chapter 3 Secret Admirer

The next day, Jessa arrived early at the school where she works. Some students had already arrived and others were alongside her. As she entered the classroom, she was greeted by her students with a cheerful "Good morning, ma'am." She responded in kind, "Good morning class" acknowledging their greetings.

Her students helped her carry some of her belongings. When Jessa opened the classroom door, she was surprised to find a flower above her table, it was a white rose. The delicate flower symbolized purity, innocence, and new beginnings. Despite her initial smile, Jessa felt a mix of curiosity and nervousness thinking who might have been too early to enter her class and leave this flower for her.

"Did anyone of you seen someone who left the flower on my desk?" Ask Jessa.

"Ma'am we did not anybody who leave that rose on your table" replied one of her student.

"Who could that be?":Jessa thought to herself.

"Is someone to shy to personally show himself infront of me or someone who has a bad motive who is trying to warn me that he is after me"

The mystery deepened. Who had left the white rose, and what did it signify? Jessa was full of thoughts during her class that almost all her students noticed it.

During break time at the canteen, Jessa shared her experience with her friends, Kathy and Camille.

"You know what, this morning I receive a flower from somebody who is afraid to show himself to me. He just left it on my desk so when I arrived it was there." Jessa told her friends.

"Who would not be afraid? After all guys knows your past they would given up already" Camille replied jokingly.

"I'm serious." Jessa reprimanded.

"How many did you got?" Kathy asks

"Just a piece of white rose" Jessa told her.

"Just a piece, he is a poor guy" Camille commented.

"Where is the flower?" Kathy asked.

"I left it on my desk, I'm not interested on it." Jessa answered.

"How cruel" Camille lamented.

"That guy is so fast yet acting mysterious, Is he looking for trouble? Why not tell him your past and the truth about it so that he will stop his foolishness." Kathy said.

"I agree" Camille followed up.

"Yesterday, I went to the wake of my fiancee and this time it's different." Jessa told her friends another topic.

"Oh, how is it different this time?" Asked Camille.

"Well, my Aunt de Leon did not show indifference towards me this time." Jessa told them.

"Maybe, she already accepted the fate or maybe she just find out that you are a nice girl or she just breath some fresh air or had eat some food that change her mood" Kathy said.

"But she was serious, we meet first at the Police Department, she was also there for the follow up investigation. But we did not talk during those times. We only made a conversation at the wake." Jessa explained.

"What did she told you this time?" Kathy inquired.

"Nothing much, she just wants to help me remove my curse" Jessa told them.

"That's good for you." Kathy said that make Jessa was surprised. She didn't expect that reaction from her friend.

"Do you really believe I am curse?" Ask Jessa.

"We don't want to believe, but is it obvious?" Camille replied.

"Oh really. Is it that obvious" Jessa was irritated. She think her friends would not treat her as someone with a curse but its just her expectation.

"It means she really cares, don't be angry okey. We are here for you. We are friends and I think your mother-in-law also cares for you or she just want to do this for the atonement of her sins against you and her son." Kathy explained.

Jessa calmed herself down and listens to Kathy.

Kathy expressed interest in joining Jessa to witness the removal of the supposed curse associated with the mysterious gift.

"I come with you too, just call me anytime if you change your mind." Kathy said.

Aling Manang, an older woman, asked Jessa about the origin of the white envelope. "Did you call that number?"

Confused, Jessa inquired about the envelope's contents.

"Who could that be, Is he the one responsible for the white rose on my desk this morning?"

"I don't know" replied Manang. "Maybe you should call the number."

"Did you see his face? What does he look like?" Asked Jessa.

"My memory is dull, I can't remember all my costumer's face" Manang answered.

Jessa could not ask for more.

So Manang say once more, "You can call him his number"

"Yeah, since a number was send to you it means he just want you to call him so that he can reveal his identity to you." Camille explained

"Actually, I already suspected someone" said Kathy which make everyone curious including students who was listening attentively to the teachers conversation in the vicinity of the canteen.

"Who?" Manang and Camille duets.

Jessa seemed to not to care.

Kathy then revealed that there was a new math teacher at the school—an engineer. Jessa's reaction was dismissive: "Why should I care?"

"He is so handsome" Kathy teased.

Aling Manang persisted, asking if Jessa had called the number which was written on the white envelope which was given to Jessa the following day.

"No, I didn't" Jessa answered.

"You should call him now" Manang commanded.

Camille echoed the question, urging Jessa to make the call. Jessa was force to make a call, and the response was cryptic: "You'll get to know me eventually." The white rose now seemed even more significant but to Jessa it is nothing. She don't care about it. Her fiancée is not yet hurried and the memories of him are still fresh. Everytime Jessa's lovers end up commiting suicide it will take years for her to learn to love again. This time she don't really know if she would be still capable of loving. There are many doubts in her mind. She wants to know the truth if she is truly haunted or curse but she is afraid to face it

"What the hell" Jessa said as the other line end up. He did not even mention his name or ask the name of the caller. He wanted to continue to be mysterious.

"What did it say?" Manang was the first to asked.

"Nothing, as if he already know me, so he did not even asks for my name but he did not mention his name as well." Jessa explained.

"This mysterious guy is interesting" Camille commented.

Her friends teased her about having a secret admirer, referring to the mysterious sender as her "stalker." Jessa's nonchalant reply was unexpected: she had left the white rose on her desk, uninterested in pursuing the mystery further. She does not care at all. Her mind is centered on some deeper mysteries of her life. She wants clarification. Why her lovers are dying not by normal deaths or murder but they are killing themselves. Another thing, she remembers before Carl died he said he saw two ghost besides Jessa. Bogart also said this before he commited suicide. Unknown to herself for some reason why the two former lovers in highschool did not see Ghosts before they died. Could that two lovers be the two Ghosts bodyguards who is always around her?

With those thoughts on her mind, Jessa began crying again asking herself why and what things did she made wrong so her friends comforted her.