Enthralled

capitulo ocho.

My first solo school run had gone off without a hitch, I was still in a state of disbelief over the previous night's conversation, but I wouldn't have any time to process it until I was back at Mahdi's place. Cairo and I had arrived at her school early on purpose, I walked with her hand in hand as she directed me to her classroom where a lone woman was organizing desks.

"That's Miss Masterson!" Cairo pointed at the woman, whose smile immediately fell as she laid eyes on me.

I eyed the skinny white woman for a few seconds before looking at Cairo, "Why don't you go find your friends on the playground? I'll see you at pickup time baby." I knelt and gave her a few pecks.

"I don't want you to leave yet mama!" She sulked while hugging me tighter; Cai had been clingier than normal after our little talk the night before and that was enough to make my heart melt.

Carefully, I pulled her away so that I could see her face, "Uh uh, no pouting princesa, I know you don't do this when daddy drops you off." I tickled her neck until she smiled, "Enjoy your day today baby, remember that you get more time with me at home than you do with all your friends at school so make the most of the day."

"Can we take Onyx to the park after school?" She asked me as a way of compromising.

I smirked and nodded, "Of course, now find your friends while I talk to your teacher."

Cairo hugged me one last time and kissed me on the cheek before bolting out of the classroom. As soon as she was gone, my demeanor shifted to a more defensive one. All I could think about was how upset Cairo had been all weekend, simply because the woman standing before me decided that it was wise to challenge a child's home life.

"I know that my partner already set you straight, however I felt like I personally had to vindicate my little girl after your careless behavior." Miss Masterson opened her mouth to protest, and I immediately silenced her. "Next time something like this comes up, I'm going to need for you to mind your business- your job is to nurture and uplift these kids while they're in your care, not to make them feel small and ashamed."

The teacher's eyebrows knitted together as tears welled in her eyes, because it would have been too easy for her to just accept that she had been wrong. "I don't know what he told you, but it wasn't that bad. I swear! I didn't mean to- "

I took a calming breath, uninterested in making a scene at Cairo's school; instead, I shook my head and prepared to leave. "There you go again sweetie- I don't care what you meant to do; I care about what you did. And don't get me started, Cairo told the same story as her father, so are you calling my family liars? Quit while you're ahead, because I'm prepared to go full Karen on your ass and take straight to the principal." I pointed a menacing finger at her, "Next time Cairo says that both her parents are coming to career day, it's because both her parents are coming to career day. See you next Thursday, Miss Masterson!"

I left her standing there with her forced tears and opened mouth, prepared to make an additional stop before heading home. The conversation with Cairo's teacher left me feeling a hundred times lighter as I drove away from the school, at least the woman would be aware of the force of reckoning that would await her if she hurt my little Cai's feelings again. I called Mahdi's number on a fluke, hoping that he was at the firehouse so that I could stop by.

"Hey, how did everything go this morning?" Mahdi answered quickly, which was always a good sign.

I smiled at the sound of his voice and relayed the story of my little conversation with Miss Masterson, which earned me a hearty laugh from Mahdi. "That's not why I'm calling; I can't ask the question because it'll jinx the day... so is it okay if I stop by for a second? I wouldn't if it wasn't urgent." The cursed 'q' word couldn't be uttered, or even thought of or the alarms would start to blare, and Mahdi would get called out.