fatherly advice

Robert watched as Michael eagerly absorbed the lessons of swordplay, a sense of pride swelling within him. "Look at him, Lily," he said, his voice filled with a mixture of wonder and nostalgia. "He's growing up so fast. Seems like just yesterday he was a little baby in your arms."

Lily nodded, her gaze softening as she observed our interaction. "I know, it's hard to believe how quickly time flies," she replied, a hint of wistfulness in her voice.

Robert continued, a fond smile playing on his lips. "But you know what? He's becoming quite the little warrior, isn't he? Maybe one day he'll be even better with a sword than his old man."

The next day, with Lily occupied watering the plants, Robert seized the opportunity to impart some fatherly wisdom to me. With a mischievous twinkle in his eye, he settled beside me, ready to share his useful yet somewhat inappropriate advice.

"Alright, buddy," he began, his tone conspiratorial, "let me tell you a little secret about winning over the ladies."

I leaned in.

"Now, first things first," Robert continued, his voice lowering to a hushed tone, "you gotta flash them a smile, like this." He demonstrated, his grin wide and charming.

I mimicked his expression, also smiling.

"Then," he went on, "you gotta be a gentleman. Hold doors open, offer compliments, you know, the works."

I nodded earnestly.

"But," he added with a mischievous glint in his eye, "you also gotta have a little bit of mischief in you. Keeps things interesting, you know?"

As Robert imparted his "wisdom," I couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. "Geez, Dad, telling a kid all this? What can I say... but I know all this already, hehe, and much more."

As I entertained the situation, after a while Lily's sudden appearance sent a shiver down my spine. Her expression, a frown and a smile and that was enough to make even Robert break into a cold sweat.

"And after you take them to your bed? Then what, darling?" Lily's voice, dripping with sarcasm, cut through the air like a knife.

Caught red-handed, Robert's confident demeanor faltered, his face turning pale as he scrambled for an explanation.

Lily's smile transformed into a menacing grin as she fixed her gaze on Robert, who now resembled a deer caught in headlights. I couldn't help but stifle a laugh, sensing the impending chaos.

"Darling," Lily's tone was deceptively sweet, "are you teaching our little one how to become Casanova already?"

Robert stammered, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "Lily, it's just... uh, fatherly advice, you know, for when he's older."

Lily's eyes narrowed, and the atmosphere crackled with an intensity that made me inch away. "Fatherly advice, huh?" she said, her voice dangerously low. "I think we need to have a little chat about what's appropriate for our son to learn at his age."

As Lily grabbed Robert by the collar, dragging him away to their room, she shot me a glance and said, "Play with your toys, honey, for a while. Dad and I need to talk."

I nodded, sensing the gravity of the situation, and diverted my attention to the scattered toys on the lawn. Meanwhile, Lily cast a final, pointed look at Robert and remarked, "Looks like Dad won't be getting any toys for a while now due to this."

The door closed behind them.

I burst into laughter, the absurdity of the situation not lost on me. As the muffled sounds of Lily's scolding reached my ears, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for Robert.

"Dad messed up really bad this time. He got scolded by Mom. He won't get to enjoy his...toy time for quite some time, hahaha. I feel bad for him, but he brought this upon himself. Maybe if he is lucky, Mom will go easy on him and let him play his toy once in a while. But I doubt it, since I know her well...."

"I wonder what they are talking about? I hope Mom was not too harsh on Dad. I wanna talk with Dad after this, but...I will just get scolded...I can't wait, I must listen more....", I thought.

As the laughter subsided, I pressed my ear against it, eager to catch snippets of the conversation.

Lily's stern voice pierced through the door. "Robert, you can't just teach him things like that! He's still a child."

Robert's apologetic tone followed, "I know, Lily. It was just meant to be a joke, a bit of fatherly advice. I didn't mean to upset you."

Lily sighed, her frustration evident. "He's at an age where he's like a sponge, absorbing everything. We have to be careful about what we expose him to."

"I get it, Lily. I'll be more mindful," Robert assured.

Sighing, I withdrew from the closed door, recognizing the need to grant my parents some privacy for them to conversate in peace.