After the meeting with Miss Connie, Elena and Henrique stopped at a small café a few blocks from the school. It wasn't crowded—just a low hum of conversation, the sound of cups clinking, and the steady hiss of the espresso machine in the background. Normally, it would've been a comforting place. Today, it only made the silence between them more noticeable.
They sat across from each other, two untouched coffees growing cold on the table.
Elena kept her eyes on the cup in front of her, tracing the rim with her finger. Henrique leaned back slightly, exhaling as he ran a hand through his hair.
"So…" he started, breaking the silence. "We call her?"
Elena nodded, though there was hesitation in the movement."I think we should."
A brief pause followed.
"It doesn't mean something is wrong," Henrique added, more to reassure both of them than anything else."I know," Elena said quietly. "It just… makes it feel more real."
Henrique reached for his phone, unlocked it, and glanced at the contact Miss Connie had written down. Dr. Elizabeth Carter – Child Psychologist.
He placed the phone on the table between them. "You want me to call?" he asked.
Elena shook her head after a second. "No… I'll do it."
She picked up the phone, took a small breath, and pressed the number. The ringing seemed louder than it should've been.
One ring.Two.Three—
"Hello, this is Dr. Elizabeth Carter's office," a calm voice answered.
Elena straightened slightly."Hi, good morning. My name is Elena Smith. I was given your contact by Miss Connie, from Little Oaks Preschool. It's about my son… Matteo."
"Of course, Mrs. Smith," the receptionist replied warmly. "How can we help?"
Elena glanced at Henrique, who gave her a small nod.
"We'd like to schedule an evaluation," she said. "His teacher suggested it… just to better understand his development."
"Absolutely. We can arrange that. Matteo is four, correct?"
"Yes."
There was the faint sound of typing on the other end.
"We have an opening this Thursday afternoon, or early next week. What works better for you?"
Elena covered the phone slightly, looking at Henrique."Thursday or next week?"
"Thursday," he answered without hesitation.
She nodded and returned to the call."Thursday would be great."
"Perfect. I'll book you for Thursday at 3:30 PM. Dr. Carter will do an initial consultation with both of you and Matteo. It's a very relaxed process."
"Thank you," Elena said, her voice softer now.
"Of course. We'll see you then."
The call ended.
Elena slowly lowered the phone onto the table. For a moment, neither of them spoke.
"Well," Henrique said after a breath, "first step."
Elena nodded, but her expression was distant."Do you think he knows?" she asked quietly.
Henrique frowned slightly."Knows what?"
"That we're trying to figure him out."
Henrique looked at her, then shook his head gently."He's four, Elena."
She gave a small, uncertain smile."Yeah… Matteo is four."
They sat there for a while longer, the noise of the café continuing around them. Outside, life moved normally,cars passing, people walking, nothing out of place.
But for them, something had shifted.
And neither of them knew exactly what would come next.
Thursday morning felt strangely normal.
Sunlight streamed through the kitchen windows while Elena prepared breakfast, the smell of toast and coffee filling the house. Matteo sat at the counter in dinosaur pajamas, swinging his legs under the chair while carefully arranging blueberries into perfect little lines beside his pancakes.
Henrique walked into the kitchen adjusting the sleeve of his dress shirt."What time was the appointment again?" he asked, reaching for the coffee pot even though he clearly already knew the answer.
"Three-thirty," Elena replied. "We should probably leave by three."
Matteo looked up immediately."Three-twelve would be faster," he said casually before taking another bite of pancake.
Henrique paused mid-pour and looked at him."You know what I meant."
"I know," Matteo answered with a grin.
Elena couldn't help smiling a little. Moments like that made it hard to think of him as anything other than a normal, happy four-year-old.
Matteo hummed to himself while eating, occasionally bouncing in his chair whenever he got excited about something random crossing his mind.
"Can I bring my volleyball?" he suddenly asked.
"The small one?" Elena questioned.
"Yeah. The blue one, not the red one. The red one bounces weird."
Henrique raised an eyebrow."They bounce the same."
"No, they don't," Matteo replied instantly. "The red one goes more to the left."
Elena and Henrique exchanged a quick glance.
Matteo noticed immediately.
"You're talking about the doctor," he said matter-of-factly.
Elena blinked."We weren't hiding it."
"I know," Matteo answered cheerfully. "Miss Connie said I think too much."
The honesty of it caught them off guard.
Henrique pulled out the chair beside him and sat down."She just thinks talking to someone could help us understand you better, buddy."
Matteo tilted his head slightly."Understand what?"
Elena hesitated for a second before answering softly."How your brain works."
Matteo considered that for exactly two seconds before smiling again."Oh. Okay."
And just like that, he went back to eating pancakes.
By the afternoon, the three of them sat in the waiting room of Dr. Elizabeth Carter's office.
The space felt warm instead of clinical—soft colors, shelves filled with toys and books, small bean bags scattered around the room. A tiny wooden volleyball set sat on one of the tables, immediately catching Matteo's attention.
While Elena filled out paperwork, Matteo knelt on the carpet rolling a foam ball back and forth against the wall, carefully watching the angle each bounce returned at.
Henrique noticed he was testing patterns.
Again.
A door opened down the hallway, and a woman in her late thirties stepped out with a calm smile."Matteo Smith?"
Matteo immediately stood up on his own.
Dr. Elizabeth crouched slightly to his level."Hi, Matteo. I'm Dr. Elizabeth."
Matteo looked at her for a moment—not shy, just observant.
"You blink more when you're thinking," he said.
There was a brief silence.
Then Dr. Elizabeth smiled wider, clearly amused instead of uncomfortable."That's actually true."
Matteo smiled proudly like he had solved a puzzle.
Elena felt her shoulders tense automatically, waiting for the reaction people usually had.
But Dr. Elizabeth simply stood back up and gestured toward her office.
"Well," she said warmly, "you seem very good at noticing things."
Matteo grabbed his little blue volleyball from the chair beside him.
"I'm practicing," he replied happily before walking inside.