Baby Be Mine(Spinsters & Casanovas Series Book 1)(6)

*


“I’m afraid I can’t let you participate in today’s sport, Clarice.”

Clarice wasn’t happy. She’d been looking forward to this day for ages and now that it had finally arrived, she wasn’t allowed to participate because of her shoes.

What could she do? It wasn’t her fault her shoes had more holes than the number of craters on the moon. Her PE teacher said it was unfit for sport. Simply speaking, it may cause her injury.

“You can use my spare pair,” a quiet little blonde said beside her.

Clarice turned and smiled.

This little girl, who was three years younger than her, was called Elise. She was a quiet, methodical girl who hardly spoke but had a heart the size of an ocean. She was a charming, innocent, and pure-hearted girl, much like a cherry blossom on a nice spring morning.

With Elise’s spare shoes, Clarice was able to participate in school activities along with Whitney. From that point on, the three girls were now like the three musketeers, sticking together like glue.


*

“Honey, I’ve been made redundant.” Clarice heard her father speak to her mother in their bedroom.

“Oh no, Michael. What will happen to us?”

“Don’t worry, Montha. I’ll make sure you won’t starve.”

That night, Clarice sat forking her rice and tuna. Yes, she was starving. That small portion wasn’t enough to supply the fuel for her growing teenage body, but she didn’t say anything. She told her parents she was full and went off to bed.

At that point, Clarice made a life-changing decision. She would never go hungry again. She would do anything to support herself and her family.

“Don’t worry, Papa. I’m going to get a job. You don’t have to pay for my education anymore,” Clarice vowed to herself.

The next day she applied for the paper run. She got accepted on the spot because she was good at running. From that point on, she saved her money like her life depended on it, which to her it did, because she knew she wasn’t born with a silver spoon in her mouth. And if she wanted to get into University, then she would have to work hard.


*

It was on Clarice’s thirteenth birthday that she was able to attend high school, along with her two best friends. That night while her friends were sleeping, preparing for their new adventure ahead, she was still slaving over the iron, trying to press the secondhand uniform she had bought with her own money.

Clarice knew her friends would arrive with newly pressed uniforms that had been serviced by professional launderers because her friends’ families were far better off than hers, but she’d never complained about her station and worked hard to achieve a level of comfort for her parents and herself. In order to achieve her goal, she must be frugal and mindful towards everything.


*

“Mum, I want to go to Cambodia to help out the children and adults,” Clarice said to her mother one day after she turned sixteen. She was watching the documentary about Cambodian kids not having enough dental care, leading to poor oral health and losing their teeth at such a young age.

At that moment, Clarice had made a lifelong decision. She was going to become a dentist so she could help provide dental care in her mother’s homeland, Cambodia. It wasn’t until ten years later that she and her team of dental professionals accomplished that goal, setting up a practice in the heart of Battambang Province, donating free dental care for all who would utilize their service. She usually frequented Cambodia on her holiday at least once a year to check on the progress of the children there.