Day Sixty-Eight…
~~*****~~
[ At Ethan's School… ]
Ethan had been absent for a while because he chose to stay with Jane, watching over her in the hospital. But today, he attended school to accomplish their performance task evaluation. While he was preparing for the exercises, Mia approached him.
"Ethan, are you sick? Why didn't you attend class for the past few days?" Mia asked him curiously. She was worried that Ethan got sick.
Ethan lifted his head and looked at her. "I'm fine. But my mother is in the hospital. I have to take care of her."
Mia bobbed her head. "I understand. I hope she will get better soon. Will you visit her after class?"
"Yes. I'm going straight to the hospital after my class." Ethan promptly responded. Mia and Ethan became friends. It started during the family day wherein Mia defended him from the bullies.
"How about you? Where is your mother?" Ethan asked her just to continue their conversation.
"I don't have parents. They died. Only my Uncle is taking care of me… as if I am his own daughter. My uncle serves as my father. He is the only family I have left."
Ethan stopped what he was doing. He didn't expect that Mia didn't have parents. She looked very cheerful.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Ethan softly mumbled, sympathizing with her.
Mia let out a soft giggle. "Don't give me that sad look. I'm just fine. Though I don't have parents, I have a loving Uncle."
Ethan smiled at her and said, "Good to know."
"But Ethan, I am curious. How does it feel to have a mother?" Mia asked him again with an innocent look in her eyes. Deep inside, she was yearning for a mother's love. Though Helena was her Uncle's fiancé, Mia couldn't feel any hint of motherly love from her.
Meanwhile, Ethan reminisced about the moments he had shared together with Jane. He couldn't help but smile tenderly.
"How does it feel? Hmm… It is the most fantastic feeling in the world. My mom cooked food for me. She made me happy. We played online games together. We also visited an amusement park. She taught me how to shoot. We rode different extreme rides. She protected me from bullies. She always encouraged me. I always feel loved whenever I'm with her." Ethan spoke spontaneously, his eyes sparkling with joy as he thought of Jane and their bonding moments.
Mia's expression suddenly turned solemn. "I'm jealous of you. I wish I could find a mother just like her."
Ethan patted her back to console her. "Don't worry. You will find one someday."
"Can I tag along with you? I want to meet your mother. I am curious about her." Mia looked at Ethan with her pleading eyes.
Ethan fell silent for a moment, contemplating whether to say yes or not. But he pitied her for not having a mother so he decided to agree.
"Okay. You can come with me later."
"Yey!" Mia jumped with joy. She even hugged Ethan. "Thank you, Ethan. I promise I'll behave in front of her."
Ethan's smile disappeared. She hadn't told Mia that Jane was in a coma state. She won't be able to talk to her.
'It's fine. Once mom wakes up, I will bring Mia again and introduce her to my mom,' Ethan made a mental note.
"I'll inform my Uncle to fetch me later, after visiting your mother," Mia said excitedly. "I will introduce my Uncle to you. I bet you will like him. He is so cool."
"Hmm. You're lucky to have a cool Uncle. Sigh. Do you know that my father is so dumb? He doesn't appreciate my mom." Ethan shared his frustration with her.
Mia could only giggle. "My Uncle is also dumb sometimes. Don't worry. Anyway, do you hate your father?"
"Hmm. No. I love him. But I'm just annoyed with him whenever he is pushing my mom away. He is too dumb and blind to see her worth. He doesn't cherish her. Sigh. I can't blame him. Because he didn't know the secret about my mother's identity." Ethan shrugged his shoulders and waved his hands helplessly.
Mia giggled once more. She found it amusing just listening to Ethan's ranting. "I'll tell you a secret too. Please don't tell this to anyone."
Ethan glanced at Mia, puzzled. He nodded his head expectantly and said, "What secret? Tell me. I promise. I won't tell anyone."
"I don't like my Uncle's fiancé. I can feel that she is just putting up with me. But I caught her once, looking daggers at me. I can feel her resentment and hatred towards me. I don't understand why but I feel like she is getting jealous of me because I'm Uncle's apple of the eye." Mia took a deep sigh.
Ethan just glanced at her with unblinking eyes. Who would have thought that Mia was also very observant? She even talked like an adult. No wonder he could easily get along well with her.
"I'm just trying to interact with her in front of my Uncle because I respect her as my Uncle's fiancé," Mia added.
"Why don't you tell your Uncle about it? You must tell him about your feelings toward his girlfriend," Ethan suggested. "What if they get married and she will bully and abuse you? Will you let your Uncle marry that pretentious woman?"
Mia took another sigh. "I told you. My uncle is also dumb sometimes. He is so foolish for choosing her. I think he is crazy madly in love with her. He is spoiling her to the core."
Ethan's eyebrows twitched when he heard that. He could only shake his head helplessly. "My father and your Uncle are both foolish. Fortunately, we are not the same as them. We are smarter than them."
Mia and Ethan burst out laughing after he said those words.
"I totally agree. So we need to ace this exam and get a high grade!" Mia responded cheerfully.
"Yes. Let's get a high score for this test."
The two charming kids pressed their close hands together for a fist bump.
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