Part 21

"Hello Emma, I'm sorry for disturbing you on a Sunday.", Tin talked on the phone as she walked in their manor's garden.

"No problemo madam. What's up?"

"Well, I have a request. Can you by any chance know Mr. Luke Roberts phone number?", she asked biting her lips

"Why do you need it? Any problem?", Emma asked from the other line and sounding concern

"There's something I need to discuss", Tin manage to talk Mark on not spilling about her past with Luke in the office. So no one knows what happened in their last meeting but the news that they got the project.

"Ok, I'll try then I'll send you the number", Emma promised

"Thanks Emma", she whispered as she ended their conversation

There's a text that came but it was Frida when she looked it up

Did you saw what that Roberts woman been ranting on social media?

Nope. I'm not really into that. She really doesn't like that platform and her father advised her against it then

She's keeps on hinting about a brawl with an ogre. I freaking hate her!

She smiled at Frida's text. She's lucky to have this small woman as her friend but it's no need waking up that dragon

Don't worry, it's gonna be alright, she replied.

Monday morning, she managed to get a hold on Luke. She called him at the phone provided by Emma that Sunday but he's not answering so she asked for Dianne's number instead. Dianne scheduled a morning meeting in a restaurant near her office.

She was waiting for thirty minutes and was beginning to reconsider when Luke finally walked in the entrance asking for her

Luke grinned the moment he saw her, "So? What is this meeting is all about?", he said while taking a seat. The guy's on grey suit on black slacks, he's favorite get up.

A waitress came to give him the menu and he winked at the girl. She rolled her eyes to that flirtatious gesture

"What?", Luke asked when the waiter took his order

She looked into her ordered coffee and took a strength for it. "Okay, Luke, you won. I let you visit my son"

Grin left his face at her statement. "Visit? Just visit my son, that's not what I want"

"I'm not comfortable about this Luke. Can we make things slow? I'll let you visit my son and then, we can adjust from there"

He thought for a moment with those straight lines of his lips and rubbing palms. "When can I visit? Give me exact details", Luke commanded

"This Saturday"

"Saturday? That long? No", Luke shaking his head and averted his eyes

"You'll meet him on Saturday at the park nearest our place. I can let you play with him the whole day"

"I want him to meet my parents on Saturday", Luke begun talking softly

"You can't just take a little boy to the unknown place full of strangers. He needs to know you more, first.", she defended.

"Okay, I'll compromise but I want to take him in the future", Luke finally agreed

"Thank you", she almost whispered and put a bill on the desk, "Enjoy your meal Mr. Roberts", she said as she left that place

"What will Charlie do if he met his father?", she asked while shutting her eyes

"Hmmm", the girl beside her thought of it. "Only Charlie would know"

"I'm not ready"

"Not ready to share Charlie?", the girl inquired

"I've Charlie for myself for so long. I've used to have all of his affection. Frida, am I that selfish?", she asked

"I'm still not a mother so I'm not in the position to tell you about it. Mother's insight seems different than single ones", Frida reacted.

"I'm afraid to be alone", she confessed, as the rise of the heat conquered her shut eyes. They went into that spa because Frida wanted to destress everything from one of her toxic client. The girl insisted that she needs that too

"You'll never. Try dating. Maybe you'll find Mr. Right this year and you'll marry again", Frida said excitedly. "Then make another Charlie"

She chuckled, "I'm not ready for another date"

"You're always saying that. You need to release things Christine. It's healthy"

"Frida!"

"What? It's scientific fact. Sex released happy hormones, if it's consensual of course", Frida said. "Speaking of, if I'm a guy, I'll fuck that girl in no time"

She quickly opened her eyes on that statement and looked at Frida. The girl's smirking as she nodded towards another direction.

"Oh shucks Frida, she's your friend. That's awkward!"

"What's awkward?", Jb asked as she walked beside them and propped on the bench

"I told Tin…."

"Frida!"

