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32 – Jack
The following day, as I had mentioned in that text message, I hurriedly went over to mom and Amy’s home.
It didn’t take me long to get to mom’s old condo, but when I stepped inside to find her, I was taken aback to discover that she wasn’t there. To my astonishment, nobody else was present other than little Amy and her babysitter, Violet, who lives next door. When I inquired about my mother’s whereabouts, Violet informed me that she had already left to open her flower shop. That shop was only about ten to fifteen minutes away by car, as mom had previously stated that she didn’t want to leave Amy alone for an extended period of time.
My focus shifted to Amy instead, and I couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy whenever I caught sight of her rosy cheeks or one of her endearing grins.Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org
“Can I ask you a question?” Violet suddenly opened. She was seventeen years old, according to what I heard, and was attempting to save for her tuition fees, so she took the part-time work as Amy’s babysitter while mom was away.
My heart sang as I lowered Amy gently back into her crib, and her laughs filled the room as she clapped her tiny hands and smiled at me. I gave out a sigh of contentment and promptly turned to Violet, saying, “Sure. What is it?”
She looked at me with a blank expression and then asked me straight out, without batting an eye, “Are you Amy’s father?”
I was taken aback by what I heard, and my heart stopped. I was too surprised since, in the back of my mind, I could dimly recall that I mentioned I was looking for “mom” earlier. But then there’s this girl…
“So, you’re the one? It’s okay. I’ve met other people just like you. Like they were with their third cousins, adopted siblings, or parents…” She said with a careless shrug.
My entire being was filled to the brim with astonishment and shock. What had just been spoken by this young lady, Violet, left me completely dumbfounded. I took a deep breath and tried to hold back the question, but in the end couldn’t help myself. “Don’t – Don’t you think it’s weird?”
Violet had a pair of eyes that gave off the perpetual impression of being unconcerned and uninterested in whatever was going on. They weren’t lifeless, but they gave off the impression that they preferred not to care more than they had to. This time, though, those eyes looked at me seriously as she spoke. “There is no such thing as right or wrong when it comes to love. It doesn’t matter if it is public or private, ugly or beautiful in the sight of others, in the end, no one can decide a person’s destiny when it comes to love. After all, it’s not up to others to decide where you’ll be happiest…”
“… Even you do not get to decide who it is that you love. Love chooses you. That makes life unfair, but at the same time, it makes it fair for all of us. We are all on the same playing field here. That is, who has the right to judge someone and say they know what love and happiness mean for the other? Only you know it, right? What kind of relationship you want and have… it is entirely up to you and not on how other people want it to be.”
I was unable to speak and allowed the silence to envelop us. In the end, I was at a loss for words when it came to responding to what she had said. Her comments shook me to my core. In the end, all I did was give her a brief nod and then I turned around, excused myself, and said that I needed to find mom and see her as soon as possible.
I couldn’t put into words how it felt. Her statements, coming from a youngster no less, left my brain in shock. But I just couldn’t help myself. It felt as if my blood had woken up, a feeling of elation rushing through my veins as I attempted to suppress the smile that was plastered on my face at the time. Because there was one. At the very least, one.
I was able to find someone who not only accepted but also supported my affection for my mom.
Knowing this… How could I possibly give up?
As soon as I arrived at the flower shop, I could see to my right that there were already two automobiles parked in the front lot. After taking a closer look at them, I realized that one of the cars belonged to my Aunt Jonah. I knew I was correct the instant I heard Aunt Jonah’s voice as I entered through the main door at the entrance.
“That’s why I warned Gio not to go back to that computer shop. I tell you, Mars. That hotspot is crawling with drug users. It should be shut down and never reopened. They’re wrecking the lives of teenagers!” I was able to overhear Aunt Jonah’s rage. They seemed to be talking about Gio’s encounter with a gang where he used to play some computer games with his friends. It made Aunt Jonah rant nonstop; she was livid as she was retelling the story.
The recognizable voice and tone made me chuckle to myself. I looked in the direction of the voice and sure enough, it really was Aunt Jonah. My attention was then quickly drawn to the woman who was standing next to Aunt Jonah. Mom. She was there, laughing as she listened to Aunt Jonah’s story while busily putting flowers in a basket next to a dozen additional baskets. Most of the baskets had already been filled with flowers in either the same or a different arrangement.
“Mom,” I called out to mom, who promptly turned to face me.