CHAPTER 35…..
We played in the garden for about three hours.
The Hibiscus Has Bloomed, tag, hopscotch, ball games.
Since there wasn’t much else to do, I pulled out every nostalgic game I could remember, and the kids still seemed to have a great time.
While we were at it, we decided to have lunch outside too.
We spread a mat in a prime spot with a view of the fragrant osmanthus tree and ate sandwiches.
After all that running around, with our bellies full and the warm sunlight on our skin,
Aslan and Ayla both started nodding off in the sun.
Aslan whined.
“Mom, I’m sleepy.”
“Then should we take a nap before going back in?”
“Mhm.”
I lay down and opened my arms out of habit.
Like a magnet, Aslan snuggled right into my embrace.
I reached out my other arm toward Ayla.
“Do you want to sleep too, Ayla? You look really sleepy.”
“But we’re outside… and it’s still daytime…”
So she didn’t yet know the magic of a nap outdoors.
After I was confined, the second-happiest thing I discovered—right after sleeping in—was the joy of an afternoon nap.
I urged her on.
“Come on, come on. Nobody’s going to scold you for napping outside.”
“Still…”
Ayla hesitated.
Go on, lie down.
When I kept coaxing her, she finally lay down with her head on my arm, moving slowly and wearing an unsure expression, as if wondering if this was really okay.
I could feel she was a bit tense.
To help her relax, I gently patted her shoulder.
Then Ayla asked,
“But… isn’t taking a nap a bad thing?”
“Why would it be bad?”
“You’re supposed to sleep at night.”
“No, people need naps too. Especially kids. Kids grow when they nap.”
“Really?”
“Of course~ And did you know studying works better after a nap? Bet you didn’t know that.”
The idea that sleeping could make you study better—
Ayla looked at me like she was trying hard not to show her suspicion, as though I might be making it up.
“That can’t be true. If you nap, you have less time to study.”
It was true though… I felt a bit wronged.
But why was Ayla so obsessed with studying in the first place?
She didn’t even have a tutor anymore.
Menté doesn’t seem to be nagging her about it either… so why?
Just in case, I asked cautiously,
“Your dad doesn’t force you to study a lot, does he?”
“N-no. I’m the one who begs him to let me study.”
She rushed to deny it, maybe thinking I was making her father out to be the bad guy.
Still… isn’t playing more fun than studying?
I could tell just from the smile she’d shown while running around earlier.
I asked curiously,
“You like studying?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Just… because.”
Somehow, I doubted it was just because.
I had one guess.
Looking into her sky-colored eyes, I asked,
“Is it because you want your dad to praise you?”
Her eyes wavered.
She blinked quickly, as if wondering how I knew, then gave a small nod.
“I see.”
I had a rough idea of the picture now.
She had no mother, and her father was busy.
In that lonely situation, the only way to get anyone’s attention was through studying.
And with tests, she could get immediate proof of her results.
Even if Ied told her she didn’t need to study, Ayla must have thought studying was the fastest way to make him happy.
“You miss your dad a lot, don’t you?”
“…Yes.”
“He’ll be back soon.”
“Yes.”
“For these two weeks, let’s eat well, play well, and rest well. For kids, the best thing is to run around, eat a lot, and sleep a lot. I bet your dad would rather see you playing like a kid than studying.”
“…Really?”
“Of course. All parents are like that.”
Maybe that comforted her a little.
The weight on my arm grew heavier—Ayla was drifting off to sleep.
My arm went numb from holding both children’s heads, but the sound of their peaceful breathing was pleasant.
Before I knew it, I too had fallen into a nap.
I didn’t know how long we’d slept, but when I woke up, the sun was starting to set.
After changing the kids’ clothes, we each had some personal time.
I did some knitting in my room, and Aslan played dolls with Ayla in the next room.
Since the rooms were connected, I could hear them chatting and laughing.
When we gathered for dinner, Ayla suddenly asked, halfway through cutting her meat,
“Come to think of it, ma’am… do you have a husband?”
“Huh?”
I froze midair with my fork in hand.
Ayla continued carefully, looking like she was worried she might have said something wrong.
“I saw the picture hanging in the hall. Since I’m going to be staying here for two weeks, I thought I should greet him.”
Oh, that.
Right—I’d left it hanging there instead of taking it down, worried Ied might get suspicious.
I’d planned to keep it there for a while, but it wasn’t important enough for me to think about, so I’d forgotten all about it.
I had made up a story about that imaginary man to tell Ied, but apparently Ied hadn’t told Ayla.
Ayla innocently turned to Aslan.
“Aslan, what’s your father like?”
Aslan just blinked at her like she was speaking nonsense.
“I don’t have a dad.”
“H-huh?”
Ayla looked startled.
So was I—I quickly covered Aslan’s mouth and gave an awkward laugh.
“Ohoho! He does have a dad. But he left before Aslan was born, so of course Aslan doesn’t know him.”
“Oh…”
Ayla’s eyes wavered, looking unsure how to react.
After that, she didn’t speak again.
The pace at which her food disappeared was much slower than before.
I couldn’t enjoy my meal either, too aware of Ayla’s mood.
Every time we glanced at each other, we quickly looked away, burying our faces in our plates.
“Aren’t you eating more, Mom? Then I’ll eat it.”
The only one unbothered was Aslan.
While she was stealing my food, Ayla stood up.
“Thank you for the meal. I’ll excuse myself, ma’am.”
“Oh? You’re not eating more?”
Half the food on her plate was untouched.
We’d played the same amount, but unlike Aslan—who was now halfway through her second plate—Ayla had hardly eaten.
Even though she must have been hungry, she stayed polite to the end.
“I’m full. Sorry for wasting food, ma’am. It was delicious.”
She left the dining room almost like she was escaping.
Nom nom nom.
Aslan’s chewing sounded unusually loud.
This was bad.
I was sure Aslan’s blunt answer had triggered Ayla’s trauma.
I whispered sharply to Aslan,
“Aslan! You can’t say stuff like ‘I don’t have a dad’ in front of Ayla! Can’t you see she’s upset?”
“Hic.”
She hiccuped, startled by my sudden face in hers.
Looking annoyed, she grumbled,
“But if I don’t have one, what am I supposed to say? That I do?”
Yes, well, aren’t you clever!
She wasn’t wrong, though.
I couldn’t just lie and say someone existed when they didn’t.
I sighed heavily and rubbed my forehead.
Ayla’s expression kept flashing in my mind.
…Maybe I should’ve taken that picture down.
I’d left it up for Ied’s sake, but now it might have stirred up Ayla’s trauma.
Worse, I worried she might be blaming herself for asking in the first place.
It’d probably be awkward if I went to her directly.
I was still an adult, and even if I was her friend’s mom, she’d be self-conscious around me.
Wasn’t there some better way?
I was still wracking my brain when Aslan suddenly asked,
“Hey, Mom. Is it weird if someone only has one parent?”
“…Huh?”
“You said before that people would think it was weird if I didn’t have a dad, and that’s why you hung up that weird picture. And Ayla asked me about my dad too. Are people always like that?”
