The Unveiled Rose

"Is this Penelope's mom?" I introduced myself. "My daughter is Penelope's classmate. No one came to pick her up after school, so we brought her to our home."

Suzy Lane quickly responded, "Where do you stay? Should I come to pick her up?"

"It's okay." I could tell she was concerned about Penelope. I continued, "Just tell me your address, and we'll drop her off."

"Okay."

...

After we dropped Penelope off at Suzy's house, the little girl was thrilled to see her mom. She hopped over to Suzy, exclaiming, "Mommy, I made plans with them! I'm going to their house tomorrow for playtime!" Suzy looked at me in surprise.

I explained, "Tomorrow's Saturday. We won't be working, so we can take care of the kids."

Suzy was relieved that she wasn't imposing. "Then, I'll bring her over tomorrow."

I quickly added, "You're busy with work. We can come pick her up."

After a long pause, Suzy finally said, "Thank you."

As we walked away from Suzy's house, I glanced at Zane. Ever since he saw Suzy, he had seemed a bit off.

I asked, "Are you very close to her?"

Zane chose his words carefully. "She's very capable at her job. She's someone our company has been trying to recruit for a while."

I was taken aback. "Really?"

"Yeah." Zane was quick to explain, saying, "No matter what offers we made before, she didn't want to join us. But now, seeing her and Penelope's situation, I'm almost sure she'll be working with us." I was confused by his conclusion. "What makes you so sure?"

Zane explained calmly, "Her company recently had a change in leadership. The new boss is planning on firing people.

"He prefers employees who know how to flatter him but lack real ability. The ones being laid off are all employees who excel at their jobs but aren't good at sucking up to him."

I couldn't believe it. "No way!"

Zane chuckled lightly. "There are plenty of bosses like that."

I didn't know what to say, so I remained quiet.

Zane didn't want to miss this opportunity. After thinking it through, he called Eric. "Make sure HR continues to scout Suzy Lane."

Eric was aware of Suzy's situation. He didn't hesitate to agree. "Got it."

After hanging up, Zane turned to me. "Do you know why I'm sure she won't choose any other company?"

I shook my head. "Why?"

"Because our company offers great benefits. We don't work overtime, and we have weekends off," Zane said, smiling. "If she joins us, she'll have plenty of time to spend with Penelope."

It was clear Suzy cared deeply for Penelope. Of course, she would consider a higher-paying, less demanding job that allowed her to be with Penelope more.

...

Back home, it was time for Willow to watch cartoons. She brought both her dolls down from upstairs, set them on the couch, and sat beside them.

When she saw me coming, she patted the spot next to her. "Mommy, sit here. This is the spot I saved just for you."

I smiled and sat next to her.

Lately, Willow had been enjoying talking to her grandparents. Even while watching cartoons, she would pause to introduce the characters and describe the story.

She didn't forget to add her own opinion. "It's not really great." But she still couldn't stop watching. Her big eyes were glued to the screen.

I observed her, wanting to memorize every little thing about her actions. This way, when I drew Willow, I could capture her cuteness exactly as it was.