Chapter 161


    Chapter 161: New Friends, New Experiences


    Moana


    After E, Edrick and I went to the outdoor painting ss together, it started to be more and more


    apparent to me that E was deeply craving more interactions with other children her age. With each


    passing day, she begged me more and more to bring her to the orphanage to y with the other


    children, and began to grow a little defiant when Edrick told her that she couldn’t be going out all of the


    time.


    My years of working with children and my career in early childhood education taught me that one of the


    most important things for any child to experience was socializing with other children. E had been


    mostly cooped up her entire life, and I even began to honestly wonder if she even had any interactions


    with other children before I came into the picture. Maybe she ran into children at training or saw her


    little cousins once or twice a year during family gatherings, but she didn’t have consistent chances to


    socialize with other kids. I saw the toll it was taking on her, and as the days ticked closer to the


    beginning of the school year, I could tell that E was deeply upset.


    Finally, I decided to talk to Edrick about the possibility of sending E to school.


    I knew that he would likely be hesitant about the idea, so I decided to prepare first. I began to do some


    research on local private schools, and even spent a few days just spending all of my free time


    compiling a list of the best local private schools for Edrick to look at. I made sure to find schools with


    plenty of extracurricrs for E to get involved in, and also made sure to find schools that offered pre-


    kindergarten through high school so that she could stay with her friends, as I was certain that she was


    bound to make a lot of friends.


    After several days of searching, I finallypiled a list of schools that I was certain would pique


    Edrick’s interest. How could he say no to sending his little girl to such nice schools? Surely he would at


    least go on some tours and think about it. In fact, there was even one school that was within walking


    distance of the penthouse; it was an all-girls school that had been around for a long time, and judging


    from the pictures that I found online, it looked beautiful.


    Later that evening, after I had the list and an entire little speech ready for Edrick, I waited patiently for


    Edrick toe home. When I heard the elevator doors open, I immediately jumped up from the


    armchair in the living room and scurried over to Edrick.


    “Let me take your coat,” I said, quickly taking his suit jacket off of his arm. I took his briefcase next, and


    set everything aside with a smile.


    Edrick shot me a strange, confused look as I hung up his coat and let out a low chuckle. “What’s all this


    for?” he asked lightheartedly. “Are you trying to butter me up or something?”


    I shook my head at first, and guided him over to the dining room table. I pulled a chair out for him, then


    ran into the kitchen and returned with a covered tray of food that I had kept hot, knowing that he would


    be at workte that evening. When I set it down in front of him, heughed again and made my face go


    red.


    “Moana, this is very nice, but what on earth is going on?” Edrick asked. “Did someone die? Are you


    finally trying to poison me?”


    “N-No,” I replied sheepishly, feeling my face get even more hot as I fiddled nervously with the front of


    my dress. “Well… Maybe I am trying to butter you up a little.”


    Edrick raised an eyebrow, but uncovered his te regardless and began to stab the steaming pasta


    with his fork. He seemed to be in good humor that evening, which gave me more confidence about


    bringing up such a sensitive topic. “What is it?”


    I cleared my throat, then produced the pamphlet of potential schools that I had folded up in my pocket.


    “I think E really needs to start socializing more with other children,” I said. “She’s getting older, and


    she’s hardly had any opportunities to meet other kids. It’s taking an obvious toll on her, as I’m sure


    you’ve noticedtely.”


    Edrick, who was about to put a forkful of pasta in his mouth, froze and looked up at me with somewhat


    wide eyes. “Are you suggesting…” He set his fork down.


    I nodded. “E needs to go to school.”


    Edrick’s face went cold and he said nothing. Seeing him react like this was a bit disheartening, but it


    wasn’t unexpected; I had spent days preparing for this. I set the pamphlet down on the table in front of


    him and sat down at the table.


    “I know you’re unsure about sending her to school, but I’ve been doing a lot of research and I found


    quite a few nice private schools in the area,” I said, trying my best toe across aspassionate


    and gentle. I understood why sending his little girl away to school after she lived cooped up in the


    penthouse for the past eight years was difficult, but at the same time I knew that he knew that I was at


    least half right. I slid the pamphlet closer to him, and although he just stared down at it silently, I kept


    talking. “I really think you should at least just take a look,” I said. “Please.”


    Edrick was silent for several moments. He seemed stiff, and almost seemed as though he would get up


    and walk away at any moment, but then he finally picked up the pamphlet and slightly flipped through it.


    “I’ll consider it,” he said. His voice was cold and he stood abruptly without eating his dinner. Without


    another word, he started off toward his study. Panicking and worrying that I had put him off somehow, I


    jumped up and called after him.


    “Edrick, I know it’s scary to send her out into the world, and I know that you’re worried about her getting


    hurt or the paparazzi scaring her, but she needs this more than you realize,” I said. Edrick paused, his


    back still turned to me, but he did seem to be listening. “Think about everything that E is missing out


    on. She needs friends, new experiences. She needs to learn things that she wouldn’t otherwise be able


    to learn about while being homeschooled, and she needs more than a one-on-one experience in life if


    you want her to be sessful when she grows up.”


    Edrick stood there for a few moments. I could tell that he was thinking about it, and that he wasn’t just


    ignoring me or waiting for me to be quiet. And although he still walked into his office without saying


    anything, I couldn’t help but smile.


    I was pretty certain that my words struck a chord with him. Above all else, I knew that he cared deeply


    about E’s future and her happiness, and I knew that he wouldn’t want her to live her life being


    cooped up and separated from society.


    At least, that was assuming that what Olivia told me wasn’t true.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.