Chapter 7
The days passed, and the bond between Kim and Tom grew stronger and stronger. What began as brief encounters and small interactions turned into a surprisingly deep friendship.
Tom became a constant presence in Kim's home, especially during the times he set aside for physical activities with the children, who had already considered him part of their routine. He came naturally to them, as a kind and inspiring figure, someone who offered a completely different view of the world than what Kim's children were used to seeing.
One afternoon, while Kim was reviewing appointments on the phone and supervising her children, she heard North sigh heavily. She looked at her daughter, who was bent over her geography notebook, her face in an expression of frustration.
"What's wrong, North?" Kim asked, approaching the table.
"Mom, I can't understand this part about countries and borders..." North said sullenly, pointing to a map of the Middle East. — It talks about how the borders have changed several times, and I just can't understand why it's all so complicated.
Kim smiled, understanding her daughter's frustration, but before she could answer, Tom entered the room, carrying two bottles of water that he and Saint had left in the kitchen.
"Trouble with geography?" he asked, with a friendly smile.
North looked at him with a hopeful expression.
"Yes, Tom! It's confusing! Countries change names, borders change... How can anyone understand all of this?"
He approached, pulling up a chair next to North and looking at the map carefully.
"Geography is something much more interesting than it seems," he said, pointing to the map with a twinkle in his eye. "Each of these changes you see here didn't happen by chance. These borders were drawn and redrawn after wars, treaties, and agreements, all with repercussions for the entire world."
North frowned, still trying to absorb Tom's words.
"But why? Why is everything so complicated?"
Tom laughed, feeling challenged to explain it simply.
"Let's try to understand this with a story, okay? Imagine that the world is like a neighborhood. You have several houses, and each house represents a country. Now, imagine that some houses are huge, have everything they need, and others are smaller and need help. But... what if a bigger house decides it wants more space and invades the land of the house next door?"
North looked at him, understanding dawning.
"And what happens then?"
"Well, the smaller house gets mad, doesn't it? It might call on other neighbors to help, or maybe even agree to a deal to split the land, just to avoid a fight." Tom pointed to the map again. "That's kind of how a lot of these borders were drawn, especially in places like the Middle East. A lot of the time, the countries themselves weren't even consulted. Big powers drew the borders as they saw fit."
North shook her head, puzzled.
"So they didn't get to choose?"
"A lot of the time, no," Tom replied, his tone serious. — Some countries were controlled by other, stronger countries, and the people who lived there had to accept what they were told.
Kim, who had been listening attentively, was surprised by how clearly Tom explained everything. She noticed that North was completely focused on the explanation, as she rarely was in class.
— And did you have to study all this for your job, Tom? — North asked curiously.
Tom nodded, giving a small smile.
