Chapter 32 – Don’t Leave Me (1)
Hir ran around in the fields with what looked like a true smile spread on his face. Lila tried her best to follow him with her slightly heeled shoes. She may have underestimated him, compared to his small legs Hir’s speed was quicker than she had expected. Lila lost sight of him as he ran behind a garden fence, that’s when she heard a small thud on the grass.
Lila headed to the source of the noise and she could see Hir stroking his knees in pain.
Lila bent down towards him and touched his red palms. “Are you all right?” She said with a concerned tone.
“Uhh … It wasn’t me.”
“What?”
“It wasn’t me! I do not fall like … a child.”
Lila’s gaze headed down to where his cute yellow suspenders were smeared with dirt at the knees.
“It really wasn’t me!”
Lila couldn’t help but chuckle at Hir’s reaction to taking care of him. He’s such a boy.
She realized that she was just staring at him blankly so she came back to her senses. “So if you’re not the one who fell then who did? I have to go look for this person now because I’m worried about them,” said Lila getting up and acting like she was looking around for someone else.
Hir looked betrayed. “Oh! Where are you going? You said that you would push me … on the swings.” Lila had a smile of satisfaction as her expression when she saw that her plan had worked. But she didn’t expect him to forget about his fall completely and talk about the swing.
If that was another child they surely would have cried and stayed hurt for much longer.
But when she turned to face him again, she saw the little disappointed look he had on his face.
He really is too cute for words.
Hir’s lips opened around when Lila could not control her expression. “Uhh … the person that fell says that it did not hurt much”
“How do you know that? You said you did not fall, and I have to go find the person.” Lila hid her smile and turned around as if she really was going once again. With a gasp, Hir ran and grabbed Lila’s sleeve with his small hand. His bright eyes looked up at hers.
“Act- actually!” He said looking down to hide his embarrassed cheeks. “Actually … I’m the one … who fell.” Even his ears seemed to be red from embarrassment. “So please … don’t leave without me … Mother.”
Lila felt a bad tang of regret creeping up on her back just from seeing his embarrassed face. “Don’t worry, Hir. I would never leave you.”
“Bu- but … you just said before that you were gonna leave-”
“Now, are you alright?” She said, bending down and dusting the dirt off of his knees.
“You … you knew that I was the one that fell?”
“What? No, I didn’t know that.”
“Oh … Ok,” he said, knowing fully well that she knew exactly that he was the one that fell.
Lila watched as he burrowed his face in his hands from how embarrassed he was. “Hir, your face is too red. You’re not feeling ill, right?”
“Stop teasing me … !”
Hir stuck out his lips, and Lila’s eyes warmed at the scene. Lila could see only his two round eyes peeping at her from between his fingers. Hir’s eyes widened.
“Mo- Mother.”
“Yes, dear?”
“You’re smiling.”
“Am I,” said Lila like it was nothing. “It’s because you’re too cute.”
Hir’s burrowed himself even more into his hands, she couldn’t even see his eyes anymore. But just as she was going to comfort him a small tear fell from between his hands.
Lila couldn’t help but get a little teary eyed herself, it was truly a mesmerizing scene with the morning breeze. She held in her tears for adult reasons. She turned to look back at the little shy boy hiding his face in his hands.
He’s more shy than I expected.
Lila thought that she should compliment Hir in the future if she wanted to see his adorable antics.
“Does your knees hurt?” She asked softly.
Hir looked up slightly from his palms. “No it’s fine … I fell down lightly.”
She examined the damage that was done to his knees. It seemed there were only a few scratches and scrapes compared to what the sound of the fall led her to believe.
“That’s a relief. you won’t be needing ointment then. ”
Hir didn’t seem phased by this at all. “Let’s go see the swing, please!”