The Secret of Xavier

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

       I talked to Tulip's uncle, Mr. McCormick, about the possibility of setting up a playdate between her and Xavier. Of course, he couldn't make that decision since he was just the uncle, so he got me in touch with Tulip's parents.

       They were more than happy to have Tulip play with Xavier outside of daycare, especially after I explained that Tulip was helping Xavier get out of his shell. He hated daycare but after meeting Tulip, he was more than happy to go.

       Both Tulip and Xavier loved the park, as we found out, so we thought it would be best for them to play together at a park. We decided on a Saturday since I was busy at school during the weekdays and Tulip's parents were busy with work.

       I packed some snacks and drinks for Xavier just in case he got hungry before the two of us left to go to the park. It was about a ten minute drive and the whole way there, Xavier was babbling on about the park and all the stuff he wanted to do. I was glad he was excited about it.

       Once I parked my car, I got Xavier and the bag of food and snacks out of the car and led him out of the parking lot. It didn't take long for him to find Tulip. Almost immediately after he spotted her, he tried running towards her put I quickly stopped him. "Xavier, no running off, remember? We'll walk over to Tulip together."

       I held onto Xavier's hand as we walked towards Tulip and her family. They were close to the playground since Tulip's parents, Poppy and Grayson, were bringing along their other kids and thought it would be easiest to watch them all if we were sitting by the park. It looked like all of the kids, minus two, were playing at the playground. The other two, Tulip and one of her brothers, were still with Poppy and Grasyon.

       Xavier tried running but because he was holding onto my hand, I was slowing him down a bit. This wasn't making him happy, so he tugged onto my arm. I sighed, quickening my pace so he could run to Tulip. The moment Xavier got to Tulip, the two of them hug as if they were lifelong best friends.

       "You must be Hudson," Poppy said to me.

        "I am," I said. "Thank you for agreeing to this. It's difficult for Xavier to get close to people so I was a bit surprised to see him open up to Tulip so quickly at daycare."

       "Oh, she absolutely loves making friends so I guess her friendliness is something Xavier needs in a friend," Poppy said. 

       "Yeah, she ends up making a new friend almost every time we go to the park," Grayson said. He noticed something at the playground before saying loudly, "Alan! Don't hang upside down on the swing! You fell off and sprained your neck the last time you did that!" He sighed. "Sorry. One of our sons is prone to injuries. We have to keep a close eye on him."

       Tulip and Xavier both wanted to go to the playground, so the son that was still sitting with Poppy and Grayson, whose name was apparently Nolan, decided to take them. He didn't have to since we were all close enough to watch them, but he wanted to. Poppy said that Xavier was in great hands because despite Nolan only being ten, he was a very sweet boy and was very gentle with kids younger than him.

       While the kids played at the playground, I spent my time talking to Grayson and Poppy. If I was being honest, I thought they would judge me for being a teen parent since I got so used to the judgment, but Poppy and Grayson never did. 

       I guess it helped that Poppy said she and Grayson had their oldest, Ryder, when she was nineteen and pregnant at eighteen. Although she was legally an adult at that point, she was technically still a teenager too. Not as young as me when Xavier was born, but still a teen.

       I could see where Tulip got her friendliness from. Poppy and Grayson were extremely friendly the entire time we were talking. Time flew by talking with them and soon enough, it was time for all of us to head home.

       It took a bit of time to convince Xavier to leave, so I promised him he could see her on Monday at daycare again. As we were walking back to the car, Xavier was waving at Tulip the entire time while holding my hand. He had so much fun playing with her at the playground that he didn't even take a break for a snack.

       As soon as we got back home and walked inside, Xavier ran over to the kitchen where Mom was cooking dinner. "Gamma! I go to park! I see Tulip!"

       "You did?" Mom asked. "Did you have a lot of fun?"

       "Yeah! I have fun! I see Tulip again!"

       "Oh, that's great," Mom said.

       "He definitely has no problem going to daycare now," I said. "In fact, he actually looks forward to it."

       "I'm glad he was able to make a friend that makes him comfortable enough to go to daycare," Mom said.

       I sighed. "Yeah, the only problem is that I'm graduating soon, so I don't know if he'll still be able to go to the daycare at my school since I won't be a student there."

       "You can always ask," Mom said. "Maybe since you will be an alumni, they'll allow it. Didn't you say that the reason Tulip goes to that daycare is because her uncle teaches at the school? It doesn't seem as if it's just for parents at the school. They could be lenient with who's allowed in."

       "Yeah, I guess there's no harm in asking," I said. I truly hoped Xavier would be able to still attend that daycare after I graduate. The last thing I wanted to do was to try to get him used to a new daycare when I was finally able to get him to want to attend one.

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i think there will be two chapters left since there's no much left for me to write! and it would be better to end it soon instead of dragging it on, especially when i'm so slow with updates.