I stood by the door until the last few students left for lunch. As I sat back down, I slumped over onto my desk. Luckily I remembered to leave the window unlocked, as Sarah climbed in.
Her face twitched into a look of concern. "Are you okay, love?" She asked.
I looked up from my desk, and she made a beeline to me upon seeing the tears streaking my face. She held me close to her, and brushed through my hair with her fingers.
"What is it?" She asked.
Through sobs, I explained the situation. One of my students revealed to me that she and her baby sister were being abused by their mother, and their father had left shortly after the baby was born. As a mandated reporter, I had to call Child Protective Services.
Sarah gave me a kiss on my head. "Aw, baby I'm sorry." She said.
I broke down a bit more. "I-I just feel terrible that it took me so long to notice. I asked her, and she doesn't have any family. They're going to put her with some random person who's just in it for the money, and maybe even separate her and her sister." I sobbed.
"Love, I know it's sad, but chin up. We're getting married this weekend. The forecast calls for rain, which promises to be beautiful. And besides, things like this have a way of working themselves out." She smirked.
I leaned into her for support, and nodded. I sat there in her arms, nearly until lunch was over.
As she began to prepare to leave, she asked "What was the student's name again? And her sister?"
I knew she probably had something in mind, but I trusted her. "Her name is Anastasia Lamb, and her sister's name is Phoebe Lamb."
She nodded, wiped my tears, and left through the window.