Ice and Fire

Selina patted Cherry on her shoulder, and with concern in her voice, said, "Don't exhaust yourself! Finish what you have now, and I'll go look for the document in my office; then, we can go downstairs together, okay?"

"Okay, " said Cherry.

Cherry and Selina then went downstairs to the underground parking lot and said goodbye to each other.

While Cherry was driving her car on her way back home, she received a call from Elsa.

"Hello, mother! What's up?" answered Cherry.

"Cherry, are you off duty already?" asked Elsa anxiously.

"Yes, I'm actually driving back home right now, " replied Cherry, who already guessed that her mother was wondering when she would be arriving home.

Elsa continued, "Cherry, go to the school now and pick Joe up. Your brother's still working at the company, so he didn't go to school to get Joe. Just a few minutes ago, a teacher called and said that Joe was still at school waiting for someone to pick him up."

"Okay mother, I'll be right there, " hastily said Cherry.

After she hung up, Cherry made a turn and then drove to Joe's school.

At the school's gate, Cherry saw that her son was standing there, accompanied by a female teacher. 'She's the teacher I met a couple of days ago, ' thought Cherry.

of her car

"Joe!" cried Cherry.

When Joe saw his mother, he run to her, and the teacher also followed him and

hugged his son and saw the teacher approaching her. "I'm really sorry for having kept you waiting for so long, " said Cherry to the teacher, in a both respectful, and regretful, manner.

pick him up, so I naturally called. It's my responsibility to take good care of my students, anyway, " said the teacher politely.

didn't speak a word more. She still remembered that last time when she had met with this teacher, her condescending attitude was annoying, but today it seemed that she behaved politely; Cherry didn't like this sudden

Cherry, and quickly set off on her way with

and as she looked at Joe, she also said, "Behave yourself after you go home; can you do

He then took

to the teacher

the car back home, she asked her son, "Joe, how come your

see either uncle or his car anywhere, so I asked the gatekeeper to call him. His secretary answered and said that he was having an important meeting and asked me to wait for a little while longer.

called home?" asked Cherry.

He then thought of something else, and continued, "Mommy, after your last talk with her, her attitude towards me has changed a lot.

was because

and he looked at Cherry and asked, "Mommy, is my daddy really that

that Joe was much smarter than she had ever expected him to be. She thought that if she were at Joe's age, she could have never guessed the reason behind the teacher's sudden change

that your father is beyond greatness,