Fortunately, Lariette seemed to be able to leave early just as she wished. One of the reasons was that she didn't steer away by having random conversations with her colleagues.
Slightly after four, Lariette estimated she would be done very soon. Thus, she texted Ruediger, saying he could come at four-thirty like they talked about before.
His response came within a minute.
[Ruediger: Aye aye, ma'am]
Smiling, Lariette put the phone down. She concentrated again on the papers before she finally capped her pen, tidied the desk and put her items inside the bed.
At this hour, half of the teachers' lounge was still occupied. Everyone was busy with their own job.
While standing up to stretch her stiff limbs, Lariette saw Nora grading a stack of essays while Phoebe was munching on dried mango strips as she scrolled on her phone.
"Lari, done already?" Nora asked, eyeing Lariette's cleared desk and the backpack on her shoulder.
"Time to breathe easier today," she hummed with a grin.
