Lance
Our house seems busy. I was about to enter when I heard some tiny voices coming from our house.
Do we have visitors today?
"I'm home." I said, informing them when I came in.
They are not in the sala... where―
"Man!" Bricx said, when he came out of the kitchen. "You're earlier than usual." he added.
"Earlier than usual? I can go home wherever I want. Is that a problem?" I asked back and glared at him. "What are you doing here, Bastard?" I added.
Even if he won't bother me at work, he is here in our house.
He covered my mouth. "Shut the hell up, Man. Stop saying bad words when you are in your own house, F*cker." he answered, almost whispering.
Says the one who's cursing as well.
"Lance, you're home early. You should have stayed for a while in your office." Lizzy said when she came out of the kitchen.
"Are you all in the kitchen?" I asked.
What are they doing there? I glanced at the kitchen.
Lizzy pushed me away to the kitchen. "Just go and change first." she said, stopping me from going to the kitchen.
I am sure now that they are hiding something from me.
"What are you hiding from me?" I asked Lizzy.
"We are baking and it is too stuffy inside." She said, not even sure of her answer.
I walked into the kitchen with them trying to stop me.
"There's more than―did you force her to come with you again?" I asked in disbelief. "Mom."
Mom said, approaching me to give me a hug. "Don't be mad, Lance. I asked them to bring Aera here, since you don't want us to meet her." she explained.
"Mom, if you are going to force her to do this and that, she might not want to come here again." I said, warning her.
She immediately went to Aera.
"I'm sorry, Aera. Do you really feel that way?" Mom asked Aera, worried that Aera might feel that she was being forced.
Aera shakes her head. She also points at herself before giving us a thumbs up.
"Good to know that it's okay. I would be sad if you felt that way. Because I've wanted to see you since then, now that I know you're reachable, I hurried to meet you." Mom said, explaining her side.
I can't do anything with Mom. Whatever she likes to do, she will really pursue to get it.
"I'll go and change first." I told them before leaving.
When I met their eyes, Lizzy and Bricx were smiling from ear to ear. That explains why Bricx said those words a while ago. Lizzy can't even make a lie if she is in a rush to bake when they are just cooking something.
After changing my clothes, I went down to see and help Aera with those brats, including my mom.
They are still busy with cooking. Aera and Mom are cooking, while the two are just watching while chattering.
They looked like they were close already, even though they just met each other today. Mom definitely likes Aera, and she won't stop asking me to make her my girlfriend.
I exited the kitchen and sat on the sala to watch whatever was on TV.
"Why don't you join and help them cook?" Bricx asked and sat beside me.
"They don't need my help. Can you stop helping my mom when it comes to this? You're making her uncomfortable." I said, it almost sounds as if I am pleading.
I don't like to see her being uncomfortable with us, but I can see that we are doing it to her. She might avoid us in the next few weeks.
"I don't think so. She nodded her head before I was about to continue what was I going to say a while ago," Bricx shared while watching. "I think Auntie will prepare everything if you guys become a couple in the future. She likes her too much. You should do something about that." he added.
"Should I hire a fake girlfriend now?" I asked for his opinion.
"Fake girlfriend? That won't do. Auntie knows you too much." he answered, laughing at my crazy question.
After a few minutes, they are done with their cooking. Lizzy prepared the table for us to eat on. Dad is in a meeting, that's why he's not here. I can't imagine what will be his reaction when he sees Aera.
"Is it really okay for you to be here? Aren't we disturbing you?" I asked her after our lunch.
We are now sitting in the garden. She nodded her head and smiled at me, confirming that it was okay.
"Tell me right away if they start to bug you next time." I reminded her.
'I also like what we did, and I also want to know everything about you'
It was her reply after writing. I was dumbfounded by what she had said. There's something inside of me that is happy to hear that.
"R-really? I am glad to know that," I said, stuttering. "Anyway, it was delicious. I enjoyed our lunch." I added.
'Thank you. How is your work? They said you went home early today'
She said when she showed me her pad.
"That is why I said, I finished everything yesterday. I want everything fixed, so that I can go home the next day to rest." I replied.
She turned to her pad and wrote something before showing it to me.
'Am I not disturbing you? Or do you want to rest now?'
She asked, with a worried look.
Worried that I might be really tired.
I am tired, but seeing her being worried about me fades away my exhaustion. It's like I was being charged just by seeing her.
