Thinking about how strongly Percy had always clung to his possessions, I felt a little worried.
"Are you sure it's a stray? What if it belongs to someone else?"
I could already imagine the scenario of someone showing up at our door looking for their dog. How would I explain that to Percy?
"Don't worry, darling. We found it by the trash station."
"Hmm?"
"The puppy was following Percy's pants, whining the whole way," Percival Ashford recalled with a smile.
"I think it was just weaned recently and was thrown by the trash. It followed the scent and latched onto Percy." I couldn't help but laugh at the way Percival described it.
Percival walked over and hugged me, "Darling, I'm starving, let's have breakfast."
"You go take a shower first. Breakfast will take about twenty more minutes."
I checked the time and saw the oven wasn't done yet.
A while later, Percy came down carrying the wet puppy.
"Mom, the hair dryer."
It seemed like Percy had given the little dog a bath.
"How about I blow-dry it?" I offered, looking for the blow dryer.
"No, I can do it." Percy turned on the lowest setting, carefully blow-drying the dog's fur.
The little dog hummed contentedly as Percy gently dried it, doing quite well with the task.
"Percy, if we're keeping this dog, you need to be a responsible owner."
I wanted to teach him responsibility and help him develop a sense of social duty.
"I know, Mom."
After Percy got the dog, he started taking it out for walks three times a day, unlike before when he stayed holed up in his room.
Although he was still quiet, he responded more to others than before.
I was truly pleased, and began discussing with Percival about sending Percy to school.
Learning knowledge is still very important.
At dinner, I brought it up.
Percy was petting the dog, "Can he come to school with me?"
I nudged my husband's elbow.
"Percy, pets can't go to school," Percival said, rubbing his nose.
Percy ate his dinner silently, not saying anything.
"Well…" I thought for a moment. Maybe a tutor would work better.
"Wow."
"Ah?" I was absolutely delighted.
"Alright, alright, remember to tell Mom and Dad if anything at school makes you unhappy."
Percival Ashford was quick and efficient; by the next day, Percy was enrolled in the best school in the city.
I happily prepared a hearty lunch, eagerly waiting for my husband and son to come home for lunch.
After all, it was Percy's first day of school, we had to celebrate properly.
But when they didn't return on time, I got a call from the homeroom teacher.
"Mrs. Ashford, I'm... Percy brought his dog to school today..."
I immediately took a cab to the school. What had happened to my son?
When I arrived at the office, I saw Percy holding the dog, standing next to my husband.
Percival Ashford walked over and took my bag from me. "Darling, thanks for running all the way here."
I shot him a silent glare.
"Mrs. Ashford, here's the situation. Percy's backpack had the dog in it, and it caused a disruption in class."
The homeroom teacher looked troubled. "Could you please talk to him and explain that pets aren't allowed at school?"
I had a rough idea of what had happened and spoke with the teacher for a while.
"Thank you, I'll take Percy home now." I gently tugged Percy along and left the school with Percival.
In the car, Cleo was happily barking in the backseat.
Percy petted the little dog's head.
I sat in the front, pondering how I would bring it up when we got home.
"Darling, let's eat first."
When we arrived home, Percival looked pleasantly surprised by the spread of food.
"Darling, next time, let me know in advance and I'll help you with the preparations," Percival said, rubbing my arm affectionately.
Percy remained silent as he played with Cleo.
I sighed.
"Percy, do you think you made a mistake today?"
To my surprise, Percy answered, though he spoke with his head lowered.
"I'm sorry, Mom."
"The school doesn't allow pets, Percy. Can you promise not to bring Cleo to school again?" I asked gently.
There was silence.
"Percy, Cleo can't always be with you. You need to make your own friends."
"No, Cleo will always stay with me," Percy stubbornly replied.
Life, death, illness, and aging are all part of the natural cycle. A dog's life is only about a decade or so. I wanted to explain, but seeing his small face, the words just wouldn't come out.
Sigh, maybe when he's older, he'll understand on his own.
"Darling, let's get a tutor for him," Percival broke the tense silence.
The next day, Percival hired a graduate student for one-on-one tutoring for Percy.
"Percy, this is your tutor. You'll be learning first-grade material from Brenden Crosby."
I quickly briefed Mr. Crosby about Percy's situation.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure he catches up," Mr. Crosby promised with confidence.
The tutoring session was supposed to last for three hours, so I brought in a few fruit platters for them.
"Thank you, Mrs. Ashford," Mr. Crosby said, taking the fruit from me.
I glanced over at Percy, who was sitting in front of the textbooks, diligently solving math problems with a small pencil.
Cleo was curled up in his dog bed, fast asleep.
It looked quite impressive, to be honest.
As we were leaving, I faintly overheard the tutor's exaggerated exclamation:
"Wow~ This little one is amazing!"
I felt a wave of embarrassment, my skin prickling.
But I couldn't help wondering—does my son actually like this teaching method?
That night, I made sure to remind my husband to learn a thing or two from it.
