Isn't She Your Mom?
"Of course." answered the adult woman with a small laugh. "My name is Chloeny. What's your name?"
"My name is Katleen Morse. My friends called me captain Kei!" Katie exclaimed enthusiastically.
"Why are you called captain Kei?" this time, Kinsey asked.
"Because I am the strongest kid in this area."
"Is that something to be proud of?" said Kinsey with a faint voice.
"What did you say?"
"It's not my business if you didn't hear it."
"..." Katie was speechless.
She wondered how come a kid like Kinsey could be so moody?
For some reason, she felt annoyed to the point became disliked the boy. Why did she feel like she had experienced a feeling like this before?
Meanwhile, Chloe could only listen to their small bickering quietly. She couldn't help but remember her daughter hearing Katie's full name.
"Katleen. Your name is similar to Catherine's."
Two small children immediately looked at Chloe with an adorable, confused look.
"Who is Catherine?" Kinsey asked.
Chloe just smiled and invited two cute children to sit down while she ordered a tart.
A twenty-five centimeter long, twenty-inch full tart came ten minutes later. The cake was coated in chocolate with a beautiful white cream on top. There were several kinds of fruit gathered together at the top. While at the bottom, there was a chocolate plate that had a 'Happy Birthday' on it.
It was clear that the tart was specially ordered for Katie, who had a seventh birthday.
Kinsey was only able to eat two large pieces. After that, he felt full and horrified to see Katie devouring more than half of its original size.
Strangely, Katie did not look like a greedy kid when she ate the cake. On the contrary, Katie ate it elegantly as if she was a noble's daughter.
"Looks like you like it." Chloe couldn't hide her admiration for Katie.
"Yes, I like it very much. Thank you, Mrs. Chloe."
"With pleasure, Captain Kei."
Katie's smile widened when she heard her cool nickname.
The three talked happily. The one that speaks the most was Katie. It seems she had thousands of stories about her experiences exploring the forest.
Katie once faced a white wolf at the base of a mountain, yet she didn't scare at the wild animal. Instead, she played with it.
Another story was when she rescued a wounded bear cub. At first, Katie wanted to take care of it, but her parents didn't allow her. The bear will grow big, and the house will not be able to accommodate it, so Katie must release it back into the forest when the baby bear has recovered and become stronger.
Chloe's admiration multiplied for Katie's natural life. While Kinsey just stared in disbelief at what he had just heard.
The kid next to him often encounters wild animals and doesn't get hurt?! Moreover, this child dares to hold various disgusting insects in the forest?! Isn't this kid afraid of germs or bacteria that could kill her one day??
Kinsey didn't know whether he should afraid or stunned by Katie's unique life. All he knew was his desire to be this adorable kid's friend was getting bigger.
A few minutes later, Chloe ordered the ice cream that Katie had been waiting for.
As soon as their ice cream order arrived, Katie ate it deliciously. Both Chloe and Kinsey were fascinated by the way Katie enjoyed her ice cream. Katie put on an expression as if the dish in front of her was the most delicious food in the world.
A pair of amber eyes occasionally closed to enjoy the meal, and both cheeks flushed each time her mouth widened to produce a sweet smile.
How cute!
The two pairs of eyes that were more concerned about Katie's expression had the same thought. Both are equally slow in finishing each other's ice cream. Katie was the first finishing her ice cream, even though the number of scoops in Katie's glass was more than that of Chloe and Kinsey. But Katie finished off the ice first!
"My first lady, it's time to return." a man whispered in Chloe's ear.
"Too bad, I have to go back now. Nice to meet you, Captain Kei. I hope we can meet again."
Katie smiled broadly in response.
Then Chloe got up and walked down the stairs to her car.
"Don't you have something to say?" Katie asked Kinsey, who was now confused by her question.
"Say what?"
"Something you want to say. Usually, every time a mother has to leave, won't her child whine to want to come along? I thought you're the same too."
"What are you talking about? Whose mom?"
"Isn't Mrs. Chloe, your mother?"
"What?"
"You have the same hair and eye color. The shape of your nose is the same as hers. I can see at first glance both of you are mother and son." Katie explained with a sigh. She felt like she was explaining to a kid why the sky is blue or why the fishes can't walk on the street.
"..."