I was refilling my daughter’s lunch account when I saw a $40 charge to a nearby café. Confused, I asked her about it after school. She flinched, then muttered something about her teacher. My hands trembled as I emailed the school. The reply came back fast, but what froze me was the line at the bottom that read: “Please let me know if you’d like to discuss this in person. I believe Ms. Varela has already reached out to you.”
But she hadn’t.
No call. No email. Nothing.
I stared at the screen, heart racing. Who was Ms. Varela? And why was she reaching out to me behind my back?
My daughter, Zahra, is 13. Usually honest to a fault. The kind of kid who apologizes when she forgets to recycle. So for her to go quiet like that? I knew something was off.
That night, I tried again, gently.
