Nari's New Friend
Nari's New Friend
Nari had her own private teacher, conducting her primary schooling at the mansion. The teacher would stay for three hours every day during the weekday. The last half an hour was usually spent to update the caregiver of Nari's learning progress.
Since Rae Bin was taking care of Luiz full time, he and Nari can share the teacher with Rae Bin's guidance.
When Yanmei brought up the idea, Rae Bin agreed instantly. She also felt Luiz would do good by having another friend. Moreover, it would not only be Nari that he would meet but also Chan-Mi and also Geun.
Rae Bin arrived, driving a sedan, pulling up the driveway when Yanmei walked out the door.
"Rae Bin, good morning," said Yanmie, seeing her friend, getting off from the car.
"Good morning, Yanmei. Phew! I was so afraid my care could not drive up here. The road to here was arduous," Rae Bin remarked.
Yanmei sneered. Their community was located in the heights of the city. She understood how difficult it can be to drive with Rae Bin's small car. She said, "I could ask a driver to fetch you at the neighborhood gate."
"Oh, no, that would be too much. I'm fine. I just need to get used to it," said Rae Bin as she walked to the back of the car and opened the door.
"Hi, aunt Yanmei!" Greeted Luiz. The little boy was waiving at Yanmei, eager to meet his new friend.
"Hello, Luiz - Oh, careful now," said Yanmei, seeing Luiz go down the car on his own.
"I am a big boy now," responded Luiz following Yanmei's reaction.
The two mothers giggled before Rae Bin said, "Sure you are."
While Luiz and Nari had both recently turned four, Luiz continued to be undernourished. He had a small body due to how often he got sick and his average respiratory rate. It was as if he was constantly exercising.
A normal four-year-old child would breathe 30 times per minute, but Luiz was still around forty, sometimes more, especially when he would get sick.
While Nari easily got sick, her breathing rate was only somewhere at 35 per minute. She had it better than Luiz and Yanmei acknowledged this.
Dr. Jung said their respiratory rate would normalize with age as the children's lungs would grow. This was what both Yanmei and Rae Bin were holding on to.
The first step to making them grow up faster was to avoid illnesses. Thus, homeschooling came to the minds of both mothers.
Yanmei escorted Rae Bin and Luiz to a room on the first floor, next to the kid's playroom. Nari was already in the room with her caregiver and the teacher, waiting for Luiz.
Before entering, a small table was prepared for sterilization. Luiz quickly put a generous amount of sanitizer in his palm, spreading it thoroughly in his hands up to his arms.
They had the same practice at home, so he knew exactly how what to do.
Outside the room, there was a shoe rock for everyone to keep their shoes and outdoor slippers, and once inside were specific indoor sleepers in various sizes.
"Wow, Yanmei. This is very well organized," said Rae Bin.
"Well, we have to do what we have to do, right?" Responded Yanmei while putting on her own indoor sleepers.
The learning room was but a small area of twenty square meters. The floors were covered with colorful rubber mats while the walls were filled with educational materials. There were shelves of books and various coloring materials that the kids could use during their class.
"Is that my friend, mommy?" Nari quickly asked, looking past her teacher and caregiver. She was coloring on an activity, sitting on a small table when everyone came in.
"Yes, he is here!" Said Yanmei with a grin on her face.
All three of them walked up to Nari and made introductions.
"This is Luiz. He will be your classmate while studying at home," said Yanmei after kneeling down to level with her daughter.
Directing her hands to Rae Bin, she said, "Do you remember aunt Rae Bin? You have met her before. She is Luiz's mother."
When Nari shook her head, Yanmei said, "That's fine. You will get to know Luiz and aunt Rae Bin now."
"Say hello to Nari, Luiz," said Rae Bin, also kneeling down and urging her son to speak up.
"Hello, hope to make friends with you," said Luiz, painting a smile with his small face.
Nari grinned and said, "Hello."
While Yanmei introduced Rae Bin and Luiz to the teacher, Nari studied Luiz closely. Her little self was surprised to see how small Luiz was. To her, he looked like he was younger than her.
"How old are you?" Nari asked, puzzled.
"I'm four," said Luiz.
"But why is your face so small?" She studied Luiz up and down and added, "Your arm is small too. Your feet are small!"
Giggles could be heard following Nari's reaction while Luiz frowned. Yanmei caressed Nari's hair and said, "Luiz will grow bigger in time. For now, he still needs to grow big and healthy."
"Okay," said Nari. She walked up to Luiz and said, "We can have snacks together! We both can grow big and strong!"
She sighed and said, "I don't want to go to the hospital!"
"Me too! I hate hospital!" Exclaimed Luiz. Between the two, Luiz knew it better. His track record now included three hospitalization and three ER visits. Like Nari, he did not want to go back there again.
Yanmei remained to observe how the two little ones participated in their intimate class. She was relieved to see that the two clicked so well, but then again, they were kids. It was natural for them to be friendly.
At least, Nari now had a classmate and she could learn how to interact with other kids, and not just with her siblings. Rae Bin was relieved, having the same thoughts.
At the end of their lesson, Nari approached Yanmei. She hugged her mommy tightly and whispered to her ear. She said, "Mommy, Luiz is small."
Nari looked back to Luiz before returning to whisper to Yanmei, "I don't think he is not my prince, but he can be my friend."
Yanmei was left giggling, putting a hand on her mouth. She hugged her daughter back before addressing her remarks. She sighed and said, "Remember the story about the frog prince? You'll never really know if he is the prince or not. Not now, at least."
She pushed back Nari's shoulder-length hair and said, "Still, you are too young to find your prince. For now, enjoy having a friend."