It would be easier for two grownups to do this, with one handing the bucket and one climbing the ladder. But it was exhausting for Estelle herself, especially when the gemstones were actually marbles that would roll around when the bucket was moved. She had no choice but to grip the handle with her teeth while climbing. But almost half of the marbles rolled outside when the bucket rocked back and forth.
Though Estelle finished the track, they obviously had fewer marbles than other families. They could get a stamp, but they couldn’t get the gift. Yvonne and Christina were a little disappointed. But they walked to Estelle to comfort her. “Mom, you’ve done a good job.”
“Thank you, guys. Let’s have a rest. I just saw that the teachers were giving out desserts.” Estelle was exhausted, so after she got four desserts, she took the kids to sit under a tree and ate with them. Now it really felt like a spring outing.
The mini basketball court was not far away from the tree. The teachers deliberately moved the baskets upward to fit the height of the grownups for today’s event. Two families were playing there. The parents lifted the children and let them sit on their arms to throw the ball into the basket.
The one who did the best was a girl the same age as Yvonne and Christina. She dressed like a little princess, sitting in her parents’ arms. And she smiled happily.” Look at me. I threw the ball into the basket again. We will win this time!”
Her father gently scratched her nose tip and said happily, “I know you are the best.”
“Stop chatting. We still have one ball here,” said the girl’s mom. She gave her the last ball and waited for her to throw it directly into the basket until she cheered with her husband and their little girl. “We win!”
Watching this happy moment, Estelle suddenly felt that dessert wasn’t tasty at all. Then she sneaked a peek at the children and saw all three of them staring at that little girl on the basketball court in admiration.
“Do you want to play that game?” Estelle put the cupcake into her mouth and stood up. “It’s all right. I can lift you by myself.”
Yvonne shook her head and said considerately, “No. No. I don’t want to play. I just want to look at them.”
“Me, too. Just looking at them is enough.” Christina chimed in with Yvonne, her eyes fixed on the little girl. Estelle was sad when looking at her sparkling eyes. She couldn’t insist on going now that the children said no considerately.
If she played that game, she knew she wasn’t strong enough to make it to the end, and they would lose again. Then she said, “Do you want to hear a story? I have plenty of time today to tell you several stories.”
Lately, Estelle had been quite busy and hadn’t been able to tell bedtime stories to her children for a few days. Even though Aurora read picture books to them, the kids loved how their mom enthusiastically told stories.
When Estelle mentioned telling a story, Yvonne and Christina quickly grabbed their water bottles and sat beside her. Yohan fetched some stools. As they enjoyed this cozy family moment, a basketball rolled their way, followed by a young boy. He picked up the ball and looked surprised to see Yvonne and Christina. “What are you doing here? Everyone’s playing a game. Wait, why is your mom the only one with you? Where’s your dad?”
“It’s none of your business! Go play your game!” Christina replied sharply.
Estelle gently patted Christina’s head and turned to the boy. He seemed stronger than the other kids. She asked Christina, “Is he your friend? You shouldn’t be rude to your friends.”
“He’s Don,” Yvonne said softly, “but he’s not really our friend.”
Mischievous kids can sometimes be quite troublesome. Estelle quickly understood that Don might be a troublemaker in the kindergarten based on her daughters’ reactions. She instructed the children to pick up the trash and move to another area to avoid any problems.
However, Don was persistent and didn’t want to let it go because he wanted an answer. He rushed over to Yvonne and Christina, trying to see their expressions. Then he yelled, “Oh, I know. You don’t have a dad!”
Not wanting his sisters to feel bad, Yohan stepped in to explain, “Our dad is injured, so he can’t come.”
“Don’t care about it. My dad is also injured,” Don replied, pointing to the basketball court.
“That’s my dad. He’s here even though his hand isn’t feeling good because he loves me. Your dad isn’t here because he doesn’t love you!” Don said with a smirk.
Estelle was taken aback, looking at the man on the basketball court with his right arm in a plaster cast, alongside his wife, who was helping their son get a stamp on his card.
Yvonne and Christina also noticed Don’s father, but they disagreed with Don and were ready to argue with him. Christina rushed toward him and said angrily, “That’s not true. My dad loves us very much. Your dad’s arm is injured, but my dad’s legs are injured. It’s totally different!”
“Blah blah blah,” Don retorted and made a face at her. “I have a dad, and you don’t.”
This was the most troublesome child Estelle had ever encountered, and she wanted to reprimand him for his hurtful words. But before she could react, Yvonne burst into tears. She was a sensitive girl and couldn’t handle the bullying, and her eyes welled up with tears.
“It’s okay, sweetie. Your dad loves you,” Estelle comforted Yvonne, quickly wiping away her tears with a tissue and grabbing their school bags to move to another area. She started regretting her decision to come to the kindergarten today, as it wasn’t turning out to be fun and had upset her children. ‘I should have at least asked Victor to come and help me. But if I invite him, he might just cause trouble again. It’s not easy to calm him down.’ Estelle wasn’t sure what the right course of action was.
Christina, being the youngest of the three siblings, usually followed her older brother and sister’s lead, but that didn’t mean she was easy to push around. After Yvonne started crying, Christina confronted Don boldly, saying, “Ask sorry to my sister right now!”
“No!” Don refused, unwilling to back down to a little girl who was thinner than him, especially when he believed he hadn’t done anything wrong.
“I won’t let you off easily until you apologize to her!” Despite being the smallest, Christina spoke with determination to defend her sister. Her strong words startled Don initially, but then he grew embarrassed. He reacted by angrily throwing a ball at her. Luckily, Christina was quick enough to dodge it. Furious at his actions, she threw the ball back at him, escalating the situation into a potential fight.