THE FORGOTTEN HEIRESS

However, some prayers don’t get answered, as was the case with this one, because before an "amen" could follow, the phone rang again.

As the phone rang again for the second time, he didn’t have the guts to ignore the call and reluctantly picked it.

His voice was particularly sharp and lively. "Hello Goddess. How did it go? How is Old Mrs Hudson now?"

There was no way he was going to bear the penalty for an offense he had no idea about.

"Really! Are you feigning ignorance or were you not part of that useless stunt that was pulled on me by those pathetic persons?"

"What are you talking about, Goddess? I was informed that there was an emergency that required your attention at the Hudson manor. And knowing that the only sick person there was old Mrs Hudson, I had no choice but to put a call across to you, since you have told us repeatedly to inform you of anything concerning the old lady."

With the way he presented the whole thing, nailing it with that last bit of information, Kathleen’s hands were tied and she had to swallow all the rebuke she had prepared to unleash on him.

"When something like that happens next time, you have to confirm the authenticity of the information first before dragging me into any unnecessary drama," she could only say in the end.

"I’m sorry, Goddess. But did you get to see President Hudson since you were already there at the time?"

"Are you seriously asking me that? Do I look like I’m jobless, that I would start going from house to house treating every Tom, Dick and Harry for common ailments?"

The anger she had managed to suppress finally saw an outlet.

"Why do I need to see him? There are nurses there that can tend to him perfectly."

She couldn’t believe they tricked her into rushing over to Hudson’s Manor only for her to discover that it was all a ploy to get her to meet Shawn.

Dr Sullivan was rendered speechless. From her tone one could tell that she was vividly upset. But the person they were talking about was her husband for crying out loud. Why is she so averse to him?

"I have to go," Kathleen said as she pushed open the door of the café where she was almost late for a meeting with a client.

********

After the drama at the kindergarten and the Hudson Manor saga, the rest of the day was pretty stable and in the evening Kathleen drove to the kindergarten to pick up the children.

She had made it a point of duty that as long as she was free, she would be the one to pick up the children as every little bonding time they had was very important as a family. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"How was your day, kids? What exciting thing did you do in school today?" Kathleen asked them on their way back home.

As expected Eleanor rose to the challenge.

"Mom, you won’t believe how much fun Sophia and I had rehearsing for the special guest’s arrival at our school event, today."

"Really? Tell me all about it, sweetheart."

"Well, Ms Richards wanted everything to be perfect, so we practiced our welcoming speech a bunch of times. Although we stumbled over our words at first, we were able to master it in the long run."

An accomplished smile lit her face as she went on.

"We also practiced our movements, and ....and..." She tapped her forehead a few times. "Yes, I got it now. And our carriage," she completed as she finally found the word she was looking for.

"That’s interesting," Kathleen chipped in.

"Yes mummy, it is. Ms Richards emphasized that we must have the right carriage and not be too fast or too slow in our movements as we approach the guest to welcome him."

"Initially, it was hilarious. We tripped several times, giggled a lot, and even made a few funny mistakes, but Ms. Richards was so patient with us until we got it right."

"I was nervous at first but with lots and lots of practice that we’ve had, I’m feeling much more confident now"

"That’s impressive. It sounds like you and Sophia are really working hard.

and I’m glad you’re having fun while preparing for such an important event.

"Definitely, Mom. We want the guest to feel really welcomed and appreciated."

"Who’s the special guest?" Kathleen asked.

"The teacher did not tell us who the guest is, but I guess it will be a man since she kept referring to him as Sir, in our welcome speech."

"How about you Elvis? How’s your own preparation going?" Through her rearview mirror, she held Elvis’s gaze briefly before returning her gaze back to the road.

"Mom, we had our last practice today, and it was awesome. Our coach is really cool."

Although he sounded excited, it wasn’t as animated and elaborate as Eleanor’s.

Kathleen smiled and shook her head. Men will always be men, no matter their age. They will never bother with the details but just go straight to the point. "How did it go?"

"It was intense but fun and I believe our team will come out as the best team."

"I’m so proud of both of you for putting in such effort! It’s going to be an exciting event."

"Oh, and Mom," resumed Eleanor. "We made a huge banner too! It says, "Welcome, to our school sports events" with lots of colorful decorations.

"That’s very thoughtful of you guys, Eleanor! I’m sure the guest will feel very welcomed."

"Yeah, yeah, he will. Sophia will be presenting the flowers while I will hang the garland on his neck."

"But how can your two little hands and legs reach all the way to his neck?" teased Kathleen.

Eleanor’s little mouth pursed as she thought about such an important challenge that has been overlooked. After some time, she came up with a solution.

"He will have no choice but to bend his neck mummy, at least he knows that we are children that are still growing."