Chapter 164: I want a hamster
Noah had to carry Olivia in his arms even in the car till they got back to the suite where Alyssa and Roland went in to get their stuff before they headed back home.
It had been a waste that they arrived there and didn’t even go in, but with Olivia’s mood, even if they went in, she wouldn’t have had fun, so it was for the best that they went home.
"Do you like pets, Liv?" Noah asked and Olivia nodded.
"Yes, Daddy."
Michael looked at them. He could tell where he was going with this.
"Then, do you want me to get you one?"
Olivia did not answer right away and while Michael assumed his daughter would take this opportunity to say yes, she shook her head and said,
"No."
"No?"
"No, Daddy. I can’t keep a pet. I’m just too young. I don’t want it to die cause I can’t take care of it."
Ah, she was always thinking more for her age.
All she had to do was say yes and let them do the taking care of while she played with the pet whenever she wanted, but she decided she would like to take responsibility for the pet by herself and not burden her parents.
"That’s good thinking." Noah said. "Though children shouldn’t worry about such responsibilities and live carefreely, it’s admirable to know that you care for the life that will be in your possession and don’t regard them as just a plaything or a toy." He brushed her hair aside and kissed the top of her head. "I’m proud of you, Liv."
"Papa taught me well." She said and sniffed. Though her tone did not sound as bright as it usually did when she was excited, they could feel the happiness in it.
She was glad her Daddy acknowledged her already.
Michael brushed her hair.
Such a small thing thinking of being responsible for another life so soon. She was growing up way too fast.
"Olivia honey," He called. "If we get you a pet now, you don’t have to worry about the pet dying because you won’t be the only one taking care of it."
"Hm?"
Olivia wondered what exactly her Papa meant by that and Michael decided to break it down.
"I’m a grown-up, aren’t I?" He asked and she nodded. "But am I the only one taking care of you?" She shook her head and then her eyes widened as she got to understand what he meant.
Seeing his daughter had come to understand, he nodded his head.
"That’s right. Even your Papa, who is an adult needs help taking care of you. So, as a child, you can ask for help with anything and everything, and we will assist you. You got it?"
This suddenly made Olivia brighten up. She was excited.
This meant she could have a pet after all.
She always wanted a pet but never brought it up because her Papa didn’t look too happy. And she felt she wouldn’t be able to take care of it properly so she gave up on the thought.
But now, they not only allowed her to have a pet, but assured her that they would take care of it together.
"Then, then, can I get a kitten?" She asked. "Or a wolf? Or wait, can I get a tiger cub?"
Her options only got wilder and wilder and they laughed.
"Wait no, I got it. I want a hamster." She snapped her fingers, her eyes lighting up.
This was no longer a random guess. She had made up her mind to get a hamster, which they thought was a bit odd since her favorite animals were cats.
"Is there a reason you chose a hamster?" Noah asked.
"Because they’re cute." She said, sparkles flying from her eyes and piercing their hearts. "And plus they’re small. I think if I want to start taking care of a life, I should start with a small and docile creature."
"A hamster is great and all, but I don’t think they’re very easy to maintain, small and docile aside." Michael said and raised his head to ask Roland. "What do you think, Roland?"
Roland, looking up from the road and glanced over his shoulder at them.
They were all waiting for his response but all he had to say was,
"I’m not a pet doctor. How should I know?"
They nearly palmed their faces at his plain response but that was just how he was.
"But I do think it’s worth the shot." He added, fixing his eyes on the road again.
"Right?" Olivia echoed.
"And what makes you say so?" Noah asked, ready to hear his reasoning.
"Well, it’s nothing grand. Just... Cute and small things should be given to cute and small things, is all."
In other words, he just thought the cute, little hamster was what suited Olivia.
"Plus, they don’t scratch faces once they feel threatened so in the first few days together, it won’t hurt Olivia."
"But if it were a cat or something else," Alyssa added, "They might feel threatened coming to a new home all of a sudden and could bite Olivia, which is dangerous."
Michael sighed, looking a bit worn out after they said their piece.
He was glad they were trying to help but weren’t they limiting the chances of Olivia getting another type of pet in the future?
Just take a look at Noah and his protective form.
His eyes were glowing defensively as he thought of those animals that could hurt his darling daughter.
Seriously, he was such a worrywart, but it was understandable and this brought a smile to Michael’s lips.
"Well, it’s settled then. We’ll get Olivia a hamster."
"Then, turn the car around." Noah said and Roland suddenly turned the car around to follow the U-turn that just so happened to be in front of them.
It was so sudden that if his calculation was off by a little, their car would’ve somersaulted, but he was very confident in his skills, and they all trusted him, so it was fine.
Well, all except Noah.
"What was that?!" He demanded, looking furious and unsettled as he held Olivia.
"You could’ve gotten into an accident if you made a wrong move." Noah charged. "Why do something so dangerous when there’s a child in the car? Is this how you do things?"
Roland stayed silent.
His silence made it seem like he didn’t care at all for what Noah was saying and Alyssa began to inwardly panic. Things weren’t looking too good.
He needed to hurry up and say something.
"I’m sorry if my driving caused you to worry." Roland said, his eyes fixed on the road. "But trust me on this, I would never endanger Olivia. So, even if it seems like I’m being reckless, I’ve got everything completely under control. I won’t do anything I’m not confident of."
"But still... An accident could happen and..."
"Noah," Michael called. "While I do agree it was reckless, we haven’t gotten into any accidents and he hasn’t made any slip-ups for five years driving like that, so you can trust him."
"He’s always doing this?" Noah asked, baffled.
"Well, not all the time but yeah, sometimes. But you could say he’s one with the wheels so nothing happens, trust me. You don’t need to get mad, okay?"
But Noah was not okay about this and contemplated if to get a professional driver instead.
One who wouldn’t take unnecessary risks and put his daughter’s life in danger.
Knowing the kind of man Noah was, Michael knew his thought process and commented,
"Let me just be clear in this. You can’t find a better driver than Roland. So if that’s what you’re thinking, quit it."
Noah furrowed his eyebrows, his forehead creased as he had been seen through but he didn’t feel at ease.
Olivia sat in between this tension and then an idea popped into her mind.
"Papa, Daddy," she called and they both looked down at her. "Don’t you think we should get a new and bigger house?"
"What?" Michael looked at her, surprised.
Where did the thought of getting a new house come from?
"I’ll be taking you guys back to Italy soon anyway, so there’s no need to get a new house here." Noah said.
"Ah, I was going to talk to you about that." Michael said. "Could you hold it off till Alyssa ends this school session?" He asked. "She’ll be done in a month and then we can go back."
"Wait, we’re moving to another country?" Olivia asked, surprised.
"Yes, dear." Michael answered. "This place isn’t our country. We’ll be going back to our country once you’re done with this session, alright?"
"Hm," Olivia gave it a thought.
Aside from the memories in that house, she couldn’t think of any reason why she couldn’t leave.
"What about your flower shop, Papa?" She asked and he smiled, thinking how cute she was thinking about him.
"I can open another there."
"If that’s the case then we can move." She said, her lips pursing cutely.
She didn’t have any friends in particular in her school.
Everyone was her friend but it was not to the point that she couldn’t leave them.
It would be just like how she moved from the other school here. Though, it was a huge relief that she moved from that school because everyone was just so awful to her.
The car stopped and Olivia announced.
"I can’t wait to see Daddy’s house." She said, looking excited and Michael laughed.
"I’ll prepare your room just the way you’ll like it, Liv. So tell me, what do you want in your room?"
