Nicole chuckled, "I wasn't feeling it before. But now that Josephine's back and I have such a gorgeous daughter, of course, I want to show her off!"
Ulysses chimed in, "Josephine, brace yourself. Those gatherings are the worst!"
Nicole playfully slapped his arm, "Oh, hush!"
She then turned to Josephine, who quickly said, "Mom, if I have time, I'll definitely go with you."
Nicole had been through a lot of heartache in her life, and now that she had finally found Josephine, it made sense she wanted to show her off.
Before they knew it, it was time for Jeffery to start school.
Stuart was supposed to take Jeffery to school, but a last-minute issue with his project came up, and Josephine told him not to worry about it.
Stuart felt a bit down, "I can come over and handle things here later."
Josephine reassured him, "Don't you want to come over sooner? Get things done early, and I'll be here waiting for you."
With just one sentence, Josephine managed to lift his spirits. Who knew, he ended up being busy for several days.
Meanwhile, Jeffery started his kindergarten life. Since it wasn't the regular start of the school year, Jeffery was placed into an existing class.
The kids, having been away for winter break, were not used to the school routine, and on the first day, several of them cried their eyes out.
But Jeffery, holding hands with Josephine and Nicole, stayed calm and composed.
Nicole praised Jeffery all the way to the classroom, "Jeffery is different from the others. Jeffery, if anything happens, make sure to tell the teacher, okay?" She had been worried since the night before.
Josephine couldn't help but say, "Mom, Jeffery will be fine. Even though he hasn't attended kindergarten here, he's participated in group activities before."
"I know," Nicole said, still worried. She squatted down to look at Jeffery closely, "Jeffery, if anything happens, have the teacher call us."
After many reminders, Nicole finally handed Jeffery over to the teacher, and the two of them went outside the kindergarten.
Since it was the first day of school, many kids were crying at the gate, and the parents couldn't leave. Some parents, even after dropping off their kids, stayed outside, worried.
The area was crowded with parents dropping off their kids, causing traffic jams.
Nicole didn't want to leave either, "Let's wait a bit. What if Jeffery calls us?"
Josephine, feeling helpless, said, "Let's find a place to sit." She was worried about Nicole's health. The place was noisy with kids crying and cars passing by, making her dizzy after standing for a while, let alone Nicole.
There was a dessert shop near the school with private rooms, but there was a minimum charge. They bought some items and went inside to sit.
Seeing Nicole constantly looking towards the school gate, Josephine couldn't help but laugh, "Mom, were you like this when Gerald started kindergarten?"
"Him?" Nicole said, "He was so naughty. I was more worried about him bullying others than being bullied."
Josephine couldn't imagine. "Gerald was that naughty?" she asked.
"Yes, he was very naughty."
As they talked about the past, Nicole's eyes reddened. She held Josephine's hand. "My only regret is not being able to take care of you from childhood to adulthood. My Josephine, I don't know how much you've suffered out there.""Mom, I really didn't suffer," Josephine said, "Even though my adoptive parents didn't care much for me, my grandparents were amazing."
This was true. Todd's parents were kind and loving people who treated Josephine very well.
"Todd and his wife, they raised you but didn't really care for you."
"Mom, it's all in the past," Josephine said, "I'm really happy now."
Nicole sighed, "I know, but I still feel guilty. So, I won't let Jeffery suffer any grievances."
Josephine thought Jeffery wouldn't suffer any grievances. But she underestimated the destructive capabilities and awareness of young children.
On Jeffery's fourth day of school, as he was leaving kindergarten, a slightly chubby kid named Derek Peterson started bragging, "Today, my dad is picking me up!"
Most of the kids attending this school had parents with government positions. So, most of the time, it was the moms or nannies who picked up the kids. Fathers rarely had time to pick up their kids.
So, when a dad occasionally came, Derek was very excited. He almost told every classmate.
In his eyes, his dad was a big shot at the military base, managing many people, very impressive! He always took pride in his dad. So, when his dad came to pick him up, he wanted everyone to know.
The other kids were very envious. But Jeffery had no reaction.
Derek was unhappy and asked, "Is your dad picking you up?"
Jeffery shook his head.
"My dad is!" Derek proudly puffed out his chest. "My dad is the best!"
Jeffery glanced at him, not even wanting to talk.
If it weren't for Josephine's disapproval, Jeffery would have gone straight to elementary school. These kindergarten kids were just too childish.
The less Jeffery reacted, the more Derek wanted to show off.
Finally, Jeffery, annoyed, said, "Is it such a big deal for your dad to pick you up?"
Derek was stunned, then said, "Of course, it's a big deal! Can your dad pick you up?"
"He can," Jeffery said, "Not only can he, but he can do it every day. Can your dad do that?"
Despite a child's calm demeanor, sometimes their childish nature shows.
Derek immediately got upset. "You're lying! How could your dad come every day?"
"Is there a need to lie about this?"
"Then is your dad coming today?"
Jeffery didn't say anything.
Derek was very pleased, "I knew you were lying!"
"I'm not lying," Jeffery said, "My dad will be back in a few days, and he'll definitely pick me up every day!"
"Then I'll wait! If your dad doesn't come, you're a liar!"
In a moment of heat, Jeffery made a bet with Derek. When he came out of kindergarten and saw Josephine picking him up, his heated mind felt like it was doused with cold water. He sobered up.
For the past few days, Nicole had been picking up Jeffery every day. Today, Josephine finally convinced her to stay home. So, only Josephine came to pick him up.
Jeffery asked, "Mommy, when is Stuart coming to Celestia Springs?"
This was the first time Jeffery had proactively mentioned Stuart.
Josephine said, "The day after tomorrow is the weekend. He should be able to come by then."
"Will he leave again?"
"Not necessarily. If there's something in Hustalia, he might go back to handle it."
Jeffery responded with an "oh."
Josephine noticed his mood was off and asked, "What's wrong?"