Professor C (camren)

16.5 - Jauregui (Part 2)

It was a beautiful sight.

"Good morning, Miss." Rob quietly mumbled, reluctantly interfering the tender moment.

His polite voice prompted Lauren to look up and acknowledge him with that welcoming grin of hers. Lauren immediately found an extra knapsack hanging off one shoulder which was definitely Pebble's overnight bag. The boy had filled it with some books, toys, crackers and snacks apart from Pebble's clothes and bathroom essentials.

"Good morning, Robert." She returned graciously, slowly pushing herself up to her feet as she sensed the strain her position was upon her legs.

The boy hurriedly asked Lauren if he could go ahead and unlock the door for her, seeing as he kept a spare key with him being Lauren's student assistant. His own set of keys jangled in his pockets before he could yank them out and unleash a much louder, unobstructed clanking. His actions were graceless and frantic, something he was inclined to do around persons of authority.

Soon enough, Rob had managed to push the door open and held it ajar to allow the two girls inside. That was after it had accidentally slammed against the wall next to it, to which he apologized for profusely and consequently received numerous reassurances that he was doing well.

Without warning, Pebble simply took off and settled into the adjacent room, in the small table and chair Lauren bought for her; leaving the pair chuckling to themselves at how comfortable and eager the toddler was within Lauren's territory. She was bound to whip her coloring book up and scatter her crayons or take a blank page, and draw another portrait of Lauren. Then again, it could be of the unconventional family she belonged to; the one she was severely grateful for.

"Thank you for taking her for the night, Miss, and...for everything." Rob fumbled with the knapsack with Pebble's clothes, timidly standing before Lauren's table as he attempted to form words out of his immense gratitude despite his apprehension. "I don't really know and I'm scared to think of the thought of our lives without people like you. I'm really sorry I couldn't warn you sooner. It's just that I thought Mrs. Villanueva would be available as usual but she's on-"

"Rob, I've said this before and I'd like for you to remember it; I care about you two, okay?" Lauren interrupted gently, yearning to keep the rickety boy on his feet. She had just dropped her purse on her chair after setting the folders and her coffee atop her desk, and she couldn't have done it faster.

The sight of Rob's discomfort shame was gut-wrenching. He was in an apparent distress with the way he was handling the lifeless backpack; crumpling the material within his tight fists as if it would disintegrate if he twisted harder. Then again, he sought for strength in the meager fabric he was close to tearing; something to hold on as the strongest gust of wind would pass through.

The boy was helplessly inundated by his resentment against the world at the reminder of Pebble and his ill-fated situation. He didn't have parents anymore, and if that wasn't enough, fate decided to be cruel and stole Pebble's mother from her. It was just so unfair to have that dire necessity to have someone to guide him and reassure him that he was cruising through the right path while some ungrateful children would curse their parents and wish death upon them.

It wasn't going to be long until his despondency would morph into anger and he'd need something, or someone to blame when abusing the knapsack would no longer be enough.

It was apparent that Lauren didn't mind having the toddler around and it was only Pebble's third time to spend the night over at her place but none of that mattered to Rob. No matter how small the favor might be to someone else, when his vision is obstructed by darkness, visibility wouldn't be a guarantee.