"Alright, let me tell you then, Dad." Maria whispered, "I actually liked Gary and Ernest, but after they played with me for only one day, they didn't like me anymore. They don't want to be friends with me anymore after a day."
"The rest of them are also the same. They liked me at the beginning, but then later on when we played together, they didn't like me anymore. I'm very sad because of that."
Zachary was surprised and felt sorry for her.
He knew that children actually did care about who liked and disliked them. He also knew that they were worried and cared about certain things in their lives.
If Maria didn't care, she wouldn't have said it out loud, nor would she have kept it a secret.
His heart twitched and he couldn't help but feel his heart squeezed a little. What on earth had his daughter gone through?
Why couldn't Yvonne tell him that she gave birth to a child?
If he knew about the child earlier, Maria might not have ended up like this.
At the very least, he would bear the responsibility with Yvonne.
Looking at his daughter, Zachary comforted her softly. "Little girl, friendships won't last long if it can't go both ways."
Her eyes widened in confusion, and her expression was as serious as it could be.
He looked into her eyes, both serious and gentle. He said, "If a person likes another person, he or she must make do with his or her shortcomings. Only when they accept the other person can the friendship last for a long time."
Maria still looked at her father with widened eyes, as if she had more admiration for him.
Her eyes were shining with excitement.
"First of all, you need to learn how to understand and give way to your friends. If you do so, your friends will do the same to you. You also need to give and take, not just be on the receiving end. A friendship goes two ways. If you wish that your friend can give way to you, you must do the same to your friend too. Only then will your friendship go a long way, and people will stay friends with you."
He didn't know how much his daughter could take in, but he just felt that he should impart this so that she could learn.
Since she could talk about her problems out loud to adults, it meant that she trusted them and she believed that they would be able to teach her the right things. If Zachary did so, he believed that Maria could learn and follow.
Sure enough, she opened her big eyes. Her eyebrows wrinkled together, and she fell into deep thoughts.
After a while, she looked up at him sweetly and said, "Dad, are you saying that I didn't give way to Little Gary and Ernest?"
Zachary was slightly surprised to find that she actually understood what he meant.
"What do you think?" He asked with a smile.
"It seems so," Maria smiled in embarrassment. "I just wanted them to do it my way which was why I didn't give anything out to them. Or maybe I was too selfish. I shouldn't be selfish anymore, asking them to continue playing with me when they are tired. It seems like I made a mistake."
"Oh Maria," Zachary nodded with relief, and his eyes turned gentler. She understood things, and she was so sensible. "I'm really happy to know that you can figure it out."
"Dad, your words made me understand." She was modest. "Sure enough, there are many benefits in having a father. Although Mommy loves me a lot, she won't tell me so many things. She will only lie to me."
Although Zachary did not know how Yvonne and Maria got along with each other, he could understand the situation. It was not easy for a woman to bring up a child all alone.
All these years, she must have been going from one place to another.
He had only met Yvonne once in the United States and that was all. She never even went back to Southland.
Therefore, he believed that she and her daughter used to have a hard time.
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