A Teacher's Heart

Chapter Five

"A field trip?" Matthew awed, him and classmates looking at Arthur with excitement. "Yay!~ Where to?~"

"The SEA LIFE Centre London Aquarium!~" Arthur replied, just as excited. "I have the permission forms printed out, so you can give them to your parents tonight for them to sign. I've already reserved a spot for us there as well, and since they open at ten o'clock in the morning, we'll be the first ones inside the building!~"

"Wow, I'm so excited!~" Millie smiled. "I love fish!~ They're so pretty!~"

"I wish we could go now, too!~" Matthew pointed out. "I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight because I'm so excited!~"

"Sorry, my little marine biologists~" Arthur chuckled softly. "You'll just have to wait in suspense for a little while longer~"

He suddenly had an idea to get them even more excited.

"How about we watch a fish-related movie, then?" he asked them. "Like...Finding Nemo, perhaps?"

"Yay!~" another little girl, Davina, cheered happily. "That's one of my favorites!~"

With a resounding agreement from the other children, Arthur immediately turned on the television to play the movie.

~~~~

Francis arrived at the daycare on time like usual, which made Matthew happy. He was so excited to tell Francis about the field trip that he had forgotten all about the permission slip!

"Papa, papa, guess what?~"

"What?~" Francis laughed, amused by his son's excitement.

"Matthew, don't forget your permission slip!~" Arthur reminded the little boy, handing him the piece of paper as well. "You need it, remember?~"

"Oh, yeah!~" Matthew giggled. "Merci, Arthur!~"

"Permission slip?" Francis wondered, suddenly not liking those words. "For what?"

"We're going to an aquarium tomorrow!~" Matthew told him. "So you need to sign it so I can go!~"

Francis looked at the piece of paper skeptically, immediately shaking his head and giving it back to Arthur.

"Absolutely not."

Arthur gasped softly, as well as Matthew.

"But papa," Matthew whined in disappointment, "I really want to go!"

"And who's taking you?" Francis replied firmly, crossing his arms as well. "Just Arthur?"

"Unfortunately, it will just be me," Arthur admitted. "I have been trying to get some more staff, though, I swea-"

"More like failing!" Francis interrupted him. "I'm sorry, Arthur. I don't trust you enough for this. I don't even trust you during the day, and yet here we are."

Arthur frowned, and when he saw Matthew's sadness, he suddenly had another idea.

"How about you become my other chaperone?"

Matthew immediately perked up, and he jumped up and down in excitement.

"Oh, papa, will you come?~" he begged Francis. "Please, please, please?~"

"And skip work?" Francis raised a brow, confused. "Non, we've got a show coming up, and I need to make a few more designs for it."

"But it's going to be so much fun!~" Matthew bribed him. "And then you won't have to worry about Arthur being all by himself!~"