Since then, every time I go to their house just to see her, I don't mind going up and down with their window that is too high.
"I am okay now. It's like you are a charger. I am not tired anymore. I should see you every day so that I won't feel tired anymore," I answered, making her smile shyly. "You are blushing, Aera." I added, trying to tease her.
She covered her face and looked away.
She's too cute.
"Come on, let me see how you blush," I said, teasing her again.
I could not help but laugh at her. She is hiding her face right now and has even stopped facing me.
I lightly tapped her arm. "I won't tease you anymore." I added. "Look at me now. I will stop teasing you. I promise. It is just that you are too cute. I could not help but tease you. Look at me now, please." I explained.
She stopped covering her face and slowly turned to face me again.
Her face was so red. It was so obvious since she is pale. Her cheeks are pinkish and she is avoiding my eyes.
"You are still not looking at me." I told her.
She gets her pad and writes something before showing it to me.
'I can finally see the old you. You have become more serious now. They said that sometimes they are scared to talk to you'
She said. Well, I have really changed. I can also tell myself that I have really changed.
"Maybe having this kind of work made me this way. Still, I am the Lance you know and have met before." I answered.
She nodded and lowered her head to write again on her pad.
'Although you changed in some ways, it is still the Lance I know. You just grew taller and you have more fine lines and look serious, but overall you are still the kind Lance who helped me before'
I nodded. "Yes, I am." I said. "And you grew up too. You are not thin anymore, but you are still pale. You become more pretty." I complimented.
She did the 'thank you' sign and smiled at me.
'And I finally met your loved ones. I thought I would not be able to meet them in person. I only saw them from your phone and I am happy that you let me meet them'
"Too bad, dad has a meeting today. He badly wants to see you too. Maybe I will be the one who will invite you next time and let you meet my father." I responded. "Like I promised you before, I will introduce them to you. Now, we are able to do that, and I am glad that you are happy."
"If things are making you uncomfortable, make sure to tell me immediately. You do not have to force yourself, okay?" I reminded her.
She nodded and quickly fished out her phone.
She opened it and went to the gallery.
"Oh, you took photos with them a while ago." I said when she showed me the photos of her with Mom, Bricx, and Lizzy a while ago.
She was swiping through her phone to show the pictures she got until it stopped her with a man.
She opened her pad and showed me the word 'friend'.
"Is he your new friend? What was his name again?" I asked.
She quickly turned to her pad and wrote 'Leus'.
"Oh, Leus. Was he kind? He is not bullying you or saying something bad that could hurt you?" I asked.
She shook her head and began scribbling on her pad.
'He is kind. He also helped me with some things in school.'
'He also introduced me to some of his friends. They told me that they would help me too. They are really kind of like you guys'
I felt relieved. "I am glad that you have friends now. You should treasure them. You can count on them if you are having a hard time." I replied.
As long as they are not making her uncomfortable, then there is no problem. It's better for her to have friends since it's not that good to be alone at school.
"So he is your classmate, right? I heard from Bricx that he is taking the same course as yours." I asked and received a nod from her. "His father was known for being the best chef in our country. I am sure you will learn a lot from him." I added.
'I was glad that he wanted to make friends with me. No one dared to talk to me since I started going there, and I thought it was because of my disability that it might be hard for them to communicate with me since I can't speak'
"Your disability is not a problem, okay?" I reminded her. "If they really want to make friends with you, they will talk to you no matter what. Like Leus, he still chose to make friends with you despite your disability."
"It depends on the people. There are many ways to communicate with you. Your disability is not the problem. It was theirs." I added.
Like I said, there are many ways to communicate with her. It's not even hard to communicate with her. It is still the normal conversation. I ask things or say some things, and then she will answer me through her notepad.
'I do not mind having a lot of friends. I am happy and content with having a few of them. I am already blessed to have people like you. There is no need for me to wish for more'
She said on her notepad.
I tapped her head. "Silly. You can wish for everything. Wishing is free. You do not have to limit yourself to wishing. You have been a good kid since then. That is why God never lets you down. He has a plan for everyone. Let us just wait for our turn." I told her.
"You know, when I was still young, all I wanted to do was play the computer all day. I was not even serious about my studies before, but look at me now. I have stable work and my own company."
"It's all about people's perseverance. If you work hard, you will be able to achieve many things."
'You are right. I will work hard too and be able to build my own restaurant.'
"Good! That is what I wanted to hear from you. Let's go. I'll tour you around here."