Reborn in America: I Have an Equipment Slot

As soon as Irving stepped out of the kitchen, he saw a woman with long blonde hair, heavy makeup, and red lips, who looked to be in her forties, standing in the doorway.

"Tina, are you alright?" Seeing Tina standing there in a daze, Owen immediately became wary and asked.

But the next second, he saw Tina, who had come to her senses, throw herself into the arms of the woman standing at the door.

"..." What's going on?

Looking at Owen, who was wearing an apron and looked completely bewildered, the woman gently patted Tina's bottom and raised an eyebrow: "Oh, darling, you're over twenty years old, and you're still acting like a child..."

Okay, stop hugging me. Tell me who that handsome Asian guy is.

Don't tell me he's your boyfriend.

If your father finds out, he'll definitely cut off your allowance.

"Auntie, please stop joking," Tina said with a smile.

"Aunt?" Owen was slightly taken aback when he heard this word.

That's not right. In his memory, Tina seemed to be Mexican, and her parents were of Mexican descent.

Why did a white aunt suddenly appear?

"Oh, by the way, Auntie, this is Owen." Turning around, Tina quickly introduced, "Owen, this is my aunt, Marissa, who now runs a pawn shop in Miami."

"It's a pleasure to meet you. If Tina hadn't introduced you, I would have thought you were Tina's older sister." Owen wiped his hands with the apron in front of him and then extended his hand.

"You're so good with words." Upon hearing Owen's praise, Marissa immediately covered her mouth and smiled, then looked at Tina.

"I remember your roommate was a girl, I think her name was Ayesha. How come it's suddenly a guy? Tina, tell me the truth, you two aren't actually a couple, are you?"

"Auntie, you have to believe me." Tina turned around and gave Owen an apologetic look before explaining.

"Owen is Ayesha's boyfriend, and he's cooking today... to celebrate Ayesha getting a job."

"Tina is right." Seeing Tina's expression, Owen immediately explained, "I've been sleeping at Ayesha's place for the past two days."

Although slightly annoyed by Tina's eagerness to distance herself, Owen thought about it carefully and realized that he and Tina were indeed no longer in a romantic relationship.

At best, they can only be considered "special friends"?

"Is that so..." Marissa seemed a little skeptical of Owen's explanation, and she was just about to ask more questions.

Just then, Ayesha came out of the house.

Having met a few times before, Ayesha greeted Marissa, then kissed Owen and said in a coquettish voice, "Oh, darling, have you made dinner yet? I'm starving."

"Right away!" Seeing Ayesha come to his rescue, Owen immediately turned around and went back to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Seeing Ayesha also heading to the kitchen to help, Tina slightly pursed her lips.

But she couldn't be jealous at the moment. She went to the refrigerator, grabbed two cans of soda water, and handed one to her aunt Marissa: "By the way, Aunt, what made you decide to come here today?"

Marissa took the soda, opened it, took a swig, and took a few deep breaths to calm herself down: "I'm divorced..."

"Divorce?" Upon hearing these two words, Tina's expression changed. "Auntie, you're not joking, are you? I remember John as a pretty good guy, family-oriented and good at making money..."

"He's a good man, but unfortunately, I can't feel any passion for life with him anymore." Marissa irritably took out a pack of cigarettes from her bag, lit one, took a deep breath, and exhaled a puff of smoke.

"Tina, you are still young, and there are many possibilities for the future. But you'll know how unbearable it is to live a repetitive life after you get married."

"But if you two get divorced like this, what about John?" Tina frowned.

"Him? He should have been itching to do it already!" Marissa cursed. "We've only been divorced for less than a month, and he's already traveling all over the world!"

The official reason given was to go out for a walk and relax.

But actually, I feel he's wanted to leave and start a new life for a long time!

Tina opened her mouth, wanting to remind her aunt Marissa that it was she who was now filing for divorce.

Her uncle John was merely passively accepting it.

But Tina couldn't bring herself to say it.

She knew her aunt's temper; once she said those words, the aunt might get angry with her too.

After a few seconds of silence, before Tina could speak, Marissa, who had finished her cigarette, picked up a tissue and wiped her mouth.

"Alright, Tina, let's not talk about these unpleasant things." Marissa stretched out her hands, looking at Tina with a serious expression. "I'm here because I want you to do me a favor."

"Help?" Tina asked, looking puzzled.

"That's right!" Marissa nodded, then explained, "John and I are divorced. The court has ruled that most of the family property will be given to me, including the pawn shop."

Aren't you working part-time all the time?

Instead of working in restaurants or bars, I think you should help out at a pawnshop.

I guarantee that the salary will definitely not be lower than what you would earn working a regular job.

Are you willing?

"Auntie, are you serious? Pawnshops make so much money, why don't you run one yourself?" Tina frowned slightly and asked.

"Isn't this what I'm doing—preparing for interviews at public schools to apply for a teaching position?" Marissa explained.

"Oh, honey, you should know how long I've worked as a substitute teacher. Now that I have the opportunity to interview for those public schools, I definitely can't let this opportunity pass me by."

Tina nodded, understanding her aunt Marissa's thoughts.

My aunt Marissa graduated from Everest University, which, while not a prestigious school, is still considered quite good in Florida.

My aunt's career plan was originally very clear: to obtain a teaching certificate and then apply for a job at a public or private primary or secondary school in Miami to become a teacher.

When she first graduated, she chose a prestigious private school in order to earn more money.

Although the salary is higher, the workload is correspondingly heavy.

In contrast, working in a public school is much easier.

Unlike private school teachers, after World War II, the teachers' union secured separate rights for all public school teachers. As long as a teacher worked in a public school for two years, they would automatically receive tenure and could not be dismissed by the school at will.

Simply put, as long as the teacher has not committed a crime and been imprisoned, the public school has no reason to dismiss the teacher.

Even more outrageous is that the performance of public school teachers in their educational work is completely outside the school's jurisdiction for dismissing them.

This is also the main reason why the quality of education in American public schools is vastly different from that in private schools.