"Do you see that Hestia? A few minutes away from our house is the sea and a beautiful beach. Have you ever been to the beach with your fathers?" - Raquel once pointed in the direction and the toddler looked away from the piece of carrot that was in her hand, an towards the direction where Rachel was pointing.
"My mother is there with my daughter Paula. If you want we can go to the beach together during the next few days or do you have to work Sergio?", added Raquel while Hestia was busy looking in the direction, as if she was Being able to see the sea and the beach at any moment, Raquel wanted to know from her boyfriend whether he would agree with these plans or not.
Because the former Inspectora learned one thing during the time of living together - if the professor is not planning his the next heist, he likes to have everything in a certain order or sequence in his daily life.
But what would speak against a trip to the beach?
The professor nodded in agreement and his hopes that the presence of his niece might help a little to get Paula out of her shadow.
After all, children had an equally strong need to socialize and make friends as was the case with most adults.
Even if the age difference between Paula and Hestia is around 8 years, the professor had noted a certain sentence from Paula, because the girl said to Raquel shortly after her arrival on the island - she misses her friends and the contact with others Children.
School would only start in a few weeks and, as far as the Professor had heard, Rachel's mother Mariví and Paula knew about the Guest. Unlike Sergio, who only found out about his niece's upcoming visit a few days ago. To say that Sergio was a little surprised during dinner is an understatement , because the glasses wearer almost choked on his dessert...
"...Sergios niece Hestia is going to stay with us for a while soon..."
The Professor almost choked on the dessert, coughed a little awkwardly, and reached for a glass of water to process this surprising information and give an appropriate answer later.
"She lives in Italy with Sergio's brother and his Boyfriend, doesn't she?" - Mariví intervened and nodded once to a table in the dining room, on which were several family photos.
Including one that the Professor had recorded when his brother and Palermo had surprised him in Palawan and he had learned about the existence of his Niece.
It was a very nice photo and that Rachel's mother could remember this information, since her memory loss increases a little more every day, was a brief moment of hope.
Nonetheless, he was a little shocked by the information that the Toddler should be their guest in a few days. The irregular contact with his brother was not the best prerequisite for taking care of Hestia for a longer period of time.
"How old is Hestia Mama?" - it came from Paula ; who was looking directly at her mother and not looking in Sergio's direction.
Of course the Professor could have given the Answer, because he had remembered the exact age of Hestia - but this decision by his girlfriend and the consequences and responsibility involved with the upcoming Sleepover Guest, had made the Professor so unprepared that he had to take another sip of his water, to get a clear his thoughts.
"I think Sergio's brother told me, that she celebrated her 2nd birthday a few days ago. Are you okay Sergio? ", Raquel asked worriedly and finally Sergio was able to talk to her and to respond.
"I'm fine thanks - I'm just a little surprised that my brother called you instead fo me" , Sergio admitted and once straightened his glasses which - as so often - almost wanted to slip off his nose.
"Your brother was very polite during the Conversation. He kept emphasizing that he could go to the last treatment on his own and Palermo stays in Italy to take care of Hestia during the Time. Only Palermo was very unhappy with this suggestion and he did you can hear very strongly in the background about that. I agreed and thought it was okay - you help each other within the family without expecting something in Return", Rachel replied innocently...
"Raquel? Sergio? We are back" - Mariví's voice brought the Professor back into the moment and he hadn't even noticed , that he had been so deep in his thoughts about the moment were he was informed about the Sleepover Guest.
Nor had she noticed that Raquel had put the toddler on the floor and Hestia was now standing on the wooden bars of the rimmed terrace, holding her seahorse in one hand and looking into the distance , while Rachel got up to meet her mother, who was already enthusiastically told about the day on the beach.
In the meantime, Sergio noticed Paula walking past the Entrance to the terrace and taking no notice of him or Hestia while doing so. Maybe it would get better at dinner - to itroduce the girls to each other.
"Paula's drawing fell into the water. I'm sure she'll come down for dinner - is that your niece Sergio? ¡Hola Hestia!" - Mariví approached the toddler with an open and friendly smile and listened attentively when the girl introduced the seahorse to her.
For a moment the professor wondered what Paula had drawn t,hat had been destroyed by the water and that mad her so upset - he probably wouldn't be able to find out any time soon.
...
At dinner, 10 year old Paula showed some interest in the Visitor. She had introduced herself to Hestia and was also pleased that the younger girl liked the decorations in her room and the soft toy so much. But in general, Hestia was a bit tired and kept rubbing her hands tiredly over her eyes later in the evening.
"Is she tired?" asked Paula and looked briefly at the clock. It was only 8 p.m. in the evening. It was very early for them and it wasn't even dark outside.
"It has been a long day for Hestia. The flight from Italy to Palawan must have been very tiring and long. I think I will put her to bed - not that she will fall asleep in her dessert ," Raquel smiled, putting the small bowl, wich was filled with pudding and standing in front of Hestia, out of her reach.
