ADRIEN

"Is everyone present today?" I ask the group of students who are seated in front of me.

Some of them just nodded their heads up and down while the others didn't even react to my question. Well, this is the normal answer I get from people who are in college already.

"Okay, let us proceed to your next artwork that you need to pass tomorrow or maybe, at the end of the period."

I heard some of my students groaning while the others were whispering excitedly.

"Most of you did a good job in your last artwork, while some of you decided to...um...spice it up. Am I right, Mr. Chapman?"

I look at David Chapman, my student who always go to 9gag when it's my class. He looked at me with a smirk on his face. He didn't look guilty or ashamed.

"Well, our last artwork was about the things that we like, sir. I just drew the thing that I like!" He said.

"I know, I know. But, 'Dickbutt'? Really? From all things that you can find in 9gag, it had to be Dickbutt?"

David just shrugged his shoulders while the rest of the class started to laugh. After a while, I also joined them laughing.

"Okay, okay. Settle down now!" I say after calming down from laughing. "Well, since your last artwork was about the things that you like, your next one is something that I will force you to do."

I look at the class, making sure that everyone was listening before I continue.

"Actually, this is a personal request. And since this is a request coming from me, your next artwork will be only considered as extra credit in this class."

Some of the students started to complain. I let them be. For once in 4 years, I am planning to be selfish. Just give me one day, please.

"I'm sorry, class." I say and the class slowly start to become quiet again. "I-I...honestly, this is hard to explain. But for the past year, I have been giving you high grades in every artwork that you have made. And I also gave you plus points if you would go above my standards. Am I right?"

My students start to nod while there were some who answered with a soft "yes, sir."

"Then if that's the case, allow me to be selfish for just a day or two days, that's the maximum."

"Sir, then what is the next thing for our artwork?" One of my students asked.

"The next 'thing' will not literally be a thing. It would be more like a...being. Something alive, a being that moves, and that can talk. This being brings joy to everyone. It has brought great joy to me before I lost it...I-I mean, yeah! It brings joy and it makes everyone forget about their worries and problems.

I want you to draw a baby. Not just a baby, but a baby boy. Draw it on a piece of paper with the dimensions of 8.5 by 11. I want the drawing to look realistic and you can color your artwork with any kind of coloring material. Are we clear?"

The class just stared at me with their mouths wide open. David then decided to break the silence.

"Sir, did you knock up anyone in these past few months??"

My eyes widened after hearing what David had said.

"W-what?? No!! Oh my God! Why would you think like that??"

"Well, you are single and handsome..."

I turn my head to the person who just said that. Ah, Lea Sivan. She hung her head lowly because of what she just said. I see a blush starting to form in her cheeks. I start to laugh lightly at my class. Ah, the words these kids know these days.

"Okay, let's clarify some things right now. I did not 'knock up' anyone and I have no plans in doing so. Now, are we all clear?"

"Yes, sir!" The whole class answered to my question.

"Then start with your work!"

The whole class starts to get busy and I sit on the teacher's desk. I get the book that I started to read yesterday and I open it on the page I stopped reading yesterday and I continue to read again, hoping that I get to kill time.

---------------------

Minutes passed and those minutes turned to an hour and an hour turned to 2 hours.

The bell rang, signaling everyone that classes are finished for today. I stand up in order for me to address to the class.

"All of you should pass your work to me. For those of you who have finished their work, please put your piece of paper on the left side of my table. And for those who have not yet finished their work, please put your piece of paper on the right side of my table."

One by one, the students passed their finished or unfinished work and they placed them on the table. All of them left except for Lea, who was still painting her drawing.

"Lea," I call out to her, "It's time already. I think that you should finish tomorrow, Lea. I know that you have a part-time job, you wouldn't want to miss it."

One thing I can say about Lea is that she is very dedicated when it comes to painting. She is outstanding when it come to painting and she would always perfect every single drawing of hers.

I decided to walk to her desk and I looked at what she was doing. As I saw what she was painting, my heart stopped beating. I couldn't breathe.

The baby boy that she was painting right now had blonde hair and blue eyes. And he was lying down on a cloud. He looked like as if he was an angel and he looked like me. The painting looked so beautiful.

"How did you come up with this, Lea?" I ask her in complete awe.

"Well, the eyes are just made up but for the other features...I believe that a boy should look like his father, right?" She said as she looked at me with a smirk playing on her face.

I don't get what she is trying to say. Really. I don't get it.

