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Relief washed over me like a warm wave, melting away the ice-cold grip of fear. Tears welled up in my eyes as I embraced him, holding him close as if to make sure he was real. His innocent smile, untouched by the worries that had consumed me, was a beacon of hope.
In that moment, all the fear and anxiety vanished, replaced by overwhelming joy and gratitude.
I could see that he was worrisome and the smile he had on his face wasn’t as wide as it usually was. I was done worrying about him being missing, maybe I should be worried about what was troubling my little boy.
“Hey, son. Are you okay?” I held him by his arms and looked into his eyes. Something was eating him up. It wasn’t like him to worry.
“Talk to me, son.” I urged him.
“It’s Olivia.” He said slowly like he was going to cry.
I was shocked. I left Olivia on the ranch. Did she beat me here to cause harm to my son? I was sure she was sweet to him, but what could be wrong?
So, I asked, “Olivia?”
Michael nodded and wiped his eyes.
“What about her?” I asked for further explanation.
“I miss her!” He said and then buried his face in between his legs. “Where is she?” He asked.
Everything that transpired between me and Olivia the previous day and before I left the ranch came back like a rushing wind. The hurt pierced deep again but this time, it was even deeper because my son was involved.
Did I just destroy a world where my son could be happy because of selfish reasons? What do I tell this boy to raise his spirit? I didn’t want to lie to him or give him false hope that would later break him even harder.
“You want to see Olivia?” I asked like I didn’t just hear him.
“Yes. Daddy!” His response didn’t waver.
I hugged and held him tight. I heard him sniff like he was crying, even if I knew he wasn’t.
“Don’t worry, son. You’ll see Olivia when the time is right, okay?” I gave him a glimpse of hope. “We meet and lose people. That attachment and hurt are part of life.” This lesson, I was sure he didn’t understand, but I was also sure life would teach him in time.
“Do you understand me?”
I wondered about the kind of bond Olivia shared with my son. A bond even his mother didn’t have with him. I was caught up in feelings. Happy that he found someone he likes and can relate to, but sad that I might have ruined that chance.
“Yes, Dad!” He responded.
“Now, give me a smile.” I leaned him back to see his face. He smiled and I carried him up. “That’s my boy. Now, let's go inside.It’s too cold out here.” I put him over my shoulder and started jogging towards the house.
Michael was laughing all the way. Seeing him happy made me happy. We ended up playing video games together. As usual, I let him beat me to boost his ego.
I enjoyed hearing him scream “I won!” and watching him do his victory dance. It was such a sight to behold. I laughed hard and pretended to be pained that he beat me. He would get even happier that he beat me in the game when he saw me pretend to cry.
We were having fun when my phone rang. Who could it be at this very moment? I stood up, excused my son, and got the phone. It was Aunt Nelly. My heart raced as soon as I saw her call. Something must’ve gone wrong with Olivia, I thought.
“Hey, Aunt Nelly.” I sculpted a good smile to go with my happy tone.
“Hello, Ben.” Her tone was rather low. I could tell something was wrong.
“Aunt Nelly? Are you okay? Is anything the matter? You don’t sound very okay.” I asked.
“I should be asking you these questions.” She said.
I got a grip on myself. Why was she sounding like that? Not rude, but like she was sure I’d done something bad. Maybe I have, but I didn’t think Olivia would tell her what had transpired between us.
I summoned the courage to ask, “How do you mean?”
