Rachel, Kelvin's nanny, had forgotten to tell him that he only needed two dimes for the bus fare. Since this was his first time taking public transportation, he threw the ten dollar bill into the fare box, and attracted the attention of everyone on the bus.
He proceeded to a seat near the back, gazing out of the window at the snowy world outside. He breathed on the window to clear the condensation and watched the snow-covered landscape.
The journey was silent. Kelvin had completed his test quickly during school, as the first-grade questions were easy for him. However, due to the heavy snow outside, the teacher didn't want him to leave the school early by himself. Instead, he was asked to wait inside the classroom until his parents could pick him up.
Kelvin rested his head on the desk and dozed off for a while. Outside, the snowflakes fell gently, and the world was unusually quiet. The only sound he could hear was the soft scratching of pencils on paper.
After about half an hour, the other students finished their tests, and the teacher organized them to line up and open their colorful umbrellas, creating a vibrant contrast against the white snow. Red, green, purple, pink umbrellas with various designs like SpongeBob, Ultraman, mermaids, and Cinderella could be seen all around.
However, Kelvin didn't have an umbrella. His hair was quickly dyed white by the snow, and from a distance, he looked like a young boy with white hair. Some classmates even laughed at him.
One chubby boy turned to him and asked in a childish voice, 'Kelvin, didn't your mommy prepare an umbrella for you?'
This boy was Deacon, and he was quite annoying, often teasing other classmates. Despite being only seven years old, Kelvin had a mature personality beyond his age and chose to ignore him.
'Of course, she did. I just forgot it,' Kelvin replied casually.
The chubby boy, not believing him, proudly showed off his umbrella. 'Look, I have a Winnie the Pooh umbrella from Disneyland! My dad took me to Disneyland, and it was so much fun!'
There were only two Disneyland parks in the country, one of which was located in Akloit.
The newly built Disneyland in Akloit had opened just in October, and its expensive ticket prices had left many locals feeling envious and unable to afford the visit. As a result, there weren't many people who had the opportunity to go there.
Kelvin's words quickly sparked discussions among the other children, who began to boast about the fun places their parents had taken them. Roller coasters, Ferris wheels, magic shows, visits to Sea World to see dolphins. These were experiences Kelvin could hardly imagine, let alone have ever enjoyed himself.
After taking turns boasting about their adventures, the children realized that Kelvin hadn't shared his own story yet. A cute little girl, missing two front teeth and speaking with a lisp, took the initiative to ask him, 'Kelvin, did you go somewhere fun with your mom and dad? Tell us, we want to hear! Deacon claims he went horseback riding in Briyra, but I don't believe it. He's so timid, how could he dare to ride a horse?'
Even these first-grade kids already knew about 'saving face' in front of little girls. Deacon retorted defensively, 'I'm not timid at all! Who cried in fear of a caterpillar the other day? Crybaby!'
As they bickered and laughed, Kelvin hung his head, his long eyelashes concealing the sadness in his eyes.
No, he hadn't. Not even once.
'Alright, everyone, line up! The gates are opening,' their young and pretty teacher walked over, noticed Kelvin standing alone in the snow, and quickly shielded him from the falling snow with her own umbrella. 'Kelvin, why are you standing in the snow? If you don't have an umbrella, you can stay with your classmates for now. You'll catch a cold like this.'
The polite little boy thanked his teacher and then stood silently away from his classmates. He wasn't close to them usually, and he didn't want to listen to their childish boasting of happiness.
The teacher let out a sigh but said nothing, gently wiping away the snowflakes from Kelvin's head with her scarf.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: She Became Rich After Divorce (Cheyenne and Kelvin)
Nice story...