Chapter 11

I. Daddy of Five (Seven)

I think that they have already accepted Zelda and her two kids. Or probably not yet but I am very optimistic that they will. They are smart kids and critical thinkers just like their dad.

Copper, on the other hand, can be stubborn sometimes but I am pretty sure he will eventually come to term and will soon realize that what I did is for their own good. They need someone to take care of them. Someone that they can call Mommy. Someone that will look after them when I am gone. Passed away. Or something like that. Maybe I am just being paranoid to think this way. Overthinking as I always do. You can laugh but hey, we are all going to die someday, aren't we? All humans die. I am a human being too. Therefore I am subjected to die as well. There is no exception. That is a sad reality that we should accept and embrace, even if just temporarily and half-heartedly, just to keep our sanity intact. We must at least pretend that we do until the teeth of that very reality bites us square in the face.

I don't know. I just have this weird gut feeling that something bad is about to happen to me. And that it is going to happen soon. My time has come.

I am doomed.

And so is this island. And every living thing upon it. All will perish and-

Ah, nevermind. Like I say, just a gut feeling. A very morbid one. And scientists shouldn't trust their gut feelings. That is a big no in the scientific world. There is no place for that especially when you are the one being paid to do it. When putting on the lab coat, we scientists should leave our subjective opinions and personal beliefs outside the laboratory door. And I truly agree, but with a little reservations, of course. I already did something to ease my mind about this recurring strange gut-feeling. One of them is Zelda. She can be a good legal guardian to my kids. I believe she will. Thank God. Alhamdulillah.

The other one is inside my laboratory. My greatest invention yet. And it is almost finished. Just a matter of hours only. It is about to fire up and ready to fly.

And wait, did I tell you that there are other ones? They are already finished and ready to use. But not yet. Not until my greatest invention is finished and ready to serve the kids first.

As I am saying a while ago, I loved their mom and she will always be in my heart. I really do. If only I can go back to that fateful night before the accident three years ago, if only I can do that and prevent that dreadful event from happening I will but I cannot. That is humanly impossible. Or at least for now. Creating a very sophisticated device like H.G. Wells' time machine is still an impossibility. Still beyond anyone's reach and grasp.

Science is still searching for the answers.

If only I can do it. Make it possible. Realize it.

But not all wishes and dreams, no matter how glorious or how selfless our intention is, can be achieved nor granted. That is not how real life works. Life is about dealing with reality not wishful thinking and fantasy. I should live with that fact. And it is time to move on. No more grieving. No more regretting. Past is past. It is time to look forward to a brighter future and a whole new beginning. Together with Zelda and my kids and my other kids, Beulah and Eddie.

They are the only family that I got.

I suddenly remember the things that are inside my laboratory. My greatest inventions. A smile curves my lips. I am one hundred percent sure that Zelda and the kids will surely love them when they find out that I just created things that will surely revolutionize society's concept and deep understanding of quantum mechanics and nanotechnology. The whole of Scientific Community will surely flock around my inventions the same way territorial bees would circle around their heavily guarded beehives.

They think it is impossible? Far-fetched? Well, as it turns out, not anymore. They will surely have another thinking coming up. Tomorrow, when I got back from the Academic Conference in Geneva, I will show it to the kids. They must see it first before the world. Blood first, water later.

Oh, how I love surprises! If they find out my other secrets, they will be shaken. Devastated rather. And they may hate me because of it. But- But they must know. They should know.

No more pretending. No more hiding. Enough is enough.

I notice the defeaning silence around the table. My kids rarely talk. They just keep on eating while throwing meaningful glances at each other. They seem listless and out of proportion. And I can't really blame them. Zelda, meanwhile, is looking at me in a stern way, as if waiting for me to say something, to break the awkward silence permeating the entire dining hall. That is completely understandable. They are still strangers to each other. I am fully aware of that.

All is jake.

I come up with a very silly joke.

Everybody start laughing.

