cherry replied by nodding, and then answered him, "Well, I was afraid that you might somehow get hurt."
"I'm a good boy at school, don't worry, I'm fine, " said Joe. He had noticed that Cherry's ominous feelings had kept adding up after he had told her about his encounter with that woman in the elevator, so he kept an eye out for the things that happened around him. However, nothing unusual had happened yet, and also no other suspicious person had appeared.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Ice and Fire