Hao opened the door of the daycare, answering the bell that had rung.
"You are welcome, Mrs. Xue"
"Thank you, Hao", Xue said as she walked in. As she looked around, expecting to see the main lady that looks after the children, Xue's brows creased. "Please, where is Miss Hu?"
Hao already knew the answer to this but didn't know how to relay it to Mrs. Xue. How was she going to tell her that as the time came for Du to be picked up, Hu ran inside saying she didn't want to be the one to carry the child to her mother.
"Um... she is in the toilet, Mrs. Xue"
"Okay then", Xue said. It was weird because Hu had to be present... was always present when a parent came to pick up their child or children. Xue Jing pushed the unease she felt to the back of her mind. "Du Jing, please"
"Yes, ma'am", Hao said as she went into the inner rooms to get Xue's daughter.
They met Du sleeping. [She was always sleeping], Hao thought. She also wondered if she should complain to her mother about it. Maybe they needed to check their child. [I will ask Mrs. Cheng first], she decided.
"Du, mommy is here for you!", Hao sang as she shook Du gently in a bid to wake her up.
Du rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands and opened her eyes. "I have been waiting for her. I am so tired of this place"
Hao froze. [What?!]. [What did I just hear?]. Her head felt like it enlarged and lessened back again. "Du?", she called out, her voice sounding like she was close to tears. "Du, what did you say?"
"Do not look at me like that, get me out of this cot"
Hao screamed!
She ran out of the room.
Meanwhile, in the backroom, Hu Wu heard Hao scream and she guessed what must have happened. "I told her! I told her. I am not coming out of here. They should deal with it themselves", she said and began to sob. The eerie feeling overwhelming her.
Hao got to where Xue Jing was... she kept looking behind her as if she had seen a monster in the room.
"What is it?! What is the matter, Hao? Where is Du?", Xue said as she brushed past Hao entering the room where she had left Du Jing.
"She- She-", Hao stuttered.
Xue found Du sitting in the cot, waiting to be carried. "Hi, baby!"
When Du saw her mother, she feigned a cry... "Mommmmyyyy"
"They left you here? Come here, darling. Let's go home"
With tears in her eyes, Du said, "Yay! Home!"
"Hahaha... yes, home", Xue said. She picked up Du's already packed bags and walked out of the room. There were two children still asleep in the room whom their parents hadn't come for yet. Xue checked on them, saw they were okay, and walked out of the room.
Hao was in a corner, her eyes wide.
Xue saw her, her brows bending to meet each other, she asked, "What is the matter, Hao? I checked the children, they are okay". Xue was very confused. First, it was Hu Wu. Till now, she hadn't seen the children's teacher. Now, it was Hao behaving as if she had seen God-knows-what.
"It- It is Du. The- the way- the way she talks sometimes, Mrs. Xue"
"What? The way Du talks? What about it?", Xue asked. If Xue had known, she wouldn't have asked those questions because now, she was more confused than she was minutes ago.
Gathering herself, seeing now that Du's mother was here and she was secured in her arms, Hao began to talk fluently, "Yes, ma'am. She talks like you and me. She doesn't talk like her mates, ma'am"
"Are you sure you are okay, Hao? If you aren't, maybe I will have to discuss this with Mrs. Cheng. I can not have you being this way around kids.", Xue said, upset at whatever Hao might be insinuating.
"I am very fine, Mrs. Xue. But there is- there is something up with Du. I am sorry if it sounds somehow-"
"Of course it sounds somehow, Hao. Open the door, please. Thank you for your concern", Xue said as she walked towards the door.
As she turned away, Du sneered at Hao.
* * *
"Has she gone?", Hu Wu whispered from the hallway.
Hao was still at the corner she had been standing in since Mrs. Xue Jing left. Her eyes glazed over. [Is that child coming back here tomorrow? How, Dear God?... How will I cope around such?], thoughts were swirling round and round in her head. Hao hadn't heard when Hu asked her the question.
"Hao!", Hu Wu called out... a little bit too loud.
Hao trembled.
"What is wrong with you? Why did you shout?"
They were of the same age and lived close to each other. The only difference between them was that Hu Wu had gone for some courses in school, but Hao didn't want to.
Hao had said severally, that she didn't have the brains for school, and she was okay with menial jobs.
Hu Wu answered her; "You were daydreaming. I heard you shout, Hu"
"Why do you think I shouted?", Hao asked as she walked away from the corner. "Besides, I have seen what you wanted to tell me about now"
"Oh! That child isn't a child", Hu Wu said.
"I agree with you. Now, the issue is, how do we continue to take care of her?"
Both of them looked at each other. None offering to give an answer to the million-dollar question.
Mrs. Cheng who had stepped out for a while moments before Xue Jing had walked in, came into the daycare. The girls hadn't noticed as they were deep into their conversation and saturated with shock. Mrs. Cheng stopped and said to both of them; "Continue to take care of who?"