Defying Fate: The Unstoppable Eileen



Hobson and Sylvia were momentarily speechless.

It was Egbert's comment that left them at a loss for words.

Hobson glanced at Eileen, curious to see how she would respond.

But Eileen just marched on with the utmost composure, not so much as a flicker in her eyebrows.

Unable to contain himself, Hobson called out, "Ms. Lopez? Mr. Reed said..."

"Shh." Eileen waved her hand dismissively, oozing confidence. "Don't even look at him. Pretend you didn't hear a thing."

Hobson and Egbert were both speechless.

The preschool wasn't far from home, just outside the residential neighborhood.

After about a ten-minute walk, they arrived.

It wasn't even half-past four, just twenty past, but the school yard was already swarming with parents queuing up.

Eileen was baffled, and even Hobson and Sylvia had never seen such a sight. They were all quite puzzled.

"Do we really have to line up to pick up the kids now?" Hobson asked.

Clearly, he hadn't experienced such a ritual in his youth. School had always been a mad dash to the gates, and parents would be waiting outside to whisk them away.

At that moment, Egbert took Eileen's arm and said, "Let's head over there."

Reluctantly, they joined the queue.

Eventually, at half-past four, the preschool doors swung open, and a teacher with a megaphone called out, "First, second, and third grades."

As soon as the announcement was made, the waiting parents bustled inside.

"Should we go in too?" Hobson asked, utterly confused.

Eileen wasn't sure either; she scratched her head and turned to Egbert. "What do we do now?"

After a pause, Egbert said, "Let's go in and wait."novelbin

So, the group followed the other parents inside.

Soon the first three grades were dismissed, and the teacher continued to call for the parents of the remaining classes.

Half an hour later, all the children had been claimed, leaving the four adults standing alone in the empty hall.

The teacher, checking her list, approached and asked, "Which child are you here to pick up?"

Eileen thought for a moment and said, "I guess we're here for whoever's left."

The teacher was speechless.

She was part of the show's crew and was taken aback by Eileen's response. Clearing her throat awkwardly, she asked, "Could I please know which class your child is in? What's their first and last name?"

They looked at each other, clueless.

Finally, Sylvia ventured a guess, "We're not sure about the class, but the last name is..." She glanced at Hobson and said, "Miller." That's Hobson's last name.

The teacher had her eureka moment, "Oh, you're here for little Bain Miller."

Sylvia quickly affirmed, "Yes, that's right!"

The teacher told another staff member, "Please bring out Bain."

Moments later, a five-year-old boy was led to them.

The boy ran up to Sylvia and Hobson, calling out, "Mommy! Daddy!"

And just like that, the connection was made. This child was now Hobson and Sylvia's son.

They slipped into their roles with ease, cooing over the child affectionately.

The teacher then turned to Egbert and Eileen, "And you two? What's your child's last name?"

Egbert began, "It's..."

"Lopez," Eileen interjected sharply.

Egbert paused, gave her a look, and with a smile conceded, "Yes, Lopez."

The teacher went silent again.

Sweat began to bead on the teacher's forehead as she fretted over how to proceed with a child whose last name was Reed. Meanwhile, in the control room, the director was in stitches, exclaiming, "It's confirmed, their first child has the mother's last name!" The assistant director, too stressed to engage, instructed the teacher over the walkie-talkie, "Just play along and hand the child over." The teacher wiped her forehead and stammered, "So, the child takes after the mother's last name?"

Egbert replied calmly, "Yes."

The teacher asked, "And the father's last name is?"

Eileen was in the middle of answering, "Whatever. I don't care..."

Before Eileen could finish her words, Egbert placed a hand under her chin, turning her face towards him.

Eileen met his deep-set eyes.

With a pout, she finally admitted, "Reed, okay?"

Egbert's expression softened.

Seizing the moment, the teacher quickly said, "You must be here for little Isabel Reed! Ms. Weeks, please bring Isabel Reed out!"

Wait, Isabel Reed... Could it be...?

"Mommy! Daddy!" The familiar childish voice came bounding from inside. Eileen turned to see a cherub-faced little girl with a pink backpack skipping towards them.

The girl stopped a step away, looking up at them with sparkling eyes, not rushing to embrace her "parents."

Egbert pursed his lips, eyeing the rosy-cheeked girl at his feet. After a moment's thought, he said to Eileen, "Let's have another one, this one's not working out."

Isabel was speechless.

Isabel looked up at Mr. Reed with a wounded expression, her tiny mouth puckering up.

Eileen was in a bind. She picked up the little girl and whispered, "How did you get here?"

Isabel clung to Eileen's neck, her face pressed against hers, and whispered back, "Uncle Chad sent me!"

Uncle Chad? Chad Lopez?

Eileen frowned, then turned back to Egbert, "What do we do? Her identity... It's not good to expose her on camera, right?"

Egbert lifted his hand and ruffled Isabel's disgruntled mop of hair with a weary sigh. "It's okay."

Chad had set things in motion, and naturally, Chad would handle the aftermath.

Eileen took Egbert's word for it, considering he knew the Lopez family dynamics better than she did. "Alright then."

She glanced at Isabel once more before resigning herself with a playful huff. "Fine, you win!"

Isabel's face lit up in a grin, revealing her tiny, pearl-like teeth, as she hugged Eileen even tighter, overjoyed.

Despite some complications, both families had finally retrieved their little ones.

Back at home, realizing the fridge was bare, Eileen asked Isabel, "What would you like for dinner?"

Isabel clung to Eileen's leg and said earnestly, "Isabel will eat anything. Isabel's easy to please."

Eileen chuckled and playfully tousled the child's fluffy hair before turning to Egbert, "I'll go grab some groceries. You watch her." Egbert frowned slightly, as they usually went grocery shopping together.

He cast a displeased glance towards Isabel, now standing alone in the kitchen, and pressed his lips together without a word.

Eileen grabbed her cell phone and headed out the door. As soon as she left, the living room fell silent.

Isabel stood at the kitchen doorway, looking up at Mr. Reed's tall and stoic figure. She twisted her hands together and called out timidly, "Daddy..."

Egbert couldn't help but smirk at her sweet-talking.

He settled onto the couch and gestured for the little girl to come over.

Isabel hurried over with small, eager steps.

After a moment of silence, Egbert had Isabel sit on the couch and looked into her grape-sized eyes, asking, "Will you listen to Daddy?"

Isabel nodded earnestly, the picture of obedience.

Egbert continued, "Then, when Mommy comes back, you tell her you want a little brother or sister. Tell her to get cracking with Daddy on that, got it?"