Arabel's POV
Just as the school bell rings, I park in the driveway, stepping out quickly and walking towards the waiting room, where I will pick Daisy up.
When I get there, I see most of the children getting picked up by their parents, but Daisy isn't there yet.
I furrow my brow because this is unusual before moving out to check the teacher's office.
Before I get there, the teacher, Mrs. Maxwell, comes into view, our eyes connecting. Rather than her usual smile, a hint of sadness pierces her expression, prompting me to rush forward in panic.
“Mrs. Mathew?” I call as soon as I am within reach. “Is everything okay?" Where is Daisy? I couldn't find her in the waiting room...”
“She is with me.” She points towards her office before signalling for me to follow.
Without any more questions, I stride after her with anxiety. I am refraining from bombarding her with questions about why Daisy is in her office instead of the waiting room.
But the fact that Daisy is fine is assuring.
The office door opens, and Daisy comes into view. She is sitting on the teacher's swivel chair, looking so small and sad.
“Daisy, what happened?” I hurry to her side, caressing her cheeks and checking for any signs of hurt. “Baby, what happened?”
Instead of replying to me, she throws her hands around me and begins to cry. My worry increases tenfold, and I turn to Mrs. Mathew with a questioning brow.
She only shrugs, indicating she has no idea what is wrong with her. I scoop Daisy up when she sobs, then thank Mrs. Mathew and walk back to the park.
My heart is pounding in my chest as I begin to wonder what's wrong with her and why she's crying. It is so unusual of her.
Daisy is a carefree child. Always happy and cheerful, unless something bothers her.
This is what I can't seem to figure out.
When we get to the car, I put her in the passenger's seat so I can observe her while we drive home. I enter the driver's seat and start the engine.
The ride home is in complete silence. I don't intend to question her about what happened until we get home. By the time we are halfway home, she is already dozing off.
We get home, and I pick her up before strolling in. She needs to have her lunch, take a shower before taking a nap. So I have to wake her up.
Natalie helps me open the door to her room.
“Please bring her lunch,” I instruct calmly, laying her down on the bed.
“Ok, ma'am. What about you?” She asks quickly.
As I am about to tell her not to bother about me, it occurs to me that Daisy might not be interested in eating if she does not see me doing so.
“You know what? Set the dinning; Daisy and I are coming now.”
I want to know what has happened. I won't be rest assured until I know. If we sit at dinner and I eat, she will do the same. After that, I will persuade her to tell me what the problem is.
Before removing her jacket, I remove her school sandals and socks. Calmly, I tap her shoulder. “Baby?”
“Uhmm?” She turns around, flickering her eyes open, only to see me hovering above her. “Mommy?”
“Yes, baby. It's fine. Come, let's eat.” I help her up, but she shakes her head in refusal.
“I don't want to,” she mutters sharply, as if she were expecting that.
“What? Why?”
She doesn't say a word.
I pick her up before going out of the room, shutting the door quietly behind me. When we arrive at dinner, they have already served lunch, and I place her on the chair next to me before taking a seat myself.
From my peripheral view, I watch her pouting and looking down. The moment I pick up my cutlery to start eating, she looks up at me.
“What is it?!” I demand, against my will, that we wait till we are done eating.
"Nothing," she shrugs again, this time acting nonchalant, as if it were nothing.
"If it's nothing, then why are you looking sad and not eating?" I can't help it. “Daisy, talk to me.”
She doesn't say a word.
“Baby?”
She grabs the spoon instead and begins to eat. I let out a deep sigh, my worry escalating. Then I start to force myself to eat too while studying her.
After two spoons, Daisy starts to pick at her meals, making me finally drop my cutlery and drag my seat closer before holding her two hands.
“Daisy, talk to me, please. You are killing me with your silence. Did someone hurt you? Did I do anything wrong? Are you mad at Mom? What is the problem, baby?”
She stares at me before shaking her head.
I let out a puff of air. No one hurt her. Thank Goodness. Then what is it?
“Did someone curse at you then? Did you fight with someone or…”
“Yes,” she almost shout in reply, her eyes brimming with tears again and pricking my curiosity.
“What?!”
A lone tear slips from her eyes. “There is a new boy in my class; his name is Scott. He wants to be my friend because I am intelligent.”
I nod, urging her to go ahead, even though wild imaginations are running through my head.
I'm wondering why her sadness has to do with a man. Does she like him? Is she thinking of having a boyfriend at this age?!
At the last thought, my heart jumps, but I clench my fist to calm my nerves and not get ahead of myself.
