When Yvonne heard the ending of the story, she couldn’t help but shed tears. It was not until Yohan told her that she could eat another piece of chocolate today that she gradually stopped crying. While eating the chocolate, Yvonne asked, “The little mermaid has gone to heaven. She will never be able to see the prince again, right? Will she come back in the future?”
“Well, sweetheart, she probably won’t come back,” Estelle gently said. She saw that Yvonne was on the verge of tears, so she quickly comforted her, saying, “But you know what? It doesn’t matter. Even though the little mermaid lives in heaven, and the prince and the princess live in their kingdom, they all live happily ever after.” The original ending of the story might have been a bit too sad for a four-year-old like Yvonne, so Estelle gave it a happier twist.
Christina wasn’t as sentimental as Yvonne. She lay on Estelle’s lap and asked in a childlike voice, “Mom, why did the little mermaid have to trade her voice for legs? Couldn’t she just go ashore with her tail? She didn’t have to give up her beautiful tail, right?”
Hearing this, Estelle gently poked Christina’s cheek and said with a wry smile, “Well, it wouldn’t be easy for her to move with her tail, and the prince might be scared if he saw it.”
Yohan, being a boy with a strong sense of justice, felt righteous indignation after hearing the story. “That witch was so mean! The little mermaid shouldn’t have agreed to her demands. She should have gone ashore and told the prince the truth!” he exclaimed.
“Yohan, the little mermaid, couldn’t risk the prince seeing her tail, and she couldn’t move well on land with it,” Christina explained. Then, she had an idea, and her eyes lit up. “I know! She could have used a wheelchair like Dad!”
Yvonne had calmed down and felt better after having some chocolate. Upon hearing Christina’s suggestion, she chimed in, “Yes, a wheelchair!” Then, she turned to Estelle and asked, “Mom, why didn’t the little mermaid use a wheelchair?”
As soon as she finished her question, both Yohan and Christina turned to Estelle with hopeful expressions in their eyes.
In the study next door, Cristofer, who had been listening to their conversation, couldn’t help chuckling. ‘The children are growing up, and they all have a strong curiosity. Maybe I should consider hiring a tutor for them.’
In the children’s room, there was a moment of silence. Christina’s question caught Estelle off guard, and she struggled to find the right answer to maintain her perfect image in the children’s eyes. After about half a minute of thought, she finally replied, “Think about what the little mermaid looks like. She has a long tail, right?”
“Is her tail longer than the shark in the aquarium?” Yohan asked, recalling his visit to the aquarium, where he had seen a shark with a long tail.
Estelle held her chin with one hand, pondered for a moment, and then smiled, saying, “Her tail is much longer than the shark’s tail. It’s about this long.” She opened her arms and showed the length between her hands to the children. “Her tail is so long that she wouldn’t be able to fit in a wheelchair. If she wanted to see the prince, she’d have to ask someone to carry her to the palace. But she wouldn’t want to meet her beloved prince in such an awkward way, would she?”
Hearing Estelle’s explanation, Cristofer was left speechless and couldn’t help but think, ‘We haven’t seen each other for just a few months, and Estelle has become quite skilled at fooling our children.’
Unlike Cristofer, the three children found Estelle’s explanation quite reasonable, and they gazed at her with admiration, thinking she was very knowledgeable.
“So, Dad uses a wheelchair because his legs aren’t long enough?” Yohan asked.
“Then why does Dad look so tall when he stands up? Is it because his upper body is really long?” Christina asked with curiosity. “My legs aren’t long either. Can I be as tall as Dad when I grow up?” She began thinking about whether she should become a basketball player if she could reach Cristofer’s height in the future.
Estelle, speaking on behalf of Cristofer in a gentle tone, replied, “Your Dad is a natural athlete. He has long legs and is good at sports.”
“Mom, why does Dad have to use the wheelchair every day?” Christina asked.
“Um… You’ll understand the reason when you’re older,” Estelle said, using the common parent tactic to handle children’s questions, and she secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Then, memories of her time with Cristofer flooded back. Cristofer did indeed have long legs, and when he was able-bodied, he walked fast. When they walked together, he would slow down to ensure she could keep up with him.
‘Alas, now both of his legs are injured, and it’s uncertain if he can ever walk again,’ Estelle thought, a bitter feeling welling up in her heart.
“Mom, don’t try to protect Dad,” Christina stated firmly. “Yohan doesn’t have long legs either. He probably got Dad’s short legs.”
Hearing this, Yohan immediately stood up straight, defending that his legs were not short. The three children then engaged in a lively debate about the lengths of their legs, filling the room with their laughter. Estelle occasionally reminded them to be careful when their playful banter got a bit too rowdy.
Cristofer didn’t know how long he had stayed there listening to them, talking and laughing. As the voices from the children’s room gradually faded away, his depression and unhappiness were dispelled little by little and finally were replaced by a long-lost joy.
‘Cristofer, the break time is over. You should go back to your desk and continue to work,’ Cristofer thought to himself and then settled himself behind the desk. While reading the document, he reached out to pick up his cup on the desk and put it to his lips without noticing that the cup had been empty.
About two hours ago, a servant served Cristofer a cup of coffee. At that time, he was absorbed in his work, and he took a sip from time to time without looking at the coffee. It was not until now that he found that he had drunk up the coffee.
Looking at the empty cup, Cristofer frowned slightly and planned to go to the kitchen to get himself a cup of coffee. He had always been sluggish recently. Without the help of caffeine, he couldn’t work efficiently at night. However, his injured legs caused a great hindrance to his movements. And it was inconvenient for him to control the wheelchair and hold the coffee cup at the same time.