Afraid that Tobias would be bored, I had the maid bring out the set of Legos the kids enjoyed. “Do you know how to play with these?”
He gave a clueless shake of his head.
After all, he had been moving from one city to another with Camelia these few years and probably never had the chance to have fun like a normal kid. Needless to say, toys were a foreign concept to him.
“Come, I’ll show you how. See, every piece of Lego has a serial number. Assemble them all according to this diagram into a complete model. Then you’re done.” I crouched down and picked up two pieces, fixing them together, and gestured. “Just like this. Understand?”
“Yes.” A slight smile finally appeared on his face. He immediately started piecing a few segments together.
“Looking great, kid.” I tousled his hair and showered him with praise before returning to my tasks.
About twenty minutes later, the silence in the living room was disrupted by Audrey’s giggles.
“I want a bunny!”
“A dog! A big bad dog! Woof!”
“You liar! This isn’t a parrot. It’s a little bird! Stop lying and make another one for me. This time, I want a tiger!”
The entire house would be roused awake by Audrey’s loud voice at any minute.
“Audrey Stovall!” I rushed out and barked, “Summer was working late last night. Quit shouting so loudly.”
Audrey stilled and responded with an exaggerated O-shaped mouth, putting her index finger to her lips.
Thinking she was taking me seriously, I planted my hands on my hips exasperatedly when a giggle escaped her a second later.
What’s so funny?
I headed over to both of them and noticed that the Lego pieces of a plane model were fitted together to create shapes of a bunny, a dog, and a parrot. Though the angles were a little off, the general structures were there.
“You did all this?” I didn’t think Legos could be played this way and was a little surprised.
“Yeah.” Tobias nodded, his fingers nimbly assembling Legos into a rough shape of a tiger.
This kid is creative. He’s going to accomplish something in the future.
Audrey held a dog in one hand and a parrot in another, having them attack each other.
Seeing Shaun halfway down the stairs out of the corner of her eye, Audrey called to him, “Come here, Shaun! This person is so good at playing Legos.”
“Okay,” came his mild response. He made a beeline toward the living room, took a seat in an empty spot beside Audrey, and picked up the bunny Tobias made, casually studying it.
There was undeniably inequality in the world because, in front of Audrey and Tobias, Shaun’s precociousness was especially apparent. His demeanor and gaze looked like they were of a grown-up.
“Don’t be rude, Audrey. He has a name, and it’s Tobias White. Remember that and address him properly next time, okay?”
Instead of replying to her mother, Audrey exclaimed, “Both of you share the same family name?”
Tobias and Shaun exchanged a glance without saying a word.
“Since it’s fate, all of you have to get along well with each other. I’ll finish up breakfast. Remember, do not fight.”
Leaving the kids to their own devices, I went back to the kitchen.
During breakfast, Audrey held on to a candy-shaped Lego and didn’t let it go throughout the meal.
“It’s not a real candy, and no one is going to snatch it away from you. You could ask Tobias to make you a few more later. Now, put it down and eat your breakfast,” I joked in a mirthful tone.
“No,” Audrey said while spooning chicken soup into her mouth. “Shaun made this for me, and there’s only one in the world. No one can touch it. I’m bringing it to school!”
I jolted in surprise and shifted to peek at Shaun, who was sitting in a corner.
Tobias put so much thought and effort into crafting those clever Lego models, but a mere candy took precedence over all of them?
John interrupted, “So can I have the rest of the Legos in the living room?”
