Chapter 8: Nobody's Home

The young boy’s POV

“Papa, why are we here? Whose house is this?” He asked, looking up at his father beside him who didn’t say a word to him throughout the whole journey. They were both standing in front of an average sized house, with a small but taken cared of lawn at the side filled with blooming flowers.

His father just rang the doorbell, and now they were waiting for the owner of the house to open the door. The little boy didn’t know why they were there in the first place; and he didn’t even know the owner of the house. Even after asking his father a couple of times, his question was left unanswered.

In the meantime, the boy did a quick glance throughout the front yard and had to admit that the surrounding was pleasant enough. The yard was clean, flowers were arranged nicely and the grass was short and trimmed.

Even the small house itself looked cute and cozy, and somehow he couldn’t wait to see the inside of it. It looked nothing like his old home, back when he still lived with his late mom. Their house was gloomy, dark and dull. Unlike this one, it seemed cheerful just by looking at the outside.

They heard footsteps coming then and the boy straightened up. He faced the door and watched as it was opened from the inside, only to reveal a smiling figure who straight away threw him a beam the minute their eyes met.

The little lad caught his breath and didn’t blink his eyes for a minute as he took in the sight of the owner of the house. She looked so familiar to someone and just by the mere thought of that someone can make his eyes water.

He was about to reach out to her but then held himself back.

No, this person cannot be her. After all, she was dead.  

She just happened to look like her, like his mom.

“You’re here.” The young woman said, looking at his father and offered a small smile. He tipped his head to the side and noticed how immediately her expression changed when she looked at his dad. She gave him a friendly smile but not to his father, and her eyes seemed to be portraying something that he’d often get used to seeing.

“Well, as promised.” His father then said, and it was the first thing he’d heard his father said throughout the day. “And I cannot be here for long. I have to go back quickly so I need this to be done and over with as soon as possible.”

This time, the young woman’s face completely changed as the little boy observed. The friendliness and warmness she showed earlier were thrown right out the window, only to be replaced with something like anger, if his eyes weren’t cheating on him.

He had no clue about what the both of them were talking about, but he knew better than to interfere in adults’ conversation. So he just waited and wondered whether they’d ever enter the house. After seeing the exterior part of the house, he was actually dying to see the inside. He wanted to know if it was as comfy as it looked like from the outer.

The young woman had a hand on her hip, and said to his father in a hushed tone, “Well, you could at least enter the house and let him get settled, could you? I know you’re in a hurry to get this done and over with but can’t you at least do that last part as a father before you go? This is your son, after all. Don’t be that cruel.”

They spoke in whispered manner that the little boy found it hard to hear what they were saying. But regardless of what the issue was, it seemed to be pretty serious as his father had a very grim look on his face while challenging the young lady to a staring battle.

Seeing how neither of them was backing down, his dad then let out a very heavy sigh and sort of gave in to whatever the young lady wanted. He gave the little boy a glance, and his son smiled at him upon that, and faced the woman again, before he said, “Very well, then, as you wish. As long as we stick to the deal we had.”

The young lass didn’t reply anything to that, instead just opened the door wider for both him and his father to enter. The young boy was hesitant on whether to go in the house or not, but seeing his father did, he followed suit.

Upon seeing the inside of the house, the boy was gob smacked. It was just how he imagined the inside would be, only better. His eyes scanned the living room, which they came across right after entering the house and he could see how the walls painted with beautiful bright colors. It made the room look livelier especially when the sunlight passed in. There were minimum furniture, but it wasn’t like the house needed a lot of furniture anyway.

“Have a sit, love. And make yourself comfortable, all right?” The young woman said to him from behind, and he straight away went to the empty seat on the couch beside his dad, who looked rather restless and jumpy. The boy wondered what was wrong with him, but decided not to ask. His dad won’t answer him anyway.

The young woman crouched in front of him then, and said with a bright smile, “Do you want me to show you where the playing room is? It has lots and many toys inside, just waiting for you to play with. What do you say we go and check them out, hmm?”

The woman extended a hand to him, and he watched it uncertainly before turning to his dad, as if asking for a go-ahead. His father noticed it though, and simply nodded his head, before looking all edgy again.

The boy accepted the woman’s hand and she helped him down the couch, and just as they were about to walk away, the boy stopped and turned to his dad. “Papa.” He said, reaching a hand out to him too. The older man was confused at his gesture, and only stared at him, as if asking what he wanted.

“I want papa to see the room, too.” The little boy said, and then exchanged glances between his dad and the young woman. “Can papa come with us? He would be lonely waiting for me at the living room all alone.” He asked the young woman, tugging her hand at the same time. He looked at her pleadingly, and in the end, the woman slowly nodded her head. “Of course he can, love. If he wants too, that is.” She said, and threw the boy’s father a look.

The man rolled his eyes, which was unnoticed by the boy, and stood up half-heartedly from the chair and followed behind them, ignoring the little boy’s hand that was waiting for him to take. The young woman led the two of them to the said playing room, and the boy was stunned to see just how many toys there were inside the room.

Never in his life had he seen such many toys, and in his lifetime, he remembered that he only had one toy, which was given by his mother on one of his birthdays and it was a long time ago.

Giving him a slight push from the back, the woman said, “Go on, and help yourself. They’re all yours, so it’s fine.” Hearing that, the boy felt beyond content and astonished. He turned to look at her to see if she was joking but she really wasn’t. Being just a little kid himself, the mere thought of h