Dad

Robbie and I jumped out of the car and rushed through the stairs to Sam's apartment. I anxiously rang the bell while Robbie stood beside me, looking very pale. The door was opened almost immediately, making us come face to face with Sam. I held his shoulder and almost yelled in a trembling voice,

"Sam, my Tw-"

"He is fine," Sam replied with a soothing hand on my arms.

He looked at Robbie and greeted him rather stiffly. I was not in the right mind to see their exchange and interrupted them with an urgent tone,

"B-But you said you couldn-"

"I found him but-"

My heart which was about to calm down, began to race again, "But what?"

"I think you should come in and speak to him yourself. Uhmm Mr. Walker, I think you should as well," Sam spoke in a curt tone and gave a strange look towards Robbie.

Though I found it weird that he invited Robbie in, I wanted to meet Twen first, so I paid no heed. I barged in, looking a little dishevelled, and saw Twen sitting with Jenny looking lost in thoughts. He had a few scratches and cuts on his face, but otherwise, he looked fine. I hurried to him and took him in my arms, almost crying, I asked,

"Twen, where were you? Why did you run off? Have I not told you to wait by the school gate if Sam is late?" I pulled back and looked at his face. Seeing the scratches and cuts, I asked in a worried voice, "A-And what are these cuts? Did someone hurt you?"

Twen looked at me, blinking blankly, before looking behind me towards Robbie and Sam. I was about to ask what had happened when he suddenly asked me in a strange tone,

"Mommy, who is my dad?"

My mouth fell open in slight shock. This was the first time since his kindergarten that he asked me this question. I looked at Jenny, who was avoiding my eyes, and then looked back at Robbie, who had the same expression as me. I looked at Twen and saw him quietly staring at me.

Why was Twen suddenly asking me such a question? All these years, he had never asked me about Robbie. So, why now?

My voice trembled as I asked, "Wh-why do you want to know your dad?"

"Is it true that you do not want me and dad to meet?" Twen answered my question with another surprising question.

"Twen, what are you-"

"Mommy, is it really true? Did dad always want to meet me, and you did not let him?" Twen's voice was breaking as he asked me.

"NO!"

Robbie answered. Twen's eyes shifted from me towards Robbie. After a minute of staring at him, his wide questioning eyes suddenly narrowed,

"You- aren't you the one who made Mommy cry?"

Robbie's expression immediately became rigid, and he couldn't answer. I looked at Sam, not sure what was going on. Sam nodded before gesturing to Jenny. Jenny gave a slight nod and took Twen away. Twen was extremely reluctant to leave. He clearly wanted the answers to his questions. I got up, feeling my stomach squeezing. I wondered what suddenly sparked the curiosity in Twen. How come in a matter of few hours, Twen developed an interest in his dad? Was it someone from the school?

Robbie and I took seats on the sofa as Sam went to prepare some drinks. I recalled the events that took place this afternoon, wondering how such a turn took place.

Robbie and I had finished our lunch and were talking to Fred. Fred handed me running shoes for Twen, saying that they promised to compete this weekend. He wanted Twen to get used to the shoes and was looking forward to spending the weekend with Twen. I was also very happy to learn about it and thought it might be a good opportunity for Twen to get over his insecurities.

However, when I looked at Robbie, I felt a slight pang of guilt. He had a sour expression on his face tinged with longing. I had forbidden him to meet Twen as I did not see the change I wanted to, in Robbie. I was also worried that Twen would learn his true identity and might not be mentally prepared for it. I could see that Robbie was really trying, and yet he has not met Twen even once. Even if he wanted to, his overwhelming schedule was not allowing him. I made a mental note that next month I will make an appointment so that Twen can formally meet him.

However, before I could finish making a mental note, I suddenly got a call from Sam. He sounded extremely anxious, asking me if I picked Twen up. I had not, so I instantly got anxious about Twen's whereabouts. Sam told me that he would ask the school guard and look around before disconnecting the call. Both Robbie and Fred heard our conversation. Robbie's face lost all color while Fred's eyes widened in concern. Both of them wanted to come, but I stopped Fred as he was in the middle of his work. I told him that if there is a need, I will call him. While Robbie did not wait for me to stop him, instead, he held my hand and walked right out of the restaurant to the car parking area.

Clink!

Sam placed two glasses of pomegranate juice before us and took his seat. He made tea for himself. After a long pause, Sam finally said,

"The chairman visited the school today and met Twen."

The glass in Robbie's hand slipped, breaking into several pieces while my entire body went cold and numb.

Does the Chairman know about Twen?

I caught a glimpse of Robbie, whose perfect features were so distorted that it looked as if he had just witnessed a horrifying murder. He exclaimed in utter shock, "Dad met Twen!!"

To my surprise, Sam, who had donned a stiff and gloomy attitude towards Robbie, showed clear astonishment on his face. He asked in a somewhat dubious tone,

"Mr. Walker, were you not aware that the Chairman knows about the relationship between you and Tony?"

Robbie's expression was enough to tell that he had no idea. My breathing got short as I understood why Twen had a sudden change. I asked in a hurry,

"What conversation did Twen and Mr. Walker have?"

"I am just as clueless as you are. When I found Twen, the chairman was leaving. After I picked him up, he asked me if I knew his dad. In the 4 years that I have known Twen, he never spoke of his dad, so I was unpleasantly surprised," Sam ended with a sigh.

"How could dad know?" Robbie mumbled beside me. He looked at me and spoke as if answering his own question, "Could it be the rumors?"

I put my head in both my hands, my mind in turmoil. Manipulating and brainwashing kids is easy. I am not sure what conversation the chairman had with Twen, but from his questions, I was sure it was nothing good. Robbie, who still seemed flustered, became more and more serious. Sam spoke again,

"Mr. Walker, I advise you to take the issue seriously. You are Twen's dad, and your interest in Tony might have been the reason for today's incident. If you wish for the Chairman to not cause any problems for Tony and your son, you have to take responsibility for both of them."

Robbie slowly looked up at him and his lips trembled as he opened his mouth to speak when a high-pitched curious tone interrupted,

"Are you my dad?"