Chapter 137 Chapter 137 [VIP]
The final exams are over, and there is still one day left to deal with various school affairs. After that, the semester is officially declared over. Because of Christmas, New Year and winter vacation, there are a total of about twenty days of vacation, so the personal belongings in the lockers need to be packed up, and some things need to be taken back.
Megan and Sarah said their simple goodbyes in the storage room. When she finished packing her things and was walking out with the small cardboard box in her arms, some classmates greeted her. Megan nodded or just said a few words. She never took the initiative, but it didn't take much trouble to respond perfunctorily.
After Megan walked out of the school gate, she placed the cardboard box on the ground and exhaled into the air. A cloud of white mist appeared and quickly dissipated. At this time, Arthur, who had been waiting at the door, came over, bent down to pick up her things, turned around and said to her, "Come on, kid, we should go home."
Arthur Damon always dressed very well, very suitable for his status. There was no flaw in his clothing or demeanor. It was obvious that he had proved his worth by working in the factory and received satisfactory compensation. Perhaps other good things were happening.
His face, weathered by years of hard work, was no longer bitter and helpless. Instead, it was full of anticipation and hope for future life. Even every wrinkle on his face was filled with warmth and happiness.
He held the box in one hand and held Megan's hand with the other, attracting the attention of some students at the door. You should know that this gesture rarely appears between middle school students and their parents. Most of them pursue independence, and if they want to express intimacy, they hug and kiss on the cheek. This action is applicable to any relationship, including teenagers in their growing period. However, they generally don't like to hold hands with their parents in public - this will make them look like children who cannot be separated from their parents.
A little subtle self-esteem in adolescence may seem like a minor problem when you look back on it as an adult, but it cannot be ignored at the moment.
But Megan didn't feel embarrassed. She walked on the road holding her father's hand. When she raised her hand and exposed a little wrist, she felt cold, so she stuffed her hand into Arthur's hand, trying to cover that piece of skin, twisting her hand. Arthur easily noticed her intention, and smiled gently and indulgently. He opened his big hand and held her palm and wrist, blocking the cold wind at once.
Megan looked at the height of her raised wrist and felt that there seemed to be no change, so she looked up again and asked Arthur the same old question, "Dad, when can I grow as tall as you?"
It seems like she is still short and her father is still tall, there is a big difference in height between them.
Megan still has no ideals and cannot see any future. The most she can think about is today, tomorrow, and next week. Her growth is ten years slower than that of an average child. Even if her learning progress slowly catches up, her mental awareness still lags behind. She needs the right opportunity to make the leap.
So she is not in a hurry to grow up, does not want to change from a little child to a big child, and is not as eager to prove her independence as her peers.
Arthur looked down at her, his eyes incredibly soft, and said, "You are still young, Megan, you will grow up. Eat well, eat less unnutritious fast food, eat a balanced diet, don't stay up late, exercise more, and then-"
"You still need a little time magic."
"When your fairy godmother waves her wand and the magic falls on you with sparkles, you will find that you have grown up, but maybe you will not be as tall as me."
The 'maybe' he mentioned was already a euphemism. Megan was developmentally delayed and had suffered from malnutrition. At that time, she was obviously eight years old, but she looked like a child of five or six years old. She was skinny, with dry and yellow hair, and her wrists were so thin that they seemed to break at a touch. There was not much flesh on her cheeks. She looked pitiful. Her current spirit and appearance were all due to his careful care. He spent money to support her, used his love to create a fairy-tale miracle for her, and gave her all the 'good' things.
Megan herself didn't realize it, but Arthur knew how much he had invested in her. He had finally managed to get her to this healthy state, and yet she was still dreaming about how tall she could be in the future? Did he have to figure out a solution for this kind of thing?
Arthur brushed her question off and took the child back to the second floor. At this time, the problem child asked again, "Dad, when are we going back to Arkham?"
The tall and thin man who was taking off his work jacket turned around to look at her and asked in surprise and confusion: "Going back to Arkham? What do you think of that gloomy and dark place?" But he didn't take the question seriously and continued to complain.
"You have no idea how much trouble you are in. Before Christmas, people from the Special Children's Care Fund will come to determine your physical and mental condition, do an assessment, and investigate your family situation, etc. I can't tell you how many forms I have to fill out!" But if the clown wants to keep this identity, he needs to maintain it carefully and cannot escape these troubles.
He hung his coat on the coat rack by the door, turned around and sighed deeply, "Okay kid, I think we need some quiet time together."
At times like this, Megan was still willing to be a caring child and stopped talking. She still liked to hold meetings with her dolls, taking them down from the toy shelf one by one, and arranging them from the inside to the outside in the order of favorite, generally favorite, and pleasing to the eye. As for the dolls she didn't like, they had long since left this small building.
