Trust
The day was beginning to fade, and Agatha, as always, was in the schoolyard, sitting on one of the lonely benches that faced the back garden. Her face reflected a mix of exhaustion and frustration. The accumulated work for the project fair, the long hours spent working with Rio,the students, and the constant pressure of having to always be in control made her feel like she could never find a moment of peace.
She was reviewing her notes when, suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching. She didn’t look up from her agenda, expecting it just to be one of the students passing by.
"Do you mind if I sit?" Rio's voice surprised her. Agatha looked up, meeting Rio’s characteristic smile, the one that seemed to radiate energy. With a somewhat cutting glance, Agatha nodded, not really wanting company at that moment.
She stayed silent for a few seconds, feeling frustrated at having to see Rio again after working together all morning. It was maddening for Agatha to share another moment with her. She thought about it and realized that Rio had actually helped finish all the work for the fair faster than Agatha had expected and didn’t turn out to be a complete nuisance with her deliberate attitude. On the contrary, Rio had shown a serious attitude while working. That memory eased some of the annoyance Agatha had towards Rio, and she said, "Go ahead," without much enthusiasm, moving her backpack slightly to make room.
Rio, however, didn’t seem offended by the tone in which Agatha had responded. She sat down in a relaxed posture, looking at the yard for a moment. Agatha watched her out of the corner of her eye, noticing how Rio always seemed so open, so oblivious to the tensions that weighed on Agatha.
"The weather’s nice, huh?" Rio commented with a smile, breaking the silence with her natural, light tone.
"Yeah," Agatha replied, not very enthusiastic. "It’s rare to have time to enjoy it." She focused again on her notes, hoping the conversation would die there.
Rio didn’t give up, noticing Agatha’s distant tone. "You know, I tend to make the most of these moments. It’s like my mind can relax a bit, breathe."
Agatha looked at Rio, somewhat surprised by her relaxed approach. "I don’t have time for that," she replied with a somewhat harsher tone, trying to maintain distance but unconsciously adding, "Sometimes I feel like I can't afford to take a break."
"I get it," Rio said with a slight laugh. "But sometimes it’s necessary, Agatha. You know you can take a break once in a while? We all need to disconnect a bit."
Agatha frowned, annoyed by the suggestion that she didn’t know how to relax. "It’s not that simple," she responded with a small sigh. "I have too much to focus on, too many things to do."
"And I get it. The project fair is a mess, right?" Rio said, nodding in understanding. "But honestly, I think if we relaxed a bit and trusted each other more, everything could be easier."
Agatha looked at her, surprised by what she was saying. She’d never thought of it that way. "I don’t know," she murmured, looking at the horizon. "I have a hard time trusting that others will do things the way I want them to. I don’t think everyone can do the same as I can, or at the same level."
"I get you," Rio said kindly, smiling softly, trying to calm her down. "It’s hard for me too, believe me. But maybe we should try doing it together. Maybe we’ll learn something new."
Agatha looked at Rio, a mix of disbelief and curiosity in her eyes. Was there really some truth in what she was saying? "I guess I could try," she said slowly, still a little skeptical but willing to consider the idea of including her more in the work. After all, they shared the English department.
At that moment, Rio moved a little closer, as if she were trying to connect on a more personal level. "Agatha, I know you’re good at what you do. But sometimes, sharing the load is easier than it seems. Why don’t we work more together on this project? We already did an amazing job with that report for Lilia, and everything is going well with the organization. Why not continue like this?"
For the first time in a long time, Agatha allowed herself to think about the possibility of doing that. "Alright, I’ll try," she said with a small smile. "Maybe I do need a little help after all, but I’ll set my rules. None of that attitude of yours; it makes you seem incompetent, dear."
"Hey, that’s part of the charm," Rio said, with enthusiasm, sounding a little offended at the same time. "But don’t worry, I know how to behave, and as for the fair, we have a lot of work to do. Starting tomorrow, we’ll have to stay late to prepare everything, over time. Lilia mentioned it to me today."
Agatha raised an eyebrow, surprised by the news. "Overtime? I didn’t know it was that urgent."
"Yeah," Rio nodded, somewhat serious. "There are several details we can’t overlook. Lilia wants everything to be perfect. So, get ready for more work after classes. I know you don’t like the idea, but we can use that time to get organized."
Agatha nodded, though with some annoyance. "Great," she said sarcastically. "No one likes the idea of staying late."
"I know," Rio replied with a conspiratorial smile. "But you know what? I’m sure that if we work together, those hours will fly by."
"I guess you’re right," Agatha said, finally relaxing a bit more. "It won’t be that bad if we have a plan and good organization."
During the rest of the conversation, Agatha began to feel more comfortable with Rio’s presence. The young teacher, despite her playful nature, had proven to be understanding and willing to listen when needed. Agatha realized that maybe, just maybe, it wasn’t such a bad idea to trust her.
"And since we’re in this together, I’ll ask you again," Rio continued, looking at Agatha with a charming smile, "After this week of hard work and overtime, how about we go out for a bit? After all this stress, we could disconnect. I know you don’t mix your personal life with your professional one, but I think it would be a good opportunity for us to get along better."
Agatha looked at Rio, surprised by the change in her tone. Her gaze had taken on a more playful tint as if she were throwing out a little proposition. Agatha stayed silent for a moment, surprised by the question and the way Rio was looking at her.
"Go out?" Agatha couldn’t help but let out a nervous laugh, feeling the awkwardness of the situation. "What do you suggest? A coffee?"
"Something like that," Rio said, moving a little closer, but still smiling. "I just thought we could take a breather together, outside of all this, maybe on Friday?" (It was Wednesday.)
Agatha, still puzzled, couldn’t help but follow Rio’s rhythm, though something inside her was confused. "Well, why not?" she finally responded, not wanting to seem too reluctant. "After all, we’re going to work pretty hard; it might be good to have a break."
"That’s what I like to hear," Rio said, smiling with satisfaction. "So, after all this chaos, I’ll invite you out on Friday. Maybe you’ll thank me for getting you out of that stress-filled world for a while."
Agatha, hearing her flirtatious tone, felt a small pang of discomfort in her chest. What was happening? Was that flirting? Was she really giving in to it? Was she starting to enjoy the idea of being with Rio, beyond work? Impossible, the hatred for Rio had gone; she felt neutral towards her, nothing more.
"Well, we’ll see," Agatha said, a bit more serious but with a shy smile. "First, we have to survive this chaotic week."
"That’s for sure," Rio said, standing up from the bench and stretching, not taking her eyes off Agatha. "Te veo, but don’t forget what we talked about—Friday."
Agatha watched her, surprised by the language switch Rio had introduced into their conversation, confused but intrigued. Rio was an enigma, and now, Agatha wasn’t so sure what to think. But, for some reason, her proposal didn’t seem so bad. In fact, She was beginning to wonder if, maybe, there was something more between them—something Agatha didn’t fully understand yet. For now, she was starting to accept it as a friendship. What a breakthrough.