Five minutes later, Raquel got up with the very tired Toddler and brought her to her room. Paula's grandmother had already retired to her room, and the nurse the professor had hired to support Mariví in handling and caring , was already on her way home. It was only Paula and himself at the dining table.
And the mood couldn't have been more tense. The professor would love to know , why the girl distrusts him so much. But he would have to wait a long time for an answer again - because Paula had some same traits, such as Raquel.
The next morning Paula woke up very early. Her mom had talked to her yesterday again, before going to bed and explained to the 10 year old girl, that Sergio's niece could take a few days to feel comfortable in their home and that it would be great if the two would get along well.
Alternatively, Paula could also show her in more detail how the decoration of the guest room is designed. Because after her mother put the toddler to bed yesterday after dinner, Hestia had fallen asleep very quickly. And if Paula was honest to herself, she had been looking forward to the girl's arrival.
It is definitely great to have another child to play with at their home, even if the girl is a lot younger than Paula.
After the young Girl had glanced at the old clock in her room and was now wiser at realizing that it was shortly after 6:00 a.m. , she pushed her bedcloth aside and got up to get dressed.
For the three Months she's been living here on Palawan, it has become a habit that when she wakes up in the Morning, she get the breakfast table ready.
In Spain, her Grandmother often took on this task and sometimes Paula helped her. Now the Circumstances are different, a new man has entered her Mom's life and everything was so complicated and different.
Paula didn't want to get to know her Mother's new Boyfriend better, to talk to him or to trust him.
She did not know him and indirectly he was the reason why her Mom had to send her to her Father so that she could fly to Palawan - to be with this Stranger. Paula was not doing badly while staying with her Father and his new Girlfriend.
They had done a lot of fun trips and Paula had been able to continue to go to School and meet with her Friends. And yet everything had been so different from what Paula was used to.
The 10-year-old had only been able to call her grandmother a few times during her stay with her Father and did not understand , why she was not allowed to visit her grandmother - but her friends she was allowed to visit.
She had asked her father about it more than once, but he always replied that her grandmother's health was not so good that she was allowed to get personal visitors any time soon.
Paula hadn't heard from her Mom for Weeks after she left Spain, and then she suddenly stood at the door with her grandmother. Paula had said goodbye to her Father and was completely overwhelmed in this new life with all these new impressions.
The island on which the house of the man next her mom's side, was beautiful and it was very, very large. But it wasn't ... her home. Her home was in Madrid.
In the small cozy house where Paula had lived with her Grandmother and Mother for so long - and this big house where you could get lost very quickly - was still so strange to her still after three months.
Even if Paula had been allowed to take personal items from her old home to the Island, it was difficult for the girl to get used to all of the new situations. The climate on Palawan was warmer and different than in Spain, the language of the locals was different and you got a little bit further with English. Paula had learned that at her old school in Madrid - at least the basics.
Officially there were still Holidays and in a few weeks , she would start at the new School. She was not afraid of it because Paula was someone who quickly made friends with new children. But she missed her old friends and the usual routine - the little rituals that gave Paula a hint of security - were no longer so present as she hoped.
Like cuddling with her mother on a lazy Sunday morning. In Spain, Paula always climbed into her mothers bed and the two of them cuddled together and at some point her Grandmother brought breakfast to bed for the duo and all three then sat in bed , in their pajamas and had some homemade pancakes as Breakfast.
That was no longer possible. On the one hand because Paula didn't trust herself to go in her mom and Sergio's bedroom - on the other hand she didn't trust the Man with the glasses.
Of course, her mom had told her , that she could trust Sergio as much as she trusted her or her Grandmother and that he was a nice and kind person.
But how should Paula be sure about this? She didn't know him and that he got on so well with her mom ... she just didn't know what to think of it.
Of course, some of the little rituals between Paula and her mom have been retained - but Paula has noticed, that her mother often tries to involve her boyfriend in this - for Paula - it was just personal mother-daughter time - just for her and her mother. Not the direct reason why the ten-year-old behaves so distantly towards Sergio . But a few thoughts got stuck in Paula's head - which influenced her a lot.
Because her Father Alberto told her some things about Sergio that Paula believed very quickly.
Because what reason would her father have to lie to her?
One of those things was, for example, that Sergio didn't like children and was only nice to them so that he could later abandon them somewhere in the Car.
Alberto talked to Paula, that Sergio was a bad person and he had been so convincing, that Paula believed him and all of her Mom's attempts to show her , that the new man by her side was a lovely and kind person, did not impress Paula. After all, her Papa told her the truth about the glasses wearer - and her papa would never lie to her.
Of course, Paula didn't tell her mother about the things her father said to her.
Her Father told her that her , that her Mom had already fallen in Love with the glasses wearer's due to some tricks and that her let her drink a love Potion, so if Paula should ever mention this topic, her Mother would believe him rather than her own Daughter.
And poor little Paula was so convinced about, that her Father was right about what he told her - that she didn't want to try to talk to her mother , about the true Reasons why she distrusted Sergio so much and kept distant from him.
The love potion was so strong, that her mom wouldn't believe her. And Paula didn't want to risk that.