Meanwhile across town, Lauren was having a lovely cup of tea with Mary. Lauren had found out that the two teachers had been friends for a number of years now. They had met during teacher training when she (Ms. Tran) had arrived to be her classroom assistant for a semester. Back then Lonna Tran had been a very shy 20 something. During the semester the two women had bonded and Mary had helped Lonna come out of her shell.
When the semester had ended they had kept in touch and when Lonna had graduated Mary had offered her the position which she now held. “What happened to make so quiet on the way back tonight Lonna?” Mary asked her friend. “Oh nothing much Mary it's just been a long day and I did have a small run-in with Lauren Rodriguez this morning,” Lauren answered before she realized what she had said Mary was answering her. “Well her mood was probably due to Mark. She was trying to get to class and he stopped her and brought to me for being late to class. Of all things. Can you believe that man?”
“Well, he has always had a short fuse,” Lauren replied still unsure as to where her newfound information on her fellow teachers was coming from. The conversation between the two friends continued in a similar way for the next half hour or so. Then Mary looked up at the clock and said “I better get going Jim with will have our meal ready and be wondering where I have got to. Do you need a ride in the morning?” “No I will be fine my car should be ready by then and I have a free period first thing so if the boss doesn’t mind I will pick up my car on the way in,” Lauren said with a smile on her face trying yet again to mask the feeling of confusion that was growing inside as to where this information about Lonna Tran’s life was coming from. “I am sure your boss won’t have much of a problem with that,” Mary said as she turned to leave.
Once Mary was gone Lauren had a look round the apartment which truth be told was not that big. She found Lonna’s closet and wondered how she would find anything to wear out of it. She finally kicked off her heels. She had been wearing them all day and her feet had begun to hurt. She went to the kitchen and made her meal for the evening. She liked to cook some noodles, peanut sauce, bok choy, snow peas, and carrots. Lauren was halfway through eating her meal when she realized two things, one she was not that good a cook and that half the ingredients in the dish she had been enjoying she had never heard.
“Dam I slipped again.” She said out loud. She finished her meal despite this revelation and after washing up went to have a shower.
