What was going on with this kid?
“Elio, I’m sorry, even though we’re both good-looking, I’m not your dad!”
“Is that so?” The little one, with big disappointed dark eyes, drooped his head and pouted sadly. “So, you’re not my dad either.”
The little guy was genuinely cute, hanging his head and looking a bit pitiful.
“Have you seen your dad before?” Brendon asked, realizing he might be getting too bored, engaging in a conversation with a little kid!
As soon as the topic of dad came up, the little one perked up.
“I’ve seen him… in photos.” The little guy danced around with gestures, but his vocabulary was too limited. Brendon had to guess and ask, “You’ve seen pictures of your dad?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah!” The little guy nodded vigorously, pulling a lemon-flavored candy from his pocket. “Give it to you…”
“Uncle doesn’t like candy. You can eat it yourself!”
“Friends… must give…” The little one stubbornly placed the candy in Brendon’s hand.
Just then, Jenny came over, looking apologetic. “I’m sorry! Elio isn’t usually like this. He probably likes you.”
“Elio, do you want to answer Cynthia’s call?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” The little guy eagerly reached for the phone, calling out in a soft and sweet voice, “Mommy, it’s… me. Do you miss me?”
A short, light laughter came from the other end of the phone, and the woman said, “Of course, I miss you, Ayaan. The plane is delayed, and I don’t know when it will take off. Remember to listen to Jenny, okay?”
“I know, but I miss mommy.” The little guy acted cute, “With the universe so big, I miss you a lot.”
Ranita chuckled, her voice raising slightly, leaking out a bit from the phone. She said, “Ayaan, once the plane takes off, you’ll see me very soon. I’ve prepared a gift for you!”
The little guy showed his small white teeth, giggling happily. Clearly in a good mood, he waved to Brendon and bounced away, holding Jenny’s hand.
“Give the phone to Jenny!” Ranita instructed the little guy, and he immediately obediently handed the phone to Jenny. “Cynthia, rest assured. I’ll safely see Elio off on the plane!”
“Okay, when you’re boarding, let me know. I’ll come to pick him up!”
Before Ranita could finish, someone knocked on her door. It was her business partner, Brown, holding a bouquet of red roses. “Cynthia, nothing going on tonight. I’d like to invite you to dinner!”
“Brown, there’s a project in a few days that I have to work on. I might have to do overtime!” Ranita took the roses but didn’t agree to go to dinner.
“Cynthia, you can’t do this. You accepted the flowers but rejected me, making me look like a flower delivery guy!”
“So don’t buy them next time!”
“Cynthia, your pursuit of me is too cruel!” Brown leaned against the door with crossed arms.
“How many girls do you pursue in a year? Have you ever counted?” Pausing for a moment, Ranita said, “Elio is coming over. Let’s have dinner together when he arrives!”