"What! I'm saying is, J, ever had an experience with a girl?", Frida asked the newly arrived woman on a towel

"No, not even a man. Why is it me again?", Jb replied strongly. "Don't worry, I'm not interested in any of you two"

"Well, you seems a siren on that towel care to take that off for curiousity purposes?", Frida said smiling seductively on her own towel while scooting towards the other girl and hugging her

"O fudge, you're weird. Find a boyfriend right now!", Jb said wincing and she laugh at the two

"This spa is not a good idea", she said laughing

"I believe so", Jb agreed

"Frida's been talking about release before you come in for happy hormones"

"O fudge, Frida. You're brains too fried. It's all because of what you're doing with your hair. Take your hands off me!", Jb said swatting the presistent girl.

"I rather go to the gym for happy hormone fix", she joined

"I'm saying to Tin to find another man. She's afraid Charlie would leave her"

Jb looked at her, "Honestly, Charlie would leave you when he grows old. Give him another decade and you'll see, he will go looking for another girl to kiss and to hug"

"While you're on a swinging chair with bunch of cats on your lap. Just what will happen to J", Frida joked

"Single blessedness is a gift too you know", Jb defended while sliding her head. "But of course that kind of face", Jb said pointing at her, "Damn, I'll cut my hand if you'll never find a man again"

"For release?", Frida said again laughing

"Frida, you're a sex addict. You need help!"

"I'm just joking J! But seriously, put those lady parts of you two on the market! Somebody should splurge on that!"

"Psychology 101. Sex is about control. Why would I need it if I can control at one glare?" Jb said. "Plus herpes and all? Thank you very much"

"I'll find somebody who will teach you otherwise, how about that?"

"No!", Jb yelled on Frida's offer

"Someday you'll find a person who can't be controlled by that glare", she assured

"And you will resort to sex when that happened so you need to practice now", Frida joked

"Then before you knew it, you're enjoying it!", she joked too

"Tin enjoyed sex when she created Charlie", Frida awkwardly shared

"Frida!", she said laughing. She's thankful, she got those girls to forget her life complications

He was at that park before eight a.m, excited. He can finally hold his son's hand and talk to him like fathers do. Christine came five minutes before eight with Charlie on her side. The boy is skipping and seems excited as he pinpointed an airplane that flew from above. Christine looked at the direction of the airplane smiling. Smiling without inhibition just the ways she is seven years ago

Her smiling lips changed to straight line when her eyes finally landed him and she tugged the kid softly to walk towards them

She stared at him for awhile the moment they met and she squatted in front of the kid, "Charlie, remember your question about your friend Elize?"

The kid stop to think about it, "you mean their colors?"

She smiled, "Yes, you asked me why my eyes was grey and you have blue."

The boy nodded curiously, "then Uncle Carl's green?"

"I told you I'll explain it to you later right?", Tin asked again and the boy nodded again

"Well, you see, the color of your eyes came from your father. You both have color blue"

The kid looked past her shoulder to him, probably knowing where the conversation will go. Christine glanced at him and stared again to the little boy, "You mean a big man like uncle Carl?"

"Yes, but uncle Carl is my brother." Chistine informed touching her chest, "You want to know who's your father?"

The boy looked at him again, "Are you my father?"

He squatted at the paved floor to level his eyes to the boy, "Yes I am, baby"

"I'm not a baby"

"Oh I forgot, you're a little boy. Can you give your dad a hug", Luke said opening his arms.

Charlie looked at Christine first, waiting for approval and she nodded smiling. The little boy walked towards him and hugged. He lifted his little boy and drunk at his baby like smell. He thought he never felt that love he felt ever before

They talked and laughed at the park as Christine looked at a distant bench. Charlie entertained him with various childhood adventures and consequent questions

"Why are you not together at one house?", Charlie asked, "Elize parents live at one house"

He thought of an appropriate answer for a four year old boy, "there's something that daddy needs to do, that is why"

Charlie tilted his head, "when are you going to finish?"

He looked at Tin from the distance and smiled at his son, "Someday I will, someday"

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No need waking up the dragon were those last words uttered in The Foreigner, a Jackie Chan movie