ice cream
Marco was slightly disappointed because of Letta’s earlier request to accompany Abian first to the cellar, as it was unlikely that Letta would ask Abian to handle everything alone.
“Will it take long, Mom?” Freya asked, making Letta glance at Abian for a moment.
“No, maybe just a few hours, perhaps,” Letta said, making Freya immediately put on a sad face, prompting Abian to approach Letta.Content rights by NôvelDr//ama.Org.
“It’s okay, I’ve already said that it’s not that I can handle everything better. Right now, you take Freya straight to the city park. After that, doesn’t she have a shopping list she wants, not to mention she wants to see the fireworks from atop the windmill,” Abian said, seemingly aware of Freya’s schedule for today, which had been promised by Letta weeks ago. Because there was a food festival and some children’s games until late at night, Freya seemed very much looking forward to today.
“But I can’t leave you alone to handle everything,” Letta said, seemingly unsure of what decision to make. She couldn’t leave Abian, but she also couldn’t refuse Freya, who immediately put on a sad face. It seemed that Freya didn’t want to miss any of the events she had thought of and imagined, and this was evident to Marco, prompting him to finally approach, then bend down to be at Freya’s eye level.
“What’s your first schedule today?” Marco asked, making Freya look at him for a moment.
“I have to go to the city park. There are lots of people playing with bubbles and other games there,” Freya said, once again making Marco look at Letta.
“Just go and take care of all the matters in the cellar. I’ll take Freya to the city park. Isn’t the distance not too far? Besides, you also promised it wouldn’t take long, right?” Marco said, making Freya immediately change her facial expression, with sparkling eyes as she looked at Letta.
“Sweetie, how can I let you go with Uncle like that?” Letta sounded worried.
“Why not? Didn’t Uncle offer himself? Besides, he also promised to accompany me properly,” Freya said, making Letta reluctant to let Freya go alone with Marco. Letta wasn’t afraid that Marco might hurt Freya, but Letta was afraid that she wouldn’t be able to find Freya next when she was in Marco’s hands. The fear now haunted Letta, and it seemed that the doubt was evident in Letta’s eyes, making Marco straighten up again.
“You relax. I will take good care of Freya, and I won’t do anything weird, as you might think. Perhaps you’re still hesitant now, but I promise, I won’t let you down. I will treat Freya well and take care of her,” Marco said, finally making Letta heave a long sigh.
“Alright, then I promise to finish this work with Abian right away. So, I ask you to take good care of Freya and make sure she doesn’t go near the lake in the city park. She still can’t swim,” Letta said, making Marco nod.
“And one more thing, don’t let her buy peanut ice cream. Go on, Freya,” Letta said, making Marco fall silent for a moment before finally smiling widely. Marco approached Letta.
“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, right? She has the same allergy as me,” Marco said, who also had a nut allergy, making Letta only step back because she couldn’t refute it, before finally walking over to Freya.
“In that case, you can play with Uncle while waiting for Mom and me to finish up. After that, I’ll come to you right away. We’ll buy food and do whatever you want,” Letta said, making Freya cheer happily. They then parted ways. Marco got back into the car with Freya to head to the city park, while Abian and Letta headed straight to the cellar to check their grapes.
Marco then turned the car, looking at the people starting to get busy around him.
“Uncle can park the car there,” Freya said, pointing to the parking lot near the park.
“Yes, there. So I don’t need to worry about crossing again, and besides, the car will be close to the ice cream truck later,” Freya explained, making Marco smile broadly.
“Turns out you already have a perfect plan, even thinking about parking the car,” Marco said, making Freya smile and nod her head.
“Yes, I always have plans. What do you think, Uncle? Aren’t I smart?” Freya asked, making Marco reach out and tousle her hair affectionately.
“Of course, you’re a smart kid,” Marco said, indirectly feeling proud that her intelligence came from him. They got out of the car, and Freya immediately looked around.
“Can we play with bubbles over there? Look, there are many kids my age there. The location is also far from the lake,” Freya said, remembering Letta’s prohibition that they shouldn’t go near the lake.
“Alright, then it’s not too hot over there either,” Marco said, making Freya hold his hand. Marco was slightly startled when the little hand grabbed his first. It felt warm, and that warmth spread to his heart, making Marco wonder if this was what it felt like to hold hands with his own flesh and blood. He would enjoy his days, Marco thought, even though he was initially disappointed that Letta couldn’t come with them, but that disappointment seemed to be well compensated. Marco finally sat down in the park, watching how Freya played with the bubbles like the other children, looking cheerful and smiling widely. It made Marco wonder if Freya rarely went to outings with friends like this, considering her home was surrounded by plantations and not many houses. Did she have friends too? Marco thought he would start asking her about it later. Marco then reached out his hand when he saw both sides of Freya’s cheeks starting to turn red.
“Isn’t it too long already? Look, the sun is starting to scorch, so take a rest. Don’t you want some ice cream too? Look, the ice cream truck is already there,” Marco said, making Freya look at the ice cream truck not far from their car.
“Great idea, I’ll take a break. We’ll buy ice cream and eat it in the car, Uncle. How about that?” Freya asked, making Marco nod enthusiastically. Freya then chose several flavors of ice cream in one cone, still holding Marco’s hand, and Marco followed her lead in choosing what she recommended before they got back into the car.
“Can you open the car door? I just want to sit like this,” Freya said, stretching her legs out of the car when the door opened.
“How’s the ice cream taste? Delicious, isn’t it? This is the ice cream flavor Mom always recommends. I didn’t like it at first, but Mom said it’s better than the nut flavor that would hurt me,” Freya said, making Marco fall silent for a moment. The ice cream flavor wasn’t particularly to Marco’s liking, but because he was eating it with Freya, it became his special ice cream.
“Do you often come to this park with Mom?” Marco asked, making Freya stop her movements and try to think.
“About once a month, maybe every two months. I don’t know, it’s irregular, but I often come if Mom has business with Uncle at the cellar,” Freya said, making Marco look at her with a raised eyebrow.
“Do you always go together? I mean, with your uncle?” Marco asked, making Freya nod.
“Yes, because Uncle always helps Mom. She’s usually too busy with her vineyard, but luckily, there’s Uncle who always accompanies her, so Mom doesn’t have too much trouble,” Freya said, making Marco fall silent for a moment.
“That means you also love your uncle?” Marco asked, making Freya nod without hesitation.
“Yes, of course, because Mom said Uncle is also our family, so we have to love each other,” Freya replied, leaving Marco unable to say anything else. It was very clear that they were really close, not just when they were talking before leaving. Freya’s expression of affection had already proven everything. Marco wanted to ask about Freya’s father. Did she know about him? But he refrained. Marco was afraid Letta hadn’t told Freya anything about her father yet. She might be too young to hear all the facts about his existence. Marco could only be content for now as the man called Uncle by Freya.
“Do you not like the ice cream, Uncle?” Freya asked, making Marco return to his senses, seeing the ice cream starting to drip onto his fingers.
“Not really, it’s just that the weather is a little hot, so the ice cream is starting to melt,” Marco replied, trying to find an excuse.
“That’s why we have to hurry and eat it before the ice cream melts. Look, my ice cream is already almost half gone, but yours is still piled up like that,” Freya said, making Marco finally open his mouth wide and put the scoop of ice cream into his full mouth, causing Freya to burst into laughter. The little girl looked adorable laughing at Marco with his mouth full of ice cream.
“Yes, that’s how you eat ice cream. Next time, don’t let it melt. It’s a shame to dirty Uncle’s fingers,” Freya said, making Marco nod with a smile, joining in Freya’s laught42er.