Étude of Humanity

Chapter Two

I think all of us are ordinary when it comes to growing up from an infant to a toddler; mothers feed their children with milk, fathers (most of them) go their way to work hard for the family, and both parents go their way to make time for you. It just blows Sayre's mind that raising me was a huge deal just as much as raising kids my age were.

When Sayre became a toddler, however, it was anything but ordinary. At such a very early age, I was able to talk quite fluently complete with pronunciation and grammar. When I asked that to mama and papa, they told me that it was just an ordinary pace like any kid would get, but I picked it up flawlessly like a genius. It wasn't just speech—Sayre at least knew how to change clothes perfectly just with a single sight of papa undressing his shirt in front of me. I knew how to make my milk bottle just by, you guessed it, looking at mama how she did it in the kitchen.

All of that said, you could say Sayre is one eccentric daughter. I could be wrong though—maybe it's just me being a quick learner.

"Oh my, why it's just the Hisa child!"

"Hm?" Sayre stands and looks behind to see who's talking behind the fence, "Oh, a pleasure morning, Miss Sasami," I bow afterwards.

"Wow that's weird—I mean, you're quite noble-like for a kid your age. I expected you to whine when I called you the 'Hisa child.' Likewise a good morning to you."

Miss Sasami is our neighbor next door. She happens to be a teacher of some sorts. I've never seen a mister with him, but I do know she has a child of her own.

"Sayre-dear!" mother calls for my name from behind but her attention shifted to our neighbor, "O-oh! Hello there Sasami!" then her attention back to me, "Here's the mulch for the plants, Sayre."

Miss Sasami laughed, "Haha, still the hardworker of an extra mile you are, Saya? Even when you already have such a smart and cute daughter? You two even look alike!"

"Oh please Sasa, your child's much smarter and courteous, haha," says mother while covering her mouth, who I feel is fluttered by that compliment.

It's funny how they call each other Sasa and Saya, just a one letter, one syllable difference. Sayre wonders if they were friends for a really long time.

"Anyway, my shift's going to start. Have a great morning Sayaka, Sayre," Miss Sasami goes back to her house as she waves at us. We wave back.

Anydazzles, mother and I had some little bonding this one brightful morning; we enriched some portions of dirt here with some mulch so that we can grow some wonderful flowers. At least, that's what mother told me all about it. The morning sun was getting seriously harsh, so I held on to my sun hat as we worked on our future flower garden.

As expected, Sayre's way of enriching the soil with mulch and planting them with flower seeds turned out to be perfect—all in one try.

Mother claps her hands delightfully, "Wow, Sayre-dear! You've done a perfect job again. Not bad!" and she pats my head quite comfortably.

"Ehe! Thankoo mama!"

"Ahaha, maybe you really are just a fast learner dear, you're so quick with all these things."

Sayre expects mama to be gratified saying that line out loud, but when I look up and tilt my sun hat ever so slightly to see her face, it turned out to be the opposite: mama's face had a hint of concern.

In fact, all of the people whom I met so far had this crazy pop on their eyes whenever Sayre does something spectacular.

* * *

It was lunch time after mama and I had garden work for most of the morning. We were in this white round table with one chair on one side facing two chairs on the other; Sayre facing mama and papa.