Halfway through dinner, Ranita was afraid she couldn’t control her emotions and went to the bathroom.
Ayaan was very happy during the meal and on the way home, he kept chattering about wanting Brendon to take him to a science museum hundreds of miles away for fun.
Ranita sat quietly in the passenger seat and didn’t have the heart to interrupt him.
“I’ll take Ayaan up, you go back!” Ranita held Ayaan’s hand and didn’t want Brendon to come up to her house. She was afraid that the longer he stayed, the more her heart would sink.
“Ranita, I’ll send you guys up and leave after seeing you home.” Brendon said as he helped pick up little Ayaan. “Ayaan, remember to take care of your mom when you get home, okay?”
“But… didn’t you say he would wait until I fell asleep before leaving?” Ayaan looked at Ranita with a grievance in his eyes. “Mommy, you promised me.”
Ranita softened her heart.
Brendon still came into her house.
“You rest for a bit. I’ll help bathe Ayaan.”
“You? Can you do it?” Ranita really doubted whether Brendon could even wash dishes since he never got his hands dirty.
“Didn’t I prove myself today? Do I need to prove myself again?” Brendon’s words were strange enough that they made people wonder! Ranita pursed her lips and glared at him before saying, “Fine! You can go!”
Before Brendon dragged the little boy to the bathroom, he poured her a cup of hot water. “Remember to eat. If you’re tired, lie down for a while.”
Ranita pursed her lips and didn’t take the cup. “Don’t be so attentive. I didn’t keep you here for myself, but for Ayaan.”
“You’re being sharp, and I don’t know what to say!” Brendon sighed and took the little boy to the bath.
Ranita silently counted to five, and just as she was about to reach the fifth count, a familiar voice called out to her, interrupting her thoughts. “Ranita, our son says he wants his little yellow duck!”
Ranita found the little yellow duck from the cabinet and handed it to him, saying, “He’s my son, not yours! This is the little yellow duck he wants!”
Ayaan was generally well-behaved, but he was particularly fussy during bath time.
Ranita sat on the couch, sipping her water and eavesdropping on the chaos in the bathroom. Just as she was enjoying the commotion, his phone rang with a “ding-a-ling” sound.
Brendon was helping Ayaan bathe, and he had left his phone on the table.
On the screen, Shannon’s name was flashing, and Ranita’s heart suddenly felt sour and swollen.
“Ranita… Can you pass me my phone?” Brendon peeked out and asked, “Who’s calling?”
Ranita lowered her eyes and handed him the phone. “You should answer the call.”
Brendon hung up the call in front of her.
“Just wait a moment. Let me dress Ayaan first!”
Ranita stood at the door, holding Brendon’s phone in her hand. Shannon called again, and she was actually tempted to answer, just to air out her frustration with Shannon.
But then she thought, what good would it do to act out of spite?
It would only trouble herself unnecessarily.
The phone kept ringing, giving Ranita a headache.
Ranita asked Ayaan to go to his room and sleep first, then handed the phone to Brendon. “You should answer it. Miss Murphy is delicate, and if there really is something wrong, it will be my fault.”
“Ranita…” Brendon grabbed her hand and answered the call in front of her. “Hello, I’m a bit busy right now…”
But before Brendon could finish his sentence, Cindy’s anxious voice came from the other side. “Mr. Stuart, it’s Cindy! Shannon had an accident today during the rehearsal, and the stage collapsed…”
Ranita didn’t need to hear the rest. She already knew.
Some people just couldn’t be kept.