When Friday morning came around, the rising sun was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the sky fell. Rain came down steadily to sing its soothing song. It was a depressingly wet start for the day with the weather doing its utmost to persuade everyone to stay at home in their warm beds.
Sandy herself was comfy in her own bed and had no wish to climb out into the cold. Her roommate Celeste had tried to get her up once with a light shake and a gentle call but the sleepy girl ignored it.
Celeste had always left home early every weekday morning to take the bus to her school in the city, rain or shine. Then Juneida would leave shortly after that to catch her school bus to her middle school. Sandy would be left at home with the bathroom all to herself. And since she usually made her way to school on her own, she was in no hurry to get up.
Except that it was raining that morning.
Then Momma Lois came to wake her. "You better get up or you're going to be late for school!" she told Sandy.
'Late for school'... the words echoed in Sandy's ear. Late for school... !!!
To Momma Lois's surprise, Sandy suddenly jumped out of bed after the first attempt to wake her.
Sandy did not want be late for school! She must not be late for school! Especially not on that day. Not when there was money involved. She must be in school early to meet with Annie.
The girl hurried with her business in the bathroom, rushed through her breakfast and quickly dressed for school.
It was raining.
She could not cycle to school in that weather. Instead, Momma Lois gave Sandy a ride in her worn patched-up car. Petra came along for the ride in the child safety seat at the back.
Sandy was glad that she did not have to exert herself paddling her way to school. She would not be sweaty. It was a little cold, though, so she had her jacket on. Momma Lois's old car's heating had not been working properly so passengers had to bundle up for rides on cold days. At least it was not as bad as the previous winter, when it was as cold inside as it was freezing on the outside.
Also, it was fortunate that the roof did not leak.
The journey to school was uneventful. Throughout the ride, Sandy wished Momma Lois would drive faster. Maybe like a mad cab driver, driving crazily through the suburbs, tearing up the asphalt all the way, raising chaos and confusion and leaving garbage cans and postboxes scattered in her wake, splashing through puddles, throwing water on the empty sidewalks.
That would have been wonderful. However, there were quite a few cars on the road and they were crawling by sedately. The traffic was a dangerous impediment for a driver of Momma Lois's skill if she were to drive recklessly. No way would Momma Lois turn into a mad cab driver - she was much too careful and responsible.
Momma Lois wanted to drive into the school ground and drop Sandy off under the veranda of the school building. However, that would mean joining the queue of cars depositing students. Sandy could not wait that long. So she asked Momma Lois to drop her off at the street.
Sandy hurried into the school compound with an umbrella.
(No, she did not forget to open the umbrella first. Give her some credit, please!)
The wind was light and the rain was not too heavy so Sandy did not get very wet. Some of the water splashed on her shoes with a little on her socks and legs. There were a few drops that hit her shorts. Shorts... hey, she did not have to ride her bicycle that day! So she could have worn a skirt instead for once!
If only she had thought of that during her rush to get ready for school!
After Sandy had dropped her schoolbag and wet umbrella in class, she hurried to find Annie. They were supposed to meet behind the gym that morning. But it was raining! Would she be there in the rain? She should check class 9-C first.
It was fortunate that she did since Annie was waiting at the front door of her class. The little girl signaled Sandy to follow with a finger.
Sandy followed a few steps behind Annie. Surely the little girl was leading her someplace private to talk. Because of the rain, everyone was indoors. The corridors and classes were filled with students.
Annie led Sandy into the cafeteria, which, unlike the corridors that they had passed earlier, was mostly empty. There were a few students there having a quick bite before class. Most of the food stalls were still closed or in the process of opening. Only the snack bar was open for business.
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