35 - Jack
A few days went by, and before we knew it, Yohan was celebrating his first birthday. Despite the fact that I am still concerned about my connection with Yohan, I am unable to deny the fact that I have already loved him as if he were my own kid. As a father, I did the best I could to spoil him and show him how much I cared for him.
Amy, my other child, was currently with Mom, speaking with Aunt Jonah and Gio. They were on a table that had been set out for Yohan's birthday celebration. Crista had planned the whole thing, telling me once that being a hands-on parent was actually a pleasant experience and she was thoroughly enjoying it. I looked around, seeing different faces - both familiar and strange - all of whom had been invited separately by Crista and me.
"Are your coworkers on their way, Jack?" Crista asked me as she approached me from behind.
I nodded. " Yes, it should take no more than an hour or so. Anyway, there's still time."
I glanced at the time and then cast a quick peek in mom's direction before returning my attention to the clock. Despite the current circumstances, she insisted on continuing to act as a mother to me. I really wanted to go with her, with Amy, but I couldn't do anything. I was powerless to make that happen.
I heaved a sigh as I exited the garden and made my way to the gathering area where the other guests were waiting for me. I was determined to keep my emotions in check.
After some time, I decided to take a break at the garage, and when I was there, I was startled to hear a voice that I recognized.
"Jack?"
I turned to face the source of the voice that had called my name, surprised to see who it was.
"Troy?" I blinked as I spoke back to him and stepped forward as I usually would greet him. During my time at the university, he was a good friend of mine. Although we weren't really close, I did hang out with him on a few occasions, particularly during club activities and drinking sessions with the boys. "How is it going? It has been a long time."
Troy, to my surprise, did not respond to my greeting. I grimaced and was going to inquire as to what the issue was when he abruptly blurted out words that rendered me speechless and rooted to the ground.
"Jack, you need to know something. "It’s about Yohan," Troy stated, his eyes devoid of any trace of humor.
I turned around to look at the garden where Crista and our child were standing. They were really busy snapping photographs with the other guests.
With little hesitation, I turned to see Troy staring back at me and asked, "What is it?" I couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that something horrible was going to happen, but at the same time, I knew that whatever it was, I needed to know it and hear it as soon as possible.
Troy looked at me with a serious expression. "Jack–”
Even before Troy could finish his sentence, the other catering crew we had requested earlier came. I turned to Troy and sighed, saying, "You know what, you should come in first. Perhaps we can discuss it after this event."
"I won't be around for too long." Once we were inside the house, Troy insisted, "I just came to tell you what you need to know."
My mind was racing with questions. It gave the impression that what he was trying to discuss was something too important, too much for him to show up in person rather than get in touch with me via phone or message. He was also residing abroad, from what I've heard. To think that he came all the way here himself and drove straight to our house to convey the message…
"Jack, I'm Yohan's real father," Troy stated.
I looked at him with a blank expression and asked, "What?"
After taking a few heavy breaths, Troy spoke out and declared, "I'm Jack's biological father. Crista is aware of this as well. The only reason she said you were Yohan's father was because she is too infatuated with you. We were both aware, though, that I am the father. To tell the truth, all of Crista's close friends are aware of this as well..."
Troy went into detail about what had transpired at the time. According to him, when Crista was chasing me, she tried to forget about me by sleeping with Troy. They went on to develop a sexual relationship and have a number of sexual encounters together. When Crista became pregnant, Troy was the first to find out about it. However, Crista insisted on seeing me first, so she accompanied me to the resort where my mother and I were staying. Crista was already pregnant at the time. She was already carrying Yohan before something happened between us…
When I heard that, my heart fell to my stomach. Everything made perfect sense now. It was indeed too much of a "coincidence" – everything that transpired in that resort, that night, from the minute I got drunk to when I woke up with her on that bed.
It was impossible for me to ignore the chill that spread over my entire body. I rubbed my face and focused on containing the rage that was building up inside of me.
As Troy departed, I was informed that he would need to talk with Crista and Yohan's parents before he could assume care of both of them. I was so shocked that I couldn't even say goodbye to him or watch him leave because I couldn't move.
Suddenly, I realized that the entire time, I had been deceived from the very beginning. I couldn't think straight. It felt like everything was going spiral and I would soon lose it.
I was sitting in the living room, trying to bring my feelings under control when all of a sudden, I heard a voice out in the distance.
“Aki?”
The rapid beating in my chest stopped almost immediately. “Mom.”
I got to my feet, walked up to my mom, and then wrapped my arms around her tightly. I broke down.
"Aki? What's wrong?" Mom asked with a gentle and cautious tone of voice. Even I was at a loss for words to describe how I was feeling. Inside of me, everything was rumbling and churning like a volcano. Anger, grief, despair, relief, excitement… I was really confused about what emotions to feel at that moment.
I felt the comforting caresses of a mother just when I was on the verge of completely losing myself. The warm and loving touch that said, "It's okay. It's okay. I got you."
Even as I tightened my grip on her, my whole body shook. We remained in one other's embraces for a time, not speaking a word while mom merely mumbled kind and comforting words to my ears as if to help me calm down. In return, she let me cling to her, like a child. At that time, I no longer cared about anything else.
I broke apart from our embrace and looked mom straight in the eyes. 'Mom,' I whispered to her quietly.
When my mother looked back at me, she had a warm expression on her face and asked, "Hmm? What is it?" I was going through a difficult time, and it seemed as if she could tell just by looking at me. And she was letting me know that she was there, and that she wasn't going anywhere, just staying by my side and waiting for me to call her and speak with her whenever I was ready.
"I love you," I told her. Simple, direct, and full of truth.
In this world full of lies, she was my truth, my only light and warmth.
I love mom, and I'm sure she feels the same way about me. Regardless of what others may think or say, my heart only belongs to her. And now that I've made these findings that may be able to set me free from this wretched, awful setup... It was impossible for me to contain the joy that filled my heart. I felt deceived and my blood still boiled when I thought about it but this woman in front of me made it all feel better. That I had to be with her – finally – was something I couldn’t forget.
I felt twisted. Maybe I was twisted. But it made me happy nonetheless.
My mother wrapped her hands around my shoulders and gently stroked my face as she mumbled, "I love you too."
As I gazed lovingly at her, a smile formed on my face, and the tears in my eyes began to clear. Having her in my life was something I craved. I yearned to be with them - mom and our daughter Amy. I wanted our family to be whole and happy with the three of us together.
Feeling the warmth spread through my chest, I leaned in and was about to claim her lips when a voice suddenly came from behind.
"Jack? Mom?"
It was Crista.