Joey, together with several other teachers, stood outside the faculty room and faced the flag pole on the spacious lawn in school. The four students assigned to raise the flag stood at the foot of the pole, ready and waiting. As promised, she arrived early despite a restless sleep last night. Her eyes scanned the rows of high school students quietly lined up outside their respective classrooms, waiting for the ceremony to start. There was no sign of Adrian. It was he who prodded her to be here now at this early hour and yet he was nowhere to be found.
Hushed whispers arose from the students as an unexpected scene unfolded on the lawn. Joey strained her neck to get a good look. It was Adrian and, to everyone's surprise, Dexter holding a microphone. Although it was commonplace to have a student sing the national anthem live during the ceremony, the boy was never known to sing. There were a number of worried and skeptical faces in the crowd as Adrian nodded to the boy as a signal to start. So this was his surprise, Joey thought.
And what a surprise it was! Dexter's voice resonated through the hallways like a gust of cool wind sweeping through the land, extinguishing any spark of doubt. Clearly, the boy had a gift that no one had tapped, until now. And as he sang the last line of the national anthem, everyone broke into applause, setting aside protocol just this once.
Joey joined in the applause, beaming proudly for the boy and his mentor. From her vantage point, she could clearly see the sudden change in Dexter. He still seemed shy but he seemed taller, more confident. Just then, Adrian looked up in her direction and singled her out, making eye contact. She smiled and gave him a thumbs-up sign.
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"Congrats, Adrian. That was a pleasant surprise." Joey smiled warmly as they stood in line at the cafeteria during lunchtime.
"Dexter has a great singing voice, right?"
"And you discovered his talent." Joey gazed up at him, still smiling.
"It was you who gave me the idea.....so, congrats to you, too." Adrian met her gaze. He, himself, was pleasantly surprised that she agreed to have lunch with him. Ched begged off, saying she was having a working lunch. As the line moved along and they chose their respective meals, he couldn't help stealing glances at her. There was something different about her, he thought. She seemed friendlier, more approachable. From the day he met her until yesterday when he left her staring at that abstract painting, she seemed to have an impenetrable wall around her which, for some reason, intrigued him. And this sudden shift in her demeanor further stoked his curiosity.
They sat at a corner table and settled down to eat while Adrian told her how he discovered Dexter's talent. She listened intently, noticing how Adrian's eyes lit up as he described their little musical number the previous day.
"So, what are your plans for Dexter? What happens to his piano class?"
"I asked Mrs. Bernabe if I can talk to his parents. She said yes. I'm meeting with them this afternoon.", he explained.
Joey smirked. "Good luck...you'll need it."
"No worries." Adrian smiled confidently. "With a little charm, I'm sure I can convince them to let Dexter stop....let him take voice lessons instead."
"From what I hear, his mom can be overbearing and stubborn.", Joey warned him.
"I can handle her." Adrian's eyes lit up with an idea. "Wanna bet?"
