CHAPTER 70: THE RICH MAN IN A BEAR SUIT

The Next Day...

"Wow, Mommy! Did you make this yummy breakfast? Did something good happen yesterday?"

Egypt asked, her eyes lighting up as she climbed onto her chair.

I smiled while arranging their plates, sliding the last lunchbox into their schoolbags.

"Yes. Mommy finally has a new job. So, to celebrate, I made all your favorite breakfast."

I set down their plates, each one holding fluffy pancakes drizzled with butter and served with strawberry dip—just the way they liked them.

"Really?" Egypt leaned forward. "Then that means you won’t have to keep worrying about looking for a job? Is it a good one this time? Are you happy?"

"Yes," I replied warmly. "It’s a high-end resto-bar, and I even started yesterday. The other staff have been nothing but kind to me, so... yes, I’m happy." I reached over to ruffle her silky hair, earning a giggle from her.

Paris, who had been quietly spooning scrambled eggs onto her toast, looked up at me. She didn’t say a word, but when I met her gaze and smiled, she returned it with a shy curve of her lips.

It’s a good thing the job pays well—and even hands out wages at the end of each shift. At least now, I’ll be able to catch up on the bills and maybe set aside a little extra.

I watched the twins eat heartily, a sight that always warmed my heart. But as I looked at them, I realized that I’d been so busy lately, caught up in finding work, that I hadn’t given them as much of my time as I should have.

Maybe after class today, we could go somewhere together. Just the three of us.

"Kids, do you want to—"

"Is Mr. Bear Man going to be outside the school later?"

Egypt blurted out at the same time I spoke.

"Mr. Bear? You mean the bear who gave us the balloons?" Paris asked, raising an eyebrow at her sister. "Why are you looking for that bear man again? Are you expecting him to give you ice cream this time?"

"N-no, it’s not that," Egypt said quickly, shaking her head. "I just think he’s cute and kind. He was nice enough to give us a balloon, so... I want to give him some of my snacks in return."

I blinked, my gaze shifting back and forth between the two of them. A bear, huh?

Now that I think about it, that man in the bear costume was a little suspicious.

Sure, giving out balloons to kids for free sounds harmless—but why would someone dress up like that and hang around a school unless they had a reason? What if he was trying to win the children’s trust for something else?

"Kids, about that bear man—didn’t I tell you not to carelessly trust strangers? Even if it’s a cute bear man, we can’t be sure there isn’t someone bad under that costume."

Both of them looked at me.

"But Mom," Egypt began, "Mr. Bear Man doesn’t seem bad at all."

"And why do you say that?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"Well... it’s because you said most bad people are poor."

"Poor?" I frowned. "Did I ever say most bad people are poor? I don’t remember saying that. Why would you think that?"

Egypt spoke slowly, as if explaining something obvious to me.

"Well, Mommy, it’s because if they weren’t poor, they wouldn’t need to do bad things—like kidnapping kids, for example. Maybe that’s the only job they know, so they do it to survive. But Mr. Bear Man is rich."

"Wait, what?" I tilted my head, trying to follow her logic. I couldn’t decide which part confused me more—the strange reasoning about ’poor bad men’ or the claim that this bear man was rich.

"Why do you think Mr. Bear Man is rich?"

"Because he has a nice car. I mean, a luxury car," Egypt said, her eyes widening for emphasis. "So maybe the reason he’s giving out balloons is just because he wants to spread kindness to everyone."

"Egypt, you seem to have a very different perception about bad people.." I said, gently shaking my head.

"Bad people can be rich or poor—it doesn’t matter. Some people simply choose to do bad things, and that’s on them. I’m not saying Mr. Bear is bad, but I just want you two to be aware of all the possible dangers in this world."

The twins exchanged a glance and then smiled at me. "Okay, Mommy. We will remember that."

"Alright, alright," I said with a small laugh. "Finish your food now. Later, after your class, we’ll go out and have some fun. So behave, and don’t go wandering off at school, okay?"

"Yes, Mommy!" they chorused.