II. The Jesus Boy

As we take our abundant lunch I can't help but to throw occasional glances at the lady sitting beside Dad. She seems like a nice lady. Well, I'll be honest, Mommy Zelda's outside looks deeply oppose Dad's description of her. She seems strict and stern like our Geometry teacher Mrs. Velasco. But that remains to be seen, I guess. I shouldn't judge her negatively just because of her outside looks. That's so wrong. Papa Jesus taught his followers to not judge other people 'lest we'll be judged. And I completely agree with Him. I'll give Mommy Zelda a chance. That's the least I can do to be a good son.

I truly want to have a new mom. Everytime I see other kids with their dad and mom as they go strolling along the park, laughing and just enjoying the company of each other, I always feel nostalgic and envous. And I know it is one of the deadly sins. But I can't help it. I suppose it is perfectly normal for me to feel this way because I love Mom. And I really miss her so much.

I bet some of you might be wondering as to why I want to have a new mom despite the fact the I just said earlier that I miss my Mom. Well, it's because I completely agree with Dad. We need someone to look after us; someone that will really look after us while he's gone. Above all, having a new mom in the household will surely fill in this alleged vacuum and gap infesting my heart since our mom passed away three years ago. I can pretend that we are still complete: Dad, Mom, and my siblings. I know I can pretend. The heart cannot be fooled, yes, but the mind, for all practical purposes, can be persuaded.

It is already a long time since she passed away but her memories with us still remain. It seems only yesterday. I can still remember the time when we visited the famous Manila Zoo, swam in Boracay Beach, climbed the Chocolate Hills, and rode those gut-wrenching rides at Enchanted Kingdom, and other famous tourist spots here in the Philippines and other places outside the country as well: Niagara Falls, Eiffel tower, Stonehenge, Great Pyramid of Giza, Disneyland, Maldives, Great Barrier Reef, Statue of Liberty, Great Wall of China, Hanging Garden of Babylon, Empire State Building, Golden Gate Bridge, Grand Canyon, Taj Mahal, White House, London Bridge, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Mount Everest, Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Fuji, Smithsonian Institute, and many other places. We all have gone there and I was very happy. We have travelled around the world. Dad, Mom, Hawk, Tesla, Copper, Leo and me. I thought that would never end. I thought we can stay that way forever. Together.

But I was younger in those days.

A child that used to believe in fairtales.

Not anymore.

I am already fourteen and I know better now.

Nothing lasts forever.

Nothing is permanent in this world.

God, I truly miss my mom. I really miss her. But she's gone. Never to be seen again in this world. I know it. We all know it. That's a fact.

But only the material body dies.

I know that somehow, Mom is still with us.

Around us.

Everywhere.

First Law of Thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created nor destroyed. We are all made of energy. Therefore, Mom is still here.

Only less organized.

Her material body dies but her spirit lives on.

And I believe that.

I have faith.

Mom is with Papa Jesus and all the angels and saints in Heaven. And I know that she is happy knowing full well that we will gonna have a new mom from now on. A new mom that will guide us and take good care of us until we are old enough to take care of ourselves.

And I am so grateful for that.

Thanks, Papa Jesus, for giving us Mommy Zelda.

Miracle is real.

III. Pizzaface

Dad is being selfish again and I don't like it.

I don't like this woman Zelda. She seems fake. With her dark clothing and pale face, pointy nose and all, she can pass the criteria of being the Wicked Witch of the North. No contest about that. Hollywood will surely love hiring her for a horror film.

No one can replace our Mom. No one. Ever! Her memories are enough to last us a lifetime. No need to replace her with this mean-looking woman who even had the nerve and guts to eat with us as if she is already a part of the family!

What is Dad thinking, anyway? We're not toddlers anymore, are we? We're already big boys. We can take care of ourselves. No need for a silly nanny to look after us, spying on our every move. Our paranoid droids are enough. This mansion is already crowded without this Zelda and her own kids trespassing in. I wish Dad will come to his senses before it is all too late. He is making a very bad mistake!

I'm about to poke my silver fork on a file of hotdogs in a plate nearby when all of a sudden another silver fork zoom its way down to my intended target. I gasp. I look up. A greasy big mouth is grinning antagonistically at me. It is Eddie!

"Asshole," the fat boy sullenly murmurs, almost inaudibly. He then gobbles up the whole hotdog and starts biting and munching rapaciously in the very same manner that a convict that is officially sentenced to die in the electric chair might eat his very last meal. I grimace.

