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Sienna’s POV

I stood in front of the grand gate of the private elementary school, gazing at the school’s name elegantly

engraved on a marble que. The gate was tallb, /bmade of sturdy ck iron, adorned with purple bougainvillea

flowers cascading beautifully on both sides. From inside came the cheerful voices of children, mixed with the

sharp whistle of a PE teacher.

Noah pressed his little face against the gate, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. “Mommy, Daddy this ce is so

cool!” he eximed enthusiastically.

I smiled at him. His excitement felt contagious, even though inside me was an unease I couldn’t quite exin.

Choosing a school wasn’t just about facilities or prestige. This was about Noah’s future. About the new world he

was about to enter.

I lingered there in front of the gate, sensing an invisible weight resting on my shoulders. The morning breeze

carried the scent of bougainvillea petals falling one by one to the ground, adding a peaceful touch. Yet my heart

was racing unevenly.

Beside

me,

Liam stood with his hands in his pockets, watching Noah who was practically glued to the gate.

From his expression, bI /bcaught a hint of pride slowly surfacing, though he tried to keep his face calm. As if he

wanted to hide his surprise that the little boy who once always refused to take afternoon naps was now ready to

step into a whole new world.

I took a deep breath. shes of bthe /bpast crossed my mind nights when I had to read fairy tales until my voice

went hoarse just so Noah would stop crying, mornings when I rushed to prepare his lunchbox while battling the

weight of exhaustion. None of it felt wasted, bbecause /btoday, that child stood here with sparkling eyes, eager to

learn and discover the world.

Other parents passed us by, some holding their children’s hands, others chatting about registration schedules. I

watched them, and without realizing it, felt small, afraid Noah wouldter bepared to other children, afraid I wouldn’t be able to give him the very best.

Then I felt Noah’s little hand clutching my fingers. “Mommy, can I see inside?” he asked hopefully. That touch instantly calmed me. I looked down at him, smiled faintly, and nodded.

I nced at Liam. His eyes met mine, carrying a subtle signal as if to say we could get through this together. For

ba /bmoment, I believed it.

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Outside the gate, cars stopped one by one, dropping off new prospective students. Some looked neat in white

uniforms, some hid shyly behind their parents. Noah was the opposite he stood tall, his eyes locked on the spacious yard inside, the small garden, and the cream–colored building reflecting the morning sun.

I knew the next step wasn’t just about opening the school gate. It was about opening a new door in our lives for

Noah, and for Liam and me as well.

I squeezed Noah’s hand a little tighter, my feet beginning to move slowly toward the registration desk near the gate. The tightness in my chest hadn’t gone away, but there was a flicker of excitement sneaking in, carried by my son’s eager smile.

“Come on, let’s go in first,” Liam said calmly, patting Noah’s shoulder.

We walked along the neat pathway, lined with little gardens on both sides. A few students who had just finished

sports passed by,ughing, dressed in their white–and–blue sports uniforms. I could see how alive the

atmosphere of this school was.

A middle–aged woman with a warm smile weed us in the lobby. “Wee, how may I help you?”

I stepped forward. “We’d like some information about this school. For our son.” My hand instinctively pulled

Noah a little closer. “His name is Noah.”

The woman bent slightly to greet Noah, then smiled again. “Alright, please follow me to the administration

office. The head of student admissions is there right now.‘

We followed her down a clean hallway, its walls filled with disys of students‘ artwork. There were bright paintings, coges, and photos of school activities. I studied them one by one and quietly smiled. I wanted Noah

to feel an environment that valued creativity like this.

In the administration office, a man in a light blue shirt introduced himself as Mr. Johan. He weed us

politely and invited us to sit down.

“So, you’d like to know about our school program?” he asked as he opened a brochure,

I nodded, “Yes, sir. Our son will be starting elementary school. We’d like to know more details about the learning system, activities, and also the facilities.”

Mr. Johan began exining patiently. He talked about the curriculum thatbined academic learning with creative activities, as well as a variety of extracurricr programs ranging from music, sports, to foreignnguages. There were also special sses designed to build children’s character and leadership skills.

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Turning the pages of the brochure in his hand, Mr. Johan highlighted several key points. “Here, we believe children learn not only from books. That’s why, in addition to the national curriculum, we also include thematic programs that encourage them to observe, researchb, /band retell. For example, in a theme about animals the children don’t just learn from pictures, but also create small projects, draw, and sometimes even visit the

iZOO/i.”

Noah, who was sitting beside me, immediately straightened up. “Really? We can see real animals, sir?” he

asked, his eyes shining.

Mr. Johan gave a warm smile. “That’s right. And if you like dinosaurs, maybe one day you’ll even get to help build a mini dinosaur museum with your friends.”

Noah turned to me at once, almost bouncing out of his chair. “Mommy, Mommy, I want to!”

I chuckled softly, then looked at Mr. Johan. “That will definitely be his favorite. Noah really loves dinosaurs.

Liam, who had been mostly quiet until then, finally spoke up. “How about sports, sir? I want Noah to grow up healthy, not just study in the ssroom.”

Mr. Johan nodded. “That’s an important part of our school. We have basic sports sses that include swimming, basketball, and futsal. Every child gets the chance to try them all, and then we see where their interests and talents lie. So no one feels left behind.”

Noah looked up at Liam. “Daddy, I want to try basketball! Like the games we watch on TV.‘

Liam ruffled Noah’s hair, a small smile appearing on his face. “Daddy will practice with you if you want.

I watched them, and a strange warmth crept in. For the first time in a long while, it felt like we were discussing

Noah’s future together not separately.

Mr. Johan then pointed to a section in the brochure about facilities. “To support learning, we have a library with thousands of children’s books, aputerb, a music roomplete with instruments, and a spacious field.

There’s even an art room for painting and crafts.”

I nodded slowly, “That all sounds wonderful, sir. But what about individual attention for each child? I want

Noah not to just be a ‘number‘ in the ssroom.”

Mr. Johan looked at me seriously. “We limit each ss to only twenty students. That way, the teacher can truly get to know each child’s character. We also provide counseling programs for both children and parents, to keepmunication strong.”

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I felt a weight lift slightly from my chest. That was one of my biggest worries, Noah being lost in the crowd

without anyone truly noticing him.

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