The instant Laurice saw Little Louie darting towards her direction, her heart melted away. Crunching down, she picked up the little child on reflex, panic-striken herself. She got misty-eyed when Little Louie started clinging around her neck with great force. Not because it hurt her. There was clearly no physical pain. And there was absolutely no way a child this fragile can hurt her, she believed.Little Louie was that tense for some reason. Laurice felt her defenses crumbling down around him. This was already the case since the day she met Little Louie for the very first time.
Laurice, who was now lovingly hugging back the little figure, would have never imagined that she can be a softie towards a child that she almost doubted herself.
"What"s wrong, sweetie?" She worriedly asked, feeling pained as well. What"s the matter this time? Did he had a nightmare? Was it that scary? Thoughts keep popping up her head as she pondered deeply.
Laurice felt the child"s grip tightened as he trembled slightly in her embrace. She felt a warm hand caressing her as the child kept calling out to her, even addressing her "mommy".
Little Louie"s lips quivered but replied obediently.
"I thought mommy left already." He said almost as if mumbling the words making it seem like he was going through a tough ordeal. He misses her. That was it. And he missed her the instant he woke up moments ago.
Laurice was stunned she could not utter a word. Ofcourse she haven"t left, yet. Feeling guilty, she decided to kept still.
"Will mommy ever leave me?"
The child spoke again warily after not hearing from her that he begun to worry.
Well, Laurice will be leaving later that"s a given. However, that doesn"t mean she wasn"t coming back anymore. Laurice was about to tell him exactly that when Little Louie started sobbing silently alongside her neck rendering her completely speechless.
Amidst the sudden outburst, n.o.body else understood why the child was behaving as if he was full of grievances. But Laurice, somehow along the line, knew probably why. The feelings, that being so familiar to her, she did not want to speak of it.
As Laurice patted the child"s back gently, she begun humming a lullaby. But only until Laurice realized a befitting song that she eventually begun singing. It is a reminder of a promise that she once held in her heart.
....
"Wish away, when you sleep
I"ll be here, while you dream
You know.
I love you, I love you, I love you, I do
I loved you before I even knew you"
...
Such a soothing melody filled the room afterwards.
Laurice sung a heartfelt song in hopes of comforting the little child. And she did not fail, for Little Louie withheld his tears all the while. It was such a relief that he seems to like her singing as well. She even thought spoiling him a little more was not too bad as she begun cradling the child in her arms once again, swaying from side to side. When Laurice turned to her back, she smiled wryly at herself wondering why the song had otherwise, a neglible effect on her.
....
It was unusually and awfully quiet when Laurice have finished singing. It was as if everybody went still, but barely standing their ground, including the man himself who was towering not quite a distance from the "mother and son pair". He seems to be at a lost. And he was at lost for words, too. Laurice"s singing voice just now was melodious. Soft and sweet in his ears as if lulling him to sleep. He was so drawn to her voice, to her song, and to her beautiful demeanor. The woman amazed him every single time she does something and even with merely her presence - it was overwhelming enough, filling his heart to the brim. His eyes swelled at the sight of the woman he thought of marrying.
...
When Laurice turned around, she witnessed all these. The stillness surrounding the place, and the placid expression of the other persons around. Sid, who was especially baffled, finally caught her eye. His face mellowed when the woman came closer towards his direction carrying "their" son.
...
Little Louie shifted in his position when Laurice started walking. His vision was now filled with Laurice. He gaze at her warmly while he utter the words.
"Mommy, please don"t leave me."
Laurice was stumped by his plea. Where was this coming from? She felt strangely subdued by the rush of emotions that engufled her entire being. Her stomach tightened in knots. She did not avert her eyes from Sid for a moment, deliberately avoiding Little Louie"s scorching gaze.
But with a nudge on her cheek, Laurice finally relented. She faced the little child hesitatingly and abruptly ransacked her brain for the right words to speak.
"Mommy is going somewhere today ..." Laurice whispered.
Little Louie went pale with her phrase.
"... But i"m not leaving you behind, darling. That means i"m coming back to see you again." Laurice shook in her reply and added hastily. She did not want to sugarcoat her words towards him but still ended up committing a promise unknowingly.
At that moment, Sid intervene as he spoke tenderly.
"You"re spoiling him." He said truthfully. His eyes hovering the two.
"It"s alright to spoil him a little bit, he"s still so young." Laurice have already regained composure as she replied honestly with a tinge of doubt in her tone.
Sid noticed her voice shook but did not comment on it. He thought she was still shaken by the development of their relationship towards her. Both towards him personally and him and his son. She was probably just as overwhelmed.
Sid turned to his son and gave him a pat in the head.
"You heard your mother."
"Don"t give her anymore troubles. She had a lot on her plate already." There was no way Sid could reprimand him harshly and tell him exactly everything but he prayed his son would understand. Somehow.
Little Louie halted as if contemplating on both their words. It wasn"t long after he nodded his head as he conceded earning a sigh of relief from both Sid and Laurice.
...
Moments pa.s.sed before they were finally able to share a rather late lunch but contentedly occupied a table filled with yet another line of sumptuous dishes. They gobbled down and chatted merrily alongside each other. The three of them rested and played together for a long time afterwards.
...
Currently,
Laurice, who left at around a quarter past the hour of five in the afternoon was now drifting across a ma.s.sive field of farmlands that nestled in the suburbs. She glanced outside the car realizing that she was nearing her destination. A sense of ease however overshadowed her fear of coming all the way here instead.
Tapping on the steering wheel, Laurice was reminded of the man whom she guesses might still be frustrated until now. She playfully smirked.
Sid have already retrieved her car from The Cube even before her departure and prepared her other belongings that might come in handy throughout this "trip". Though it was indeed quite a fit to deal with his excessive taunting just for a simple request, the man helplessly obliged and let her go by herself, but did not allow her to leave just yet without hugs and kisses in exchange. Little Louie received just as much attention and pampering as well. With lots of coaxing and pacifying, she was then led out by the two before she left.
Accompanying the two of them was making Laurice feel oddly complete and blissful. She smiled warmly at herself before focusing on driving.
...
After a couple more minutes, Laurice have finally entered the vicinity of the entire old residence. Her eyes roamed around and gaped at the view unable to conceal her astonishment before darting her attention forward ... towards a familiar figure from across a distance. There, standing still on a concrete pavement, was the silhouette of the person she had long been wanting to see. This was well in fact, a lie.