Chapter 54 I Disagree!!
Gerald turned and approached Jennifer. Jennifer’s hands began to move slowly.
Slowly, Jennifer’s eyes began to move as she opened them.
Gerald panicked and ran, hiding behind the door. Gerald didn’t want Jennifer to see him.
“Daddy? Hey, where’s Daddy? Look, Mommy is awake again! Daddy! Daddy!” Alex called out to Gerald while looking around.
“A-Alex?” Jennifer suddenly called Alex, stopping the little boy from getting off his mommy’s bedside.
“Mommy! Do you want me to help? Do you want a drink, mommy?” Alex tried to offer help when he saw his mommy trying to sit up straight, leaning against the headboard. He took a glass from near the bed and poured water from a jug not far from there.
Jennifer smiled and shook her head slowly, her face still as pale as cotton. But seeing her son’s sincerity, she drank the glass of water Alex offered her.
“No need. Mommy can still sit up. But thank you for the water, I was thirsty.”
“But, Mommy...” Alex approached his mother with a worried look on his face.
“Calm down, Mommy is fine! What are you doing here?” Jennifer asked again.
Alex held his mother’s hand warmly, “I haven’t seen mommy all day since we last talked! So I looked for mommy... and saw... mommy... lying on the bed! Daddy said Mommy fainted and Daddy carried Mommy from the floor to the bed! Mommy, why? Are you okay? Are you sick? Why did Mommy get a fever? The maid here said Mommy hasn’t eaten since this morning. Is that true, Mommy?”
“I’m sorry for making you worry! Mommy didn’t feel like eating today,” said Jennifer, lying a little as she stroked her child’s cheek. “Oh yeah, you said earlier... Gerald carried me to bed?”
“Emm!” Alex nodded.
“Even Daddy asked the doctor to come check on Mommy! Daddy looked really worried about Mommy! Are you guys... fighting? Earlier, Daddy was taking care of Mommy before she woke up... but then... he...” Alex hesitated a little.
“He was here, watching over me, you say? Are you sure? Where is he now?” asked Jennifer, trying to find Gerald. ‘Is he really worried about me? But why? Doesn’t he acknowledge us? Then, what’s all this attention for?’
“Daddy just left! When Mommy opened her eyes!” repeated Alex.
“Really?” Jennifer exhaled heavily, feeling disappointed for some reason. ‘Maybe I was wrong! Gerald really doesn’t care about us! Maybe Alex and me should leave here! Yeah, that's the best thing for the three of us!'
“Alex, did you forget mommy’s message when you went to your room? Did you pack your clothes?” Jennifer asked softly.
“I...” Alex replied hesitantly. He remembered when his mommy came into his room and asked him to tidy up his clothes and put them back in his suitcase because they were planning to leave Gerald’s house soon.
Alex was actually reluctant to leave the house because he had just met his daddy and now he had to part with him again.
Jennifer, who understood her son’s anxiety, gently held his hand. “Mommy knows it must be hard for you to leave your daddy, but... we can’t stay here long! This isn't our place, son! And your daddy might not even be... your biological father! He's just taking pity on us! We can't force ourselves to stay in a place where the person there is only accepting us out of obligation, right?”
Alex lowered his head, then raised his face, tears slowly welling up. “But… Deddy said he’s… my biological father! Did Daddy lie to us, Mommy?”
Jennifer took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “He didn’t mean to lie to us, he just wanted to help us, Alex! But isn’t this unfair to him? Besides, we haven't seen the DNA results yet, have we? All this time, Gerald has said he's your father, but we haven't seen the DNA test results ourselves, have we? If that's the case, aren't we being too harsh on him? It's not fair to Gerald, is it? What if his real biological child comes along? Hm?”
“What's going to happen, Mommy?” asked Alex, still trying to hold back his tears and looking strong even though tears were slowly beginning to fall.
Jennifer hugged Alex and carried him, “We'll be labeled as destroyers of other people's families, Alex! And Mommy won't let anyone insult us! So it's better if we...”
Jennifer hesitated to continue her sentence and instead looked at her son, who was trembling as he held back his tears. Jennifer wiped her tears and hugged him even tighter.
“But I want him to be my Daddy, Mommy! Everyone has a Daddy. Don’t you know why everyone teases me and why I got into a fight yesterday, Mommy?” Alex’s tears began to flow uncontrollably, and he started crying.
“Hic... hic! Why does everyone have a Mommy and Daddy except me? When every child has exciting stories with their father, I don’t have any memories with my father! Even on Father’s Day, I’ve never been accompanied by a father! Or when dropping me off or picking me up from school, there’s no Daddy to accompany me! I only have Mommy who’s always by my side! Why, Mommy? What did I do wrong, Mommy? They say… Mommy is a bad woman because she had a child without… without a husband!” Alex lowered his head, his body trembling as he began to cry.
Jennifer lifted her head, holding back her tears so they wouldn’t fall and she wouldn’t cry.
Jennifer had to be strong for Alex.
Jennifer then loosened her embrace slightly, held both of Alex’s cheeks, and wiped away his tears again.
“You’re not wrong, Alex. Mommy is wrong! But be sure, your mommy isn’t like what they say! You, Grandpa, and Grandma know best how Mommy is! Do you think Mommy is a bad woman?” Jennifer looked at Alex with pity, because she didn’t even know who Alex’s father was, and she couldn’t remember anything from the past that led her to become pregnant and have a child like Alex.
Alex shook his head, “No! Mommy is the best woman and the best mother in the world!”
“Hahaha…you’re good at flattery, Alex! So don’t listen to what they say, okay? By the way, where did you get that sweet-talking talent of yours, huh?!” Jennifer said jokingly to lighten the mood.
“From... Daddy! Oops! I’m sorry, Mom... I...” Alex covered his mouth, realizing he had slipped up and causing his mom’s expression to change slightly.
