Overthinking?

"Hey guys," Kyle greeted Ali and Sam.

As usual, it was the fathers that made special time for their kids on their first day. It wasn't to say that the mothers didn't want to be here, but since it was usually the fathers that could be too busy to send their kids to school most of the time that they made special time for their first day.

Seeing the kids talking amongst themselves and ignoring their parent, Sam said ruefully, "It seems like we're not really needed, are we?"

Kyle laughed, while still holding onto Ariel in his arms, "It's not like it's their first day in school today, so they wouldn't really need us."

"Not like they needed us last year," Ali said with a slight snort, "It was only us that were overly worried."

"I wasn't worried," Sam said, "I just wanted to be here for her."

"Well, I was worried," Kyle admitted, "Worried that Alex would become some little sourpuss throughout the whole process."

"Will you be worried when I go to school, Daddy?" Ariel asked suddenly, holding Kyle's cheek.

Kyle rubbed his nose on hers and said, "I would be worried over all the boys that would want to bully you because you're just so cute."

Ariel's eyes went wide, "Really? Boys would bully me because I'm cute?"

"Yes, little boys are weird that way," Kyle said, "When they like someone, they will tease and bully them."

Ariel tilted her head and looked at Kyle seriously, then asked, "Is that why Brother Alex is always like that with you?"

Ali and Sam laughed at that, and before Kyle could answer, Ariel nodded as if she had discovered something new, while clapping her hands, "I get it now."

"The things you are teaching her," Sam said while shaking his head.

"What?" Kyle asked, giving an innocent look, "Rie's my cute little baby and I'll need to teach her about all these bad little boys once she starts school. Who else can protect her?"

"She'll have your brother for that, you know," Ali pointed out.

Kyle pursed his lips when he thought of his younger brother, who just happens to be at the same age as Ariel. Though they were 9 months apart in age, they were still born in the same year.

Having your mother pregnant at the same time as your wife was a weird feeling.

Then again, his twin sister married his son from his former life, so he should have gotten used to all these weird connections when it came to him.

"Ben may have taken on the role as her protector knight," Kyle said, "But it doesn't mean she should just rely on him alone. She has to rely on herself first"

"Oh? Like how Kay was, hmmmm?" Ali asked, smiling.

Kyle grimaced, thinking of how overly-protective he was over his twin sister when they were growing up; and she had the other three boys in the group who had also declared themselves as her 'knights'.

"It's because of that, that I will not do the same to my daughters," Kyle said, shrugging.

"Easier said than done," Sam mumbled, looking at Kyle while pushing up the glasses on his nose, "Especially when it comes to you."

Kyle just rolled his eyes and motioned to them, "Come on. The kids are going to the assembly hall now."

Sam gave a loud sigh as he saw his daughter happily leaving him behind.

Ali placed his arm over Sam's shoulder and said, "Oh come now. Cheer up. Next year, you'll have Jared coming to school for the first time so you'll be all important again."

Sam shrugged off Ali's hand on his shoulder and straightened his back, saying, "I'm always all-important."

"Of course you are," Ali said, bumping Sam's shoulder, "As all of us are."

Then he grinned at Kyle, "Except for Kyle, that is. At least, not to Alex."

Kyle snorted.

"Issokay," came a sweet voice in Kyle's arms, "Daddy has me."

Kyle gave a smug look at Ali, who couldn't say a word to refute that so he just pursed his lips and turned to Sam for support.

Only to be met with a look full of disdain. Sam took off his glasses, wiped them from the imaginary speck of dust on it, and said with a small shake of his head, "Ah, he never learns."

Putting back his glasses on, Sam looked at Ali, gave another shake of his head, and walked off in front.

Kyle just smiled while Ariel was so confused as she couldn't understand what was going on. However, upon seeing how happy her father looked, Ariel shrugged it off and leaned against her father instead.

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When they entered the Hall, they could see that their children were at a different table, that was the closest to the entrance. The signboard clearly indicated, 'Accelerated Class'.

Kyle, Ali, and Sam did not move forward anymore and merely stood there to watch them register for the class.

"Can I go and see, Daddy?" Ariel asked, pointing at where Alex was.

"No, Rie," Kyle said softly, "You might disturb them."

"I'll be very, very good, Daddy," Ariel said, looking at him innocently.

"I know you will, sweetheart," Kyle said, kissing her cheek, "But this is about your brother and sister's class, and you're not part of the school yet. So when I say 'disturb them', I do not mean that you're going to cause trouble but it's not a place you should go."

Ariel tilted her head and then pointed at some adults at another desk, "But they aren't part of the school also. So why are they there?"

"That's because their children are too young to do it themselves," Kyle explained patiently, "So they need to help."

"But what about Brother Alex?"

Kyle pointed at Alex with his chin, "Does your brother look like he's having trouble?"

"I don't know," Ariel said, "I can't see anything."

She held onto Kyle's shirt and looked at him, asking, "Can you bring me closer, Daddy? I'll be quiet. I just want to see."

"Okay, Rie," Kyle said, then walked over.

Sam and Ali didn't move, and simply stayed where they were. Sam took out his notebook from his pocket and finding the tab 'Ariel', he opened it and started jotting down a few things.

Ali looked at him curiously and said, "You're still doing that, huh? Jotting down your observations and such. But what is it that you just observed that deserves such a record?"

Sam wrote the final strokes and replaced the book in his pocket.

"Oh, nothing much," Sam said and turned to look at him with a smile, "Just that a three-year-old can somehow manage to convince someone to get what she wanted in the end when that someone had refused her in the beginning, while a 23-year-old man can't even win an argument with that same someone."

"Oh come on," Ali protested, "Ariel is a cute little girl and his daughter. Of course she would have an advantage!"

Sam shrugged, as if agreeing with Ali but there was a speculative glint to his eye as he stared at Ariel.

Somehow, Sam didn't think it was that simple.

Kyle was notoriously strict with his kids. Once he said something, he would stick to it as he didn't want to let the children think that he would easily change his mind just because the kids wanted him to.

Yet, with Ariel, Kyle seemed to give in a lot.

Was it because Kyle was particularly partial to Ariel, or was it something else?

Sam couldn't deny that Ariel raised good points but she was only a three-year-old. Was she really making those points consciously and steering her father to do what she wanted?

If that was the case, Sam felt that Ariel was going to be a handful in the future.

It was hard to believe that Kyle could be so deceived, however, so perhaps Sam was just thinking too much.

He looked at Ariel again.

Yes, he was probably overthinking.

How could anyone that cute, young, and innocent be so scheming, or manipulative?

Sam shook his head, wondering if spending all that time with Kyle and having to anticipate all the schemes and tricks against them (and the company) that he was beginning to see it everywhere.

Even a young and innocent child, like Ariel.

Sam sighed.

Hazards of the profession.

Perhaps he needed a holiday just to relax and get back into gear.

Though Sam thought it, he would hardly do it, being the workaholic that he is. That, and the fact that with his family, a holiday wouldn't really be a holiday for him.

Not in the normal sense of a holiday, that is. He would just be trading between working in the office and working at an exotic place.

The kids would be having fun while he, and his wife Betty, would be spending most of their time taking care of the kids to really be able to do what they wanted.

Thinking about his huge family, though, Sam didn't regret it at all.

He was content.