|FEW DAYS LATER| EVENING
•MARIANA•
We are finally done with our exams, and I am so excited. Tomorrow, the twenty students who won the scholarships will be announced, and I can’t wait to find out who made it.
I came home from school an hour ago, took care of the necessary things, and then got dressed for work. Mom was taking a nap, and Brianna was still at work. I left a short note on Mom’s bedside table to let her know I’d gone to work, so she wouldn’t wonder where I was when she woke up.
My workplace is about twenty minutes away, so I chose to walk rather than waste money on the bus. It also served as a bit of exercise. I arrived a few minutes later, sweating from the scorching sun outside. I flashed a smile at Rosalind, the older woman sitting behind the receptionist’s desk, and she smiled back. I went to the backroom, changed into my uniform, folded the clothes I had on, and placed them in my locker alongside my handbag before walking back out to meet Rosalind.
“Hi, Rosa, it’s been a while,” I called out, and she smiled.
“Mariana! I’ve missed you. Why didn’t you come to work these past few days?” she asked.
“We were having exams at school, and I couldn’t juggle studying with working, so I got permission from the boss to take a few days off,” I explained.