Bella was called to school by Niko and Nikky's teacher, she was shocked that her son could raise his hand in another but was more curious about his reason, Niko was like his father in everything, he didn't just do something without a reason and she was sure the boy he had punched must have done something to him.
But she asked to apologize so that they could go, she would ask him his reason for punching that boy later and tell him that violence is not the best option to solve issues
"Niko, come in, apologize to Warren" To her surprise, her son just stood there without uttering a sound, he kept looking down and drawing invisible lines on the ground. Was her son going to disobey her?
"Niko" she made her voice firmer
"That's not fair, why do I have to apologize when he was the one who started it?" He quipped
"You have to apologize because violence is not the solution to a problem, you should not have hit him"
"Niko did it because of me, Warren was saying that we do not have a Daddy and laughing. Mom, we do have a Daddy don't we?"
The blood drained from Bella's face and he stared at the head teacher and then at Warren, "Niko, I'll solve this, trust me, okay, just apologize for hitting Warren"
Niko looked confused and hurt but he did as his mother had instructed, he quickly apologized and went back to drawing invisible lines on the ground
Bella turned to the head teacher, "I do not appreciate the fact that my kids were being teased about not having a father"
"We are so sorry about this" Warren's mother apologized and then stared at her son, "Warren that's not a nice thing to do, you have to apologize"
"But they don't have a father" Warren argued hotly
"Young Man, that is none of your business, apologize this instance and never repeat such again"
Warren looks gloomy but apologizes too.
"For the record, my kids have a father and very soon, he will be coming to see them," Bella said and Niko's head snapped up, and stared at her
"They do?" Warren asked and got shushed by his mother, she apologized to Bella once more before leaving with Warren.
When Bella left the head teacher's office with her kids, she was silent all the way home, she kept thinking about what to do, she never knew that her kids were being teased at school about not having a father, she hadn't thought about the repercussion of her action when she left Daniel and had chosen not to remarry.
She thought she was doing just fine with her kids and that they do not need anyone but her
"Mom, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," Niko said quietly when they got home
"Oh my kids, I am not upset" Bella replied as she hugged them to her, "why didn't you tell me that you were being teased at school by your classmates for not having a father"
"We didn't want to upset you besides, we knew that you do not like talking about our dad" Nikky answered
Bella knelt so that she was at eye level with them, "Look kids, you both have a Dad and he is still alive but...he does not know about the both of you and I do not know how he will feel about the both of you. I don't want you to get hurt"
"Won't he be happy to see us? We are his kids ain't we, he is supposed to be pleased" Bella smiled sadly at Nikky's question
"Oh my babies, there are some things that the two of you are just too young to understand, besides, I and your father are separated and I do not think that I want to go back"
"But why? Did he treat you badly?" Niko asked and Bella shook her head
"It's a little too complicated to explain, but I must say that he hurt me really bad" This was the first time she was having a serious conversation about their father
"But if you both desperately needed someone to call a dad, I...I can remarry just to make you happy"
"Will you marry me?" A voice asked from the door and they all turned at the sound of Jason's voice, he hadn't meant to eavesdrop but had accidentally heard them talking and seized the opportunity to approach the subject of a relationship once more with Bella
He entered the house and stared at both Niko and Nikky, "Hey kids, listen, I love your mother so much and I will never do anything to hurt her but I want you to be cool about having me as your daddy, I love the both of you and your mother and if your mom ever wishes to remarry, it should be with who will never hurt her right?"
Nikky regarded Jason solemnly, she likes Jason but deep in her heart, she wished her mother would make up with her daddy instead but Uncle Jason wasn't bad, at least, he would not hurt her mother
"Okay Uncle Jason, does that mean I'll start calling you daddy?" She asked
"Only if you want to and only if your mother accepts to marry me"
Bella stared at Niko, he had been quiet the whole time, he had wanted her to marry Jason so she expected him to be happy but why was he not showing the excitement?
"Niko?" She asked
Niko also wished that her mother would take them to see their real daddy but she had implied that their real daddy might not want them and that hurts differently, that he had also hurt their mother didn't make him happy either, he was protective about his mother and do not like it when someone hurt her
"I just want to be sure that you'll be happy mother, I don't want you to get hurt" Touched by her son's concern, she hugged him tight
"I will never hurt her" Jason assured him and Niko glanced at him, "promise?"
"I solemnly promise buddy"
"Then I can call you Daddy?"
"Sure buddy, only if you want to though"
"What if Warren finds out that you are not our real daddy, Is he still going to laugh at us?" Nikky piped up, looking worried
"What matters is that you have a Daddy and anyone who dares laugh at you will answer to me" Jason reassured and Bella smiled, she might not be in love with Jason and she might never love him the way she loves Daniel but he is certainly a wonderful person and she likes him, he will make a good father to her kids.
"Now, let's pop the question to your mother," Jason said and stared at her
"Isa, will you marry me?"
Bella thought for a moment, she was going again into the shackles of marriage and with a man she only likes as a friend unlike before when she went into marriage with a total stranger and fell head over heels with him, she was sure that she will never feel that way about Jason because there was no one else in her heart but Daniel, still Jason understands her and loves her, and her kids loves him because he was good with them. So, she nodded
"Yes, Jason, I will marry you."
*******************************************
Niko and Nikky were playing on the shore while Bella was arranging her fish in the basket but at the same time, kept an eye on them.
Nikky sneezed severally and suddenly fell down
"Mom, blood is coming out from Nikky's nostrils" Niko screamed
Bella flung off the basket she was holding and dashed towards Nikky's unconscious form.