Two years ago…

Watching the eggs cook on a frying pan, Jack stood like a statue while Johnny remains seated at the table, coloring in a page with a red crayon. On Jack’s face, there’s a frown despite the sunny day. For some reason, Johnny’s parents aren’t here at Jack’s parents’ house as usual.

“Papa, I want eggs now!!” Johnny exclaimed, kicking his little legs back and forth. 

“Okay, okay, you’ll have your eggs now..” Jack said in a soft tone, putting the eggs onto Johnny’s clean plate and handing it over to him. 

There’s silence now. The clocks are ticking on the wall, the children are playing outside, and the birds are chirping loudly. Most importantly, Jack’s mother is actually watching him by the entrance of the kitchen. All eyes are strictly on him to make sure he’s doing his “job” well. 

“Tch, no child should refer to another child as their… Father.” She muttered, her eyebrows furrowed together as her arms crossed over her chest. 

Then she speaks her mind, “Johnny, there is no need to refer to my son as your father. You’re not related. You’re just going through a phase at the age of four.” 

After that, Johnny just sat there, innocently looking into her grumpy gaze as he ate his eggs. Jack’s mother sighed, “I haven’t gotten a hold of Johnny’s parents yet. Sit tight, okay?” 

She walked away to the telephone, dialing the same number over and over in the hopes of reaching Johnny’s parents to come pick up the phone during their business trip.