10. Keya

“Your deadline is Monday next week Keya.” Professor Larsson said as she returns my dissertation proposal drafts she checked.

My paper is still rubbish as hell, I can really tell.

I have been working on this since the break but when I found out that I was pregnant, my brain seems to stop from working making my paper into a never-ending streams of bullshit.

“What is wrong Keya? If you have any problems with your paper then tell me.” She asked. “If you’re not happy with it, we can still ask the panel to give you some extra time to change into another study.”

I am really indeed not happy with my paper, but at the same time I have nothing else in my mind at the moment. So I don’t have any choice but to continue it and make it sensible as fuck or else I won’t be able to make it to finish my masters on time.

Damn it! I’m not even sure if I can make it considering that I’m going to give birth in the middle of the second semester.

I sighed. “No. It’s fine prof. I can do the revisions and pass it on Monday, I still have four more days anyway. I can probably do that.”

“Good. Just contact me if you have any questions.” She said.

Thank goodness, I have a very understandable thesis adviser because if I don’t have one. I will be even more stressed than I already am at the moment. I immediately went straight to the office after my consultation, I don't have any more class today but I still have more paperworks to do preparing further lessons for some of my class. No--scratch that! I'm here to help our department chair and Lily to sort out some important documents and revise some schedules I have no clue about.

As much as I want to just crawl in bed, enjoy a cup of coffee while doing revisions on my paper, I have to work. I have been spending way too much on food cravings in the past two months and I still am at the moment so I need money to save up. I even feel guilty that I am sending a small amount of money to my mom.

Speaking of my mom, I still haven’t told her yet.

Every time I think about dropping the baby-bomb to my family, I’m thinking about them freaking out, cry, and probably disown me or whatsoever.

Panic always floods in every time I wake up in the morning and saw my own reflection on the mirror. The small baby bump is finally showing, I have gained weight a little bit that is already showing on my cheeks, majority of my jeans don’t fit me anymore and I have been wearing not so fitted shirts already and sometimes I wear not too formal outfits for an-instructor like oversized jackets to hide the changes happening on my body.

It’s already happening, I can’t hide this pregnancy anymore.

Jessy greeted me when I entered the office, there's only few instructors left here, everybody is either on their classes and some already went home. The administration gave us a memo this morning to dismiss our classes early due to the weather forecast this morning that the upcoming storm is going to land fall today.

"Hey, you’re still working? The weather is pretty bad!” Jessy asked.

“It’s already bad in the past three days.” I replied chuckling as I settle on my own table.

“Well, take care Key!” Jessy said on her way out.

“You too babe!” I shouted.

“Good! You made it.” Steve, our department chair greeted as he spots me sitting on my table waiting for Lily to arrive. She texted me that she's still at the photocopy room when I arrived.

“Why wouldn’t I?” I answered as I stood up following Steve on his office to start doing whatever he wants to work on.

“Well, I asked other new instructors to help but they can’t make it today due to the heavy rain.” He answered referring to the two other new instructors like me. “Good thing you and Lily are here, the college dean is not extending the deadline of some papers.”

“Can you at least treat us to a steak dinner then sir?” Lily chimed in as she enters the room placing some papers on the table.

“Well, I guess I will.” Steve answered chuckling.

I couldn’t help but smile too.

Right away, we started working on some papers which are majority of it are reports in the the last school year needed for accreditations.

And the whole entire hour of me working is my phone ringing a hundred times as well but I keep on ignoring it.

I know it's Seguin. He’s been texting and calling me non-stop so I  didn't bother to check on my phone again because I know it is only filled with his calls and texts. I have been so stressed since the beginning of the week dealing with school works and if I deal with him it would add another massive stress because he’s making me stress! Period.

I should avoid stress for the baby’s safety so I might just ignore him just this week and then we’ll deal together on how we will take care of the baby.

I’m giving myself a time to just think about my academics, just this week.

Few moments passed, one of the instructors inside the office turned the volume up of the television and the news caught my attention.

Shit! A massive tornado just hit Houston, Texas.

“Oh my god!” I hissed in complete horror as I watch the actual footage flashes on the television screen. It happened just an hour ago right after I leave Professor Larrson's office.

“Keya!” Lily calls up. “Phone’s for you.”

I accepted the telephone from Lily.

“Yes?” I answered still gluing my eyes at the TV. I recognized the voice right away, it's my landlady and right away my whole body just weakened when she delivered the news.

“Keya, this is Mrs. Villanueva. Our apartment just got hit by a tornado.”

Bullocks!