When my daughter’s teacher started holding private lessons with her, I thought she was just being helpful. But when I overheard a conversation between them, everything changed. The truth I uncovered was something I never expected and left me questioning everything.
I think only moms will fully understand me. But when you have a child, you are ready to do anything to provide them with the utmost care and comfort. Anything.
So, when we got Alice, my world turned upside down. Charlie and I had been trying to conceive for years.
I can’t even count how many times I cried myself to sleep, wondering why it wasn’t happening for us.
After years of heartbreak, we finally made the decision to adopt. That’s how Alice came into our lives.
We were lucky to get her as an infant. Her biological mother gave her up right after birth, and as painful as it must have been for her, it was a blessing for us.
We knew absolutely nothing about her, and that was probably for the best. We were just grateful to her for Alice, and that was it.
Everything felt like a fairy tale. Alice brought light and joy into our home. Even though we faced difficulties along the way.
Sleepless nights, fevers, and tantrums—we managed to overcome them all. Alice grew up to be a kind, intelligent, and clever girl.
When Alice was ten, a new teacher joined her school. Her name was Miss Jackson, and she taught Alice’s class.
Every evening at dinner, Alice would go on and on about how wonderful Miss Jackson was.
But soon, something strange happened. One day, I received a text message from Miss Jackson.
Good afternoon! Alice will stay after class today for extra lessons!
I frowned and felt a knot of worry tighten in my chest. Had my daughter done something wrong?
Good afternoon! Is everything okay? Is Alice having any problems?
No, don’t worry. I hold these lessons with all the kids to make sure everyone understands the material well.
That surprised me. I thought it was remarkable for someone to love their work so much that they would spend their free time helping each student individually.
Not many teachers go that extra mile. I gained immense respect for Miss Jackson after that.
From then on, Alice stayed after school one day each week for private lessons with Miss Jackson. Charlie and I understood the situation, so we had no reason to worry. Or at least, that’s what we thought.
One day, I went to pick up Alice from school. Charlie usually did it, but that day he was swamped with work, so I had to go. I didn’t mind. I stood near the gate and watched the children stream out, chatting and laughing.
“Laura, hi!” I heard a voice and turned to see Karen approaching. She was the mother of one of Alice’s classmates. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen you.”
“Yes, Charlie usually picks Alice up,” I said.“Yeah, I noticed,” Karen said. “We were talking recently about how lucky the kids are to have Miss Jackson. What do you think?”
“Absolutely,” I said. “Her dedication to her work and her love for the kids are incredible.”
“Yeah, my Mark adores her,” Karen said. “He even wakes me up for school now. I used to have such a hard time getting him out of bed.”
“Tell me about it,” I said with a smile. “We hear about Miss Jackson every day from Alice. And those private lessons she offers are something else. She doesn’t even get paid for them.”
Karen’s smile faded. “What private lessons?” she asked, her voice quieter now.
“Laura, are you sure?” Karen asked, her brows furrowed. “This is the first I’ve heard about these lessons.”
“Miss Jackson told me about it herself,” I said, though doubt started creeping into my mind.
“I’ll ask Mark about it,” Karen said. “But this is the first time I’ve heard of such lessons. Maybe you should talk to Miss Jackson.”
I frowned. “Maybe I should,” I murmured.
That was strange. Was Alice the only one having these private lessons? And what did that mean?
Did she have some kind of learning problem? But if that were the case, why hadn’t Miss Jackson told us anything? I felt uneasy.
I was about to go inside and ask Miss Jackson when Alice’s voice pulled me back.