“What happened next?” I voice out my thoughts. “Talk to me, please.”
“Then he asked if someone was coming to pick me up from school. I told him, Yes, mom usually picks me up on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, but on busy days like Thursdays and Fridays, her driver picks me up.”
I nod.
“Then he asked why my dad didn't pick me up from school. I didn't know what to tell him, so I lied.”
My clenched fingers freeze when she mentions her dad.
“You lied? Why? What did you tell him?” I raise my voice now.
She looks like she is going to burst into tears anytime soon, so I continue to caress her cheeks in a soothing manner.
“I told him Dad is very busy on weekdays, but we always go out on the weekends. I told him Dad doesn't stay in London but in New York,” she reveals slowly, her face registering her regret for lying.
“What happened? Did he believe you?”
She shakes her head.
“You see why I always tell you not to lie? It is a bad habit…”
"He didn't believe it because Sarah and Mason laughed at my face and told him I was lying. They told him my dad was in heaven.” She cut me short and burst into tears.
An unexpected twinge of sadness tugs at my heart as I watch her cry, unsure of what to do to lift up her spirit.
I should have known.
I think it is high time I reported these kids for bullying and discrimination. Daisy always complain about how they tease her about not having a dad, but I never took any of it seriously.
Now I will.
As she snuggles into me, I carry her and place her on my lap. “It's ok, baby.”
For a moment, I consider the thought of finally revealing the truth. Richard already knew she was his; I have admitted that to him, and I wouldn't want him to be the one to tell her about his paternity.
Daisy would never forgive me.
Though I am scared, Scared of telling her her friend is no one but her father, and I didn't tell her all along for a reason best known to me.
I am scared of what she would do. I am scared of how she would react to the news after feeding her lies about how he has gone to heaven.
Suddenly, an idea races into my head.
I make her sit and wipe her face. “Daisy?”
“Mom?”
“Listen to me and stop crying. I have something for you.”
“Really?” Her eyes light up in surprise and excitement, and I nod, glad at the wonderful idea.
“Do you remember what you wished for on your birthday?” I question, hoping she remembers.
She looks puzzled for a while before nodding her head in response.
"When you blew out those candles?”
She nods again.
“What was it?”
She smiles and answers. “I wish I could see him…”
“...And have him come back from heaven to stay with us forever, right?” I chip in, flashing one of my brightest smiles.
“Yes, Mommy.”
“Good.”
“Is he back from heaven? Is it possible for him to come back from heaven?” She asks, jumping up and waiting desperately for my answer.
This is it.
I don't know how to give it to her. Just then, I hear the doorbell ringing, stopping me from saying anything that comes to mind.
Since the dinner is close to the main door, I stand up as an excuse to open the door so I can think of how best to put it to her.
I see Natalie going to the door, so I signal to her to let me take it. She walks back to her position while my head continues to wander, disposing and rethinking another brilliant idea on how to tell her that Richard is her dad without implying that I lied or something bad happened between us.
I get to the door and pull it open to receive the greatest shock of my life.
Richard is at the door, and his cast is off.
He flashes me a smile, pretending as if our last meeting ended on a good note when it didn't. It brings flashes of anger back into my heart.
"Hello, is Daisy home?" I got her some ice cream from…”
“Richard?” Daisy calls loudly as I realize she followed me to the door. Before I know it, she runs into his arms and grabs the bowl of ice cream from him.
I walk back to dinner, and he comes in with Daisy.
She has completely forgotten about what happened to her in school today and about my revelation. I am thinking of letting it go, but I know this is going to be a topic for another day.
Surely.
If Daisy remembers tonight, she will ask me and insist I tell her until I do.
Isn't it better that I do that now that he is here?
“Daisy?” I call softly, avoiding Richard's eyes.
She stops talking and turns to me. “Yes, Mommy.”
“We were saying something before he came in, right?” She nods with a fresh note of enthusiasm. “Good.”
“Richard and I wanted to make it a surprise for you and tell you on your next birthday, but since you want to know if your wish has come true or not, I guess it's time we tell you already…
Her eyes widen, and I ignore it as I continue. "Remember when he said he was your dad a while ago?"
She turns to Richard, who is shocked to the bone, then whirls around to face me squarely. “Yes.”
"He's your father." He disappeared for years, which is why I told you he was in heaven, but now he is back. Richard is your dad.”
Her mouth drops open, and she gets up from her seat before standing between Richard and I as her face breaks into a beautiful smile.
Then she lets out a scream before jumping on Richard, who laughs heartily, his eyes sparkling with happiness.