"What are you trying to say?"

She rolled her eyes at me before she continued.

"I'm not stupid, sir. With a request like that coming from you, I knew that you have or maybe, had a baby boy! And with the rumors of you being a divorcee, I can conclude that you had or have one!" After talking she suddenly realized what she has just said because her eyes widened and she quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

I started to sweat. I don't want anyone thinking that I am a divorcee! I did my best to keep it a secret and now there are rumors!

"Me? A divorcee? Where did you hear those stories??" Good, Adrien. Act dumb.

"T-they would talk a-about it sometimes..."

"And you would believe all those crap?! You would believe anything those people would say?!" I shout at her. Oh no. I didn't mean to do that. I look at Lea and she looked like she was going to cry any second now.

"I-I'm so so-sorry, sir..." She said with her head hung low.

"No, I should be the one who's sorry, Lea."

She looked at me with her eyes glistening with tears and I decide to at least tell the truth to her.

"Lea, if you look at what you drew, The baby looks just like me." She looks intently at her drawing while I narrate to her its features.

"He has my blonde hair," I continue. "He has my signature smile." Lea laughs and I continue describing the baby's features.

"But the feature that struck me the most would be his blue eyes. Lea, he has the eyes of his mother..."

Lea looked at me with her eyes wide open. She was shocked, like really shocked.

"W-what?"

I lightly smiled at her. And I took a deep breath before I continued.

"The bond between my wife and I died when he died." I said, pointing to the drawing.

It was silent for a moment until Lea decided to ask if I could tell more stories to her.

"Hmm, how about this, Lea. I would tell you everything about me and my ex-wife if you keep all of this information as a secret. No one should know about my past life."

She nodded her head vigorously with a big smile on her face.

"And," I continue, "If you would let me keep your painting. May I keep it?"

"How many more do you want, sir??" She asked, excitedly.

"Oh, one is enough already! Now let me take this," I take the painting from her and she starts to stand up with her bag hung on her shoulder already. "You may now go, Lea."

Lea started to exit the door until she stopped to turn to look at me.

"See you, sir!" She said and she went running to the exit.

I get the painting and I get my bag. It's now time to visit my son.

-------------------------

I arrive at the cemetery and it looked like no one was here at the moment. I walk through the cemetery with the framed painting that I am holding and after a while, I reach the grave of my son. Before I buried my son, I made sure that he would stay in an area that is not full of different headstones. I made sure that if I would visit him, no one would be present in the area, it would just be my son and I.

I sit on the grass before his headstone and I touch the outline of his name.

Thomas Agreste

"Hey buddy, how are you? How's my baby boy?" I whisper softly to the headstone.

"6 months ago, it was your birthday. And today...well...it's your anniversary...you decided to leave your mommy and I in this very same day 4 years ago..." I start to slowly sob lightly.

My heart aches right now. Tears are now coming down from my eyes to the ground. My shoulders start to shake uncontrollably as I cry.

"I'm so very sorry, Thomas..." I continue to talk to him as I cry.

"I'm so sorry for letting you stay there alone while your mommy and I are left here and I'm so sorry for coming alone to see you here...you never got to see your mommy and I visit you together and not separately..."

I start to calm down little by little, I want to show my son that I am strong and that I will stay strong for him.

"Tommy, I got you a birthday present!" I say as I start to get the painting that I was hiding behind my back, "Tada!" I say as I show it to his headstone.

"It's a painting of you! I'm sorry that I wasn't the one who painted it, but you know that daddy is an awesome painter, right?" I ask 'him' and of course I get nothing but silence.

"Well, silence means 'yes', my boy!" I say, happily and I start to slowly sulk again. It was like as if I am faced with reality again. Just thinking that I will never see my son again is like an arrow that is piercing my heart which is causing it to ache. I feel heartbroken just by seeing his headstone.

"Thomas...I know that you watch over your mommy...there are times when I wonder how she is or I sometimes wish that I get to see her even for just one second. I just want to know if she is fine and if she is...moving on..."

I just stare at my son's headstone and I place the framed painting right in front of his headstone.

"You don't mind if I rest here for a while, right?" I ask 'him', again. And I get nothing again but silence.

I lie down on the grass next to his headstone and I close my eyes.

"Of course, silence means 'yes'." And with that, I go to sleep beside my son.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi! haha so this is the first chapter ;) I hope you like it! Please support this book and my jelsa book!

Vote?
Comment?

Thank you! :)