She spent half an hour arranging the dolls, and then sat among them, looking around, as if she had found peace and tranquility. She wanted to do what she liked, even if it was meaningless, but as long as she did it, she would gain something.
The clown had long been accustomed to her various harmless little flaws, and did not take them seriously, nor would he force her to correct them. However, after a while, Megan's "mysterious ritual" was completed. She only took her favorite doll back, and the rest were left there. Someone would come to clean them up. That was her temper.
The clown told her that staff from the Special Children's Foundation would be coming in a couple of days, so it wasn't realistic for her to stay in the small building for the entire day or two. So he continued to dress up as Arthur and took her shopping, buying fast food, and buying clothes and shoes in the clothing store. This attentive father also took special notice of her hair tie, thinking that perhaps the young child needed more hair accessories.
We have selected several sets of bear hairpins and rubber rings with bears for Megan. So will she try other hairstyles?
Standing in a jewelry store that teenagers like to visit, Arthur half-knelt down, untied Megan's braids, combed out the fluffy black curly hair, and after thinking for a while, he tied her hair into two ponytails, leaving some hair on her forehead and temples. This made her look more smart and lively than when she had two braids.
Megan shook her hair, then hugged Arthur and cuddled up to him happily, but the result was that Arthur's face was covered with her hair, and he had no choice but to turn his head away.
They went shopping on the first day, and on the second day he accompanied Megan to the city library. She wanted to borrow or buy books, but was stopped by Arthur. Instead, he went to the street to buy her new toys and game cartridges. In the afternoon, someone from the Special Children's Care Fund came. As expected, it was Ms. Carter, and there were two other people, who were also faces he had seen before.
When Ms. Carter came, she brought gifts prepared by the foundation for the sponsored children, including a lot of food, daily necessities and vouchers, all of which they could use. Since Megan had successfully enrolled in school and stayed for another semester, there were also stationery items among them.
She also brought a bouquet of flowers for Meghan.
Ms. Carter has always been an image of a career elite, but this has nothing to do with whether she has a soft heart. She squatted down to look Meghan in the eye and handed her a bouquet of beautifully wrapped sunflowers in her hand. "These flowers are for you, Meghan. I wish your life to be brilliant and passionate." This is her blessing to every special child. Even though she said it many times, it was always full of sincerity.
Megan looked at Arthur first, and only accepted the bouquet after seeing his gentle and encouraging smile. It was obvious that she was still dependent on adults.
She held the bouquet and raised her hand slightly, covering half of her face, but even so, one could still see her happy expression. Her bright, clear green eyes curved slightly as she said, "Thank you, Ms. Carter," incredibly softly.
Although still reserved, he is a well-behaved and polite child.
The foundation's psychological assessments of children mostly consist of multiple-choice questions and direct observation. For the other two people who did the assessments, this was the most warm and harmonious family they had ever seen. Arthur had an ordinary appearance, and his words and actions showed that he was not well educated, but he was a sincere person, and his children were visibly well-raised.
Meanwhile, Ms. Carter asked Arthur about Megan's school situation. As soon as he touched on the topic, the old man's weathered features suddenly lit up. He sat up straighter and began to talk about the changes in Megan. "She's keeping up with the teaching progress in school and has made new friends..."
"On Halloween, she and her friends went out and participated in activities together."
"Meghan is getting better and better," he turned his head to look at the child playing by himself in the corner, and smiled with relief after looking at her. "She is my life, everything to me. Thank you... I am really grateful for giving us a new life."
If there were no Special Children Care Fund, their lives would not be like this. He has a stable job and sends Megan to school. Their lives have changed a lot. They are no longer so poor that they can't get more money no matter how hard they try. Although they have tried their best, Megan is still in a helpless situation of malnutrition.
Everything has changed, and now it's the best.
Finally, Ms. Carter said to Arthur: "I wish you and Megan a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Here is some good news. Megan is in her growth period and is still in school. Taking into account your family situation, her annual financial aid will increase a little bit. Next year, we will continue to urge the school to take good care of every child with special needs who enrolls."
After they said their goodbyes and returned to the car, two of the assessors said, "It's obvious that he's a good single father." The other nodded without question.
They have seen many children with mental illnesses. Even if they have received standard sensory integration training and can integrate into the crowd, their body movements and facial expressions are somewhat "neurotic". It is just a description, which means that they can see the specialness of those children at a glance. However, the child they met today did not have such a problem.
And they also knew a little about the situation of Damon's family. After his wife passed away, Arthur took care of his daughter alone and was never willing to give up. Without a lot of patience and love, his child would not get better and be cured.
The author has something to say:
This chapter has been revised~
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