*********

At school...

"Wow... is that Mr. Bear Man again?"

Egypt gasped, eyes wide as she pointed toward a small crowd of students gathered near the school gate.

It was early in the morning, and sure enough, there he was—Mr. Bear Man in his big fluffy costume. But this time, instead of balloons, he seemed to be handing out... ice cream.

"Wow! Is he giving out free ice cream this time?" Egypt’s voice bubbled with excitement. She turned to me, her eyes sparkling like tiny stars.

"M-Mom, can I go there, please?"

Her pleading gaze was almost blinding with cuteness, and even Paris tightened her grip on my hand as she stared longingly at the ice cream.

That oversized bear sure knows how to win the hearts of children.

I couldn’t help but find him... suspicious. Is he really just being generous, or is he trying to win over every kid in this school?

Still, I watched as the other children happily ran to him, accepting their ice creams without hesitation. His oversized bear head bobbed cheerfully as he knelt to hand out treats.

Egypt tugged at my sleeve again. "Mommy, please? Can I have that ice cream, pleeease?"

I bit my lip, unable to decide now that my daughter’s eyes were practically begging me to say yes.

I let out a deep sigh. What could I do? I could never bring myself to say no to the two of them.

"Okay, okay... we’ll go there and say hi to the big bear. But no ice cream for now—it’s still too early to eat that."

Both of them instantly pouted in unison.

"Okay, Mommy..." they mumbled, though Egypt’s excitement quickly took over. Before I could say anything else, she was already running toward him.

"Hi, Mr. Bear! Do you still remember me?" she called out, waving.

I noticed the bear pause for a moment before slowly waving back at her. Then, he reached into his cooler, scooped some ice cream, and was just about to hand it to Egypt—but I immediately stepped in.

"No, Mr. Bear. It’s still too early to be handing out ice cream to kids. But thank you anyway."

He froze for a second, then scratched the side of his oversized bear head before passing the ice cream to another child instead.

"Mr. Bear, we just wanted to say good morning," Egypt said brightly, "and we’re happy to see you spreading kindness again."

Mr. Bear paused again before making a heart shape with his hands.

"Hehe, that’s so cute!" Egypt giggled.

"Oh! By the way, I’ve got something to give you."

She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a folded piece of paper.

On it was a drawing of a big bear holding the hands of two children—one on each side—and a woman holding one of the kids. Taped to the corner were a few small pieces of candy.

Wait... is that supposed to be me, Paris, and Egypt with the oversized bear?

"Here! This is my gift for you. It’s not much, but I hope you like it!"

I could see the bear freeze completely, almost as if stunned.

Maybe he hadn’t expected that a child would give him something in return. But that’s my daughter—kind enough to appreciate even the smallest acts of goodwill. That alone made me proud as her mom.

The bear then pointed to himself, as if asking, Is this really for me?

Egypt nodded eagerly. "Yes! This is for you as my thanks for giving us the balloon yesterday. Hehe."

Mr. Bear made another heart sign, as if truly touched by her gesture. Then, without a word, he turned and walked toward a luxury car parked just beside the school gate.

Just like Egypt said, this Bear Man really did seem like a rich man. But why was he here, outside a school, giving away free ice cream to kids?

Was he just bored with his life? Or was he simply trying to spread kindness—just like Egypt believed?

I almost froze when he returned. This time, he was carrying boxes of chocolates and a small bouquet of flowers, as if he had already prepared them in advance.

He walked straight toward Egypt and Paris, who both looked surprised.

Then, he bent down to their level and gently handed them the gifts. Egypt hesitated for a moment before finally accepting the chocolates.

Paris, still stunned, took the flowers with both hands.

Mr. Bear formed a heart shape with his fluffy paws for the twins, making them giggle shyly. Then, he turned his head toward me.

Through his oversized bear costume, I could almost feel his gaze lock on mine. Slowly, he lifted his hands to make another heart sign—this time directed at me and followed it with a playful flying kiss.

Huh... what was that for? Is this bear actually trying to flirt with me?