I don't like this fatboy Eddie too. Really! What kind of name is Eddie, by the way? It's so stupid and corny. They should have named him Blob, instead. Yeah, Blob will do just fine because that's what he is. He is a Blob. He looks like the sort of thing that will eat just about anything its hands grab on to. Even innocent people. Maybe he is a cannibal? Who knows? How jocular! Can't believe the Sphinx just let this blob inside. I should watch my back from now on. Can't really be too complacent for my own safety with this thing roaming freely around the house.

And this girl, Beulah! God, she is a creep. Yeah, she is pretty, I admit, but still a creep. She is a pretty girl outside but a crazy monster inside. She is bad news. She looks like a merciless troublemaker just like her bloated brother.

How jocular!

She just tried to kill me awhile ago with my own coat! She choked me while laughing like a crazy witch. How is that for a starter? She is dangerous. I really should watch my back from now on. I like her but I don't like her. Now that I saw her true color. I don't like her. I will never like her. Ever.

And that's a promise.

Beulah catches me staring at her. She drops her hand holding the spoon and stares back at me. She starts laughing while still staring at me.

Then she winks at me.

Whatta creep! She is so scary and weird. How jocular! What's wrong with that girl, anyway? Why is she doing this?

I quickly drop my gaze. I can feel my head swelling. I hate being caught in the act. That girl is making me feel restless and nervous. She is really creepy.

IV. The Boy with the Iron Fist

Dad loves surprises. We all know that. What if it is already a glaring clue that we somehow missed? Maybe dad is just pranking us? Maybe he is just kidding us all along. That we really won't have a new mom and brother and sister. That the lady clad in black and her two good-for-nothing kids, if they are really her kids, may be Dad's paid accomplices to help him fool us into thinking that they will be part of our family now. And that tomorrow Dad will blurt out that he is just pulling our legs. That there really is no marriage to look forward to. No new mom and siblings. 'Got yah, sons! Prank!', Dad may say while grinning or maybe even laughing so hard on his knees that his false teeth fly out from his mouth. Could it be?

I know Dad. But do I really know him? What if somehow he had changed? Or what if I am wrong about him? What if all this time I am misinterpreting him? Reading him wrongly? Looks can be deceiving, after all. Besides, even the way people talk and move could also be deceiving. And misleading.

"What's the matter, Leo? Don't you like the food?" Dad asks me quizzically while pouring red wine into the Black Lady's glass. "Is everything all right, son?"

I nod curtly and start minding the food in front of me. I wonder what Dad might be thinking right now. Maybe he is sensing my scepticism about his story. I'm not sure. I don't know. I can only guess. That's all I can do since I really don't know anything.

I know nothing.

The food smells good.

My stomach grumbles. I lift the silver spoon towards my lips, already anticipating the soury taste of sinigang.

I stop halfway. The spoon trembles a little, almost spilling the content of it. An absolutely dreadful idea hits me hard in the pit of my stomach. A horrible realization that sends shiver down my spine and makes my skin crawls.

What if my food is laced with poison? It is the black lady who cooked our lunch. What if she put poison in the dishes? Laced them with some deadly ingredient? Rat poison? Cynide? Arsenic? Or did she? Or maybe she will kill us unintentionally? Perhaps she mistook the bleaching powder as an ordinary table salt?

Could it be?

I secretly gaze at Dad and then Hawk. There are no foam of white bubbles spurting out from their mouth. They are not convulsing or pitching a fit. Or maybe not yet? Maybe the poison takes time before it manifest in the body of its victim? An hour or two? Three? But are they really poisoned? Must I get my microscope to test the food? Funny and scary. Funny because I am being paranoid again. And scary because I can feel the strong urge to go to my room and grab my microscope and scrutinize the food. I can do that but I won't. They might think I am crazy. No. They will think I am crazy.

I guess I should have faith in this Black Lady. I should trust her the very same way I trust the cook back there at Purvil High; trust that the foods she is serving to us students are entirely clean and safe and not laced with poison, spits, feces, or boogers.

Faith.

Life is a game of luck and faith.

The key to a happy life is to accept we are never actually in control. Masrani of Jurassic World said so. And I can't agree more.

I can't be too careful with a skateboard, after all.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