True Fated Marriage (Grace and Heinz)
Chapter 1028

"Alright, let me tell you then, Dad." Maria whispered, "I actually liked Gary and Ernest, but after they played with me for only one day, they didn't like me anymore. They don't want to be friends with me anymore after a day."

"The rest of them are also the same. They liked me at the beginning, but then later on when we played together, they didn't like me anymore. I'm very sad because of that."

Zachary was surprised and felt sorry for her.

He knew that children actually did care about who liked and disliked them. He also knew that they were worried and cared about certain things in their lives.

If Maria didn't care, she wouldn't have said it out loud, nor would she have kept it a secret.

His heart twitched and he couldn't help but feel his heart squeezed a little. What on earth had his daughter gone through?

Why couldn't Yvonne tell him that she gave birth to a child?

If he knew about the child earlier, Maria might not have ended up like this.

At the very least, he would bear the responsibility with Yvonne.

Looking at his daughter, Zachary comforted her softly. "Little girl, friendships won't last long if it can't go both ways."

Her eyes widened in confusion, and her expression was as serious as it could be.

He looked into her eyes, both serious and gentle. He said, "If a person likes another person, he or she must make do with his or her shortcomings. Only when they accept the other person can the friendship last for a long time."

Maria still looked at her father with widened eyes, as if she had more admiration for him.

Her eyes were shining with excitement.

"First of all, you need to learn how to understand and give way to your friends. If you do so, your friends will do the same to you. You also need to give and take, not just be on the receiving end. A friendship goes two ways. If you wish that your friend can give way to you, you must do the same to your friend too. Only then will your friendship go a long way, and people will stay friends with you."

He didn't know how much his daughter could take in, but he just felt that he should impart this so that she could learn.

Since she could talk about her problems out loud to adults, it meant that she trusted them and she believed that they would be able to teach her the right things. If Zachary did so, he believed that Maria could learn and follow.

Sure enough, she opened her big eyes. Her eyebrows wrinkled together, and she fell into deep thoughts.

After a while, she looked up at him sweetly and said, "Dad, are you saying that I didn't give way to Little Gary and Ernest?"

Zachary was slightly surprised to replace that she actually understood what he meant.

"What do you think?" He asked with a smile.

"It seems so," Maria smiled in embarrassment. "I just wanted them to do it my way which was why I didn't give anything out to them. Or maybe I was too selfish. I shouldn't be selfish anymore, asking them to continue playing with me when they are tired. It seems like I made a mistake."

"Oh Maria," Zachary nodded with relief, and his eyes turned gentler. She understood things, and she was so sensible. "I'm really happy to know that you can figure it out."

"Dad, your words made me understand." She was modest. "Sure enough, there are many benefits in having a father. Although Mommy loves me a lot, she won't tell me so many things. She will only lie to me." Although Zachary did not know how Yvonne and Maria got along with each other, he could understand the situation. It was not easy for a woman to bring up a child all alone.

All these years, she must have been going from one place to another.

He had only met Yvonne once in the United States and that was all. She never even went back to Southland.

Therefore, he believed that she and her daughter used to have a hard time.

"Your mommy may not have a lot of time, maybe because she was under a lot of pressure." Zachary didn't say anything bad about Yvonne. He just said it as a matter of fact and continued, "You should try to understand your mommy."

"Yes, Daddy." Maria nodded seriously.

"Also, for Little Gary and Ernest, I feel that you scared them. Although I don't know how you did it, I know that you can be a good child who understands others. I think if you do that, everyone will like you from the bottom of their hearts."

"Daddy, although I feel that what you said is true, don't you think that they are very timid?" She spread out her hands and curled her lips. "They are scared of me? How timid they are! Isn't that right?" He nodded and said, "Yes, maybe they are a little timid, but it was you who started it. So what do you think you should do now?"

She continued looking at him and still couldn't understand what she needed to do. "Dad, I just think that Little Gary and Ernest are timid and petty. Is that wrong? All I did was just be a little too talkative to them and then they started to dislike me."

"Then, Maria, how long do you think you can bear with them if they treat you the same way as you did to them?"

Zachary taught his daughter according to the situation and opportunities. He knew that this shouldn't be rushed.

He also knew that he had missed five years of Maria's life. He did not give her any fatherly love for five years. He knew that it was his shortcomings as a father if there were any problems with the child. That was why he blamed himself. He promised himself that he would try his best to make up for his daughter and teach her well to be a proper lady. That way, he wouldn't fail as her father.

Maria did not know how to answer her father's

question.

She looked at him.

"Put yourself in their shoes. Think about it. If you were Little Gary and Ernest, what would you do?"

"Me?" She thought for a moment and said, "Isn't it something happy for someone to talk with me? Why do they dislike me?"

"Maria." Zachary looked at his child and said seriously, "You want to talk and you want people to be with you when you talk because you're lonely. However, Little Gary and Ernest may not feel the same, perhaps they don't want to talk."

"If they don't speak, won't they replace it hard to keep it all in?" She asked.

Zachary thought for a while and said with a smile, "Let me share with you some wise words."

"What is it?"

"Silence is gold."

"I don't quite understand." She shook her head.

"When you're quiet or staying silent, it doesn't mean that you have nothing to say. It is actually harder to stay quiet and listen to what people have to say. I hope that you can grow up to be a person who will think before you speak or act."

Maria frowned as she didn't quite understand.

"I just hope that the words that you say are all important words but not nonsense. I want to see you grow up to be a mature lady," Zachary continued and then rubbed her tummy, "Maturity means that you have standards, and that will make people respect you but not be scared of you."

"Alright." She nodded. "Although I don't quite understand, your words are good."

He smiled and said, "Thank you for your praise."

"You're welcome."

So that was Maria's secret. Little Gary felt sorry now knowing everything. He began to feel sorry for how he treated her, as he thought that he might have been a little too mean to her.