"You're doing suicide, are you?"
I blinked for a few times before I swallowed and said, "Teacher Anthony?"
He sighed and ushered me towards the passenger door. "But I'm wet ---"
He cut my protest. "Doesn't matter."
I sat on the passenger seat and Teacher Anthony hastily closed the door. It was only then when I realized I was standing in the middle of the road when Teacher Anthony saw me shivering under the heavy rain.
When he sat on the driver's door, he looked at me for a brief moment before he ran the car ahead slowly. After a few minutes, he stopped the car at the sidewalk and looked at me again.
He cleared his throat. "What are you doing out there?"
My eyes looked down. "I-I don't know."
"Sydnee," he called. "I'll bring you back to your parents. What's your address?"
I shook my head and a dry laugh escaped from my lips. "I don't have a home."
"Sydnee."
"Please, I don't want to go home. My mother don't want me to go back there."
His brow knotted. "No parents could afford that. They must be worried for you. It's raining hard and you're outside."
"At least... I feel safe outside," I said and looked outside the window.
Teacher Anthony did not argue with me anymore. He just told me that he'll bring me to his home, that I will spend the night in his home.
I nodded and muttered thanks to him.
It was a big house and the roof was chattering under the heavy rain. I noticed the huge gate just meters away from the main entrance where the car stopped in front of it. Teacher Anthony pushed open the driver's door and he told me to wait. I nod.
Using the umbrella, he walked in front then opened the passenger door. I stepped outside and succumbed under the umbrella he was raising over my head. My breath hitched when he put his arm around my shoulder and ushered me towards the door.
"I live alone," he said and opened the door. "Are you hungry?"
I shivered when a cold wind swept my body but Teacher Anthony's heat helped me overcame it. I shook my head in response. I had not eaten dinner but because of the cold, I felt my stomach froze and therefore, I did not feel any hunger as of the moment.
The cozy sofa greeted me when I stepped inside the house. Blue and silver dominated the living room. A faint smell of Teacher Anthony's perfume lingered in the warm air around the medium size living room.
I heard the door closed in my back. "You must be cold. I don't have any girl's clothes but I'll try to find some clothes for you."
I looked down the tiled floor. "Okay."
I found my self inside Teacher Anthony's room, a warm towel covered my body, as I watched him look for something inside his cabinet.
"Here," he said and turned to face me. "You can use this one."
He ushered me to a guest room just beside his warm room. He told me to take a bath and use the clothes he handed to me. I uttered my gratitude again.
His eyes lingered on me before he turned around to leave. "I'll prepare our dinner. If you need something, just find me in the kitchen."
I took a bath and wore his shirt and pants. I suppresed a smile when I noticed how big his clothes were on me. But I used the belt hanging in the wall to hold his pants on my small waist. I sighed in relief before I walked outside the room to find him working in the kitchen.
The sweet aroma of dishes filled my nostril. My stomach rumbled and Teacher Anthony turned to face me. He smiled. "Come. Let's eat."
I sat on the chair and dug in. I felt Teacher Anthony's gaze on me but I ignored his stare and ate in silence. After awhile, I was full.
"There's a flan ---"
I shook my head. "I'm full. T-Thanks."
"You're welcome." He stared at me then cleared his throat. "You can rest in the living room. I'll be there in a minute."
Then he rose and started cleaning the table. I stood and helped. He forbid me but I only insisted. It took us minutes before we cleaned the kitchen.
The sky outside rumbled and a streak of lighting was seen in the distance. It lighted the dark sky and it nearly made me jumped. A hand rested on my shoulder. "Go to your room and have a rest. We'll talk tomorrow."
I didn't argue with him. I hastily walked back to the room and slammed the door shut. The dark room made me gulped. I reached for the switch and turned on the light. I blinked in the sudden brightness before I walked towards the soft and huge bed in the middle of the room.
It was not my first time to have a luxury of bed, but it made me shudder as my childhood memories came rushing my mind. I remembered the time when we were still living in a house like this, but those memories also came with ugly ones. I sighed and closed my eyes and forced my self to sleep. The soft whisper of the wind in the balcony, the rumbling of the sky, and the streak of lighting outside the house lulled me to darkness.
A beam of sunlight entered the room. My eyes opened and an unfamiliar ceiling greeted me. Realization dawned me that I was in Teacher Anthony's house. I shot awake and sat up. My gaze flicked as I studied the room under the sun rays. I was not dreaming at all.
So... father was back and I ran from home last night?
I heaved a sigh and got up. I went to the bathroom and washed my face. My mind was still shock by the fact that I was standing inside a big bathroom complete with bathtub and a shower. In the little hut, I only used basin and a dipper.
With careful steps, I walked outside the room and looked around. The house was indeed big and had a touch of luxury. I wondered why Teacher Anthony bought this house if he was living alone. Was he not lonely?
"Good morning," someone greeted behind me.
I nearly jumped in shock but I held myself and turned around.