#c:gideon2

[marya-whoisleft]

next great idea // marya & gideon

“Nathanial, where have you run off to?”

Marya knew that part of letting Nathanial grow up was giving him a little space here and there. After all, she didn’t want to accidentally turn into one of those helicopter parents that ended up with children who were unable to get by on their own. She remembered how poor Jared Chapman had gotten into trouble their first night at Hogwarts by trying to sneak out of the castle to get back to his parents. He became the first victim of their class’ rumor mill. Nathanial would not become Jared.

On the other hand, it was difficult to give him freedom when she felt a nagging fear in her stomach whenever he was out of her sight. Times being what they were and all.

But, she worked to combat that fear where she could. Today, it was during her excursion to the library. Marya wasn’t running the Books for Children benefit, but she had promised her friend Caroline that she would lend a hand with the last minute details. And while she had been talking with the librarian to finalize the speech for the night, she let Nathanial hang out with the group of kids gathering in the children’s section.

Now, she was peering around the bookcases trying to spot where her son had run off to. To her credit, her heart only fluttered a little bit quicker as her eyes scanned the small heads before landing on her Nathaniel’s. He was at one of those tables with short legs, fitted to be the perfect height for someone around four feet tall, talking animatedly to another boy with shocking red hair.

“Oh, there you are. Have you been having fun?” she asked, crouching down next to the pair.

“Yes, I’ve made a new friend,” he answered with the kind of energy he only really gets when he’s around kids his age.

“Well hello, new friend,” Marya said to the other boy. “What is your name? Are you here with your mum?”

@gideonthesoldier​