Worth it

First Meeting

Having been immersed in creating what he hoped would be his own telescope out of Legos, Ronnie hadn't initially showed much surprise when the preschool teacher had announced they would be having a new student come in that day. He didn't really interact much with the other children, not out of spite or fear, he just saw no reason to. He was perfectly happy by himself, with his toys and books.

Sometimes the teacher expressed worry that Ronnie was going to have a hard time making friends, and the boy could remember his father's words in response being 'he's just socially independent'. Ronnie had no idea what any of it meant, but it made him feel important in his father's eyes.

At this age, Ronnie would be lucky. He wouldn't have to deal with bullies, just kids who sometimes got mean about sharing their toys, or taking turns in games. Nobody ever made fun of him for his big round glasses or his curly hair, or his suspenders which he wore every day. He liked dressing like that, it made him feel grown up.

A short while before learning time, after Ronaldo's telescope had toppled and he had cried, he sulked in his little plastic chair at the activity table. The teacher wiped his tears, and told him he could rebuild it later, and to come sit down on the puzzle mat with the others for story time.

The door to the classroom opened halfway through 'Where the Wild Things Are', and perhaps the tiniest child Ronnie had ever seen shyly walked in. And Ronnie immediately noticed something worth being excited over, the koalas on their over sized sweater, and the stuffed lemur in their arms.

"Boys and girls, I'd like you all to meet our new friend. Would you like to tell everyone your name, honey?"

The child peered shyly around the room, eyes so dark and wide, they were almost mystical, and mumbled, "Lars.", but his 'r's sounded like 'w's and it came out sounding like 'Lauws'.

"Lars," the teacher repeated to clarify it to the children, smiling, "Would you also like to tell us where you came from? You came from very far away, didn't you?"

The child nodded, "China," they chirped, and buried their face against their stuffed toy again.

The teacher smiled to the class, "China is a very big country, isn't it? I'm sure everyone would love to hear more about it! Do any of you have any questions for Lars?"

One child piped up, "Are you a boy or a girl?"

Lars turned a little red in the face, and shuffled their feet uncomfortably, and the teacher told the child that wasn't an appropriate question to ask. Lars managed to stutter out, still looking nervous, "Boy."

"We got my brother from China, and he has black hair. Why is your hair red?", another child asked.

Lars rubbed his cheek nervously with a tiny hand, "M-my daddy has red hair."

"Wooooah," the child whispered, looking surprised.

The teacher then told the class it would be better if they asked questions regarding what Lars liked, and what his favorite things to do were. But even then, all the questions just seemed to make Lars look very nervous, and the boy was getting quieter with each answer, as if he were afraid to answer them. When another student asked why he talked funny, Lars shied up completely, even when the teacher asked him if he was alright.

Ronnie decided now was the perfect time to speak, since everyone else was done, and cheered from his spot on the floor, "Are those koalas? I LOVE KOALAS!"

A couple kids turned their heads to look at him, and Lars just stared with wide eyes, looking a little shell shocked and confused. Looking down at his own sweater, he realized what the other boy had been excited over, and yelped, "O-Oh! Yeah! K'walas!", he nodded, shaggy hair getting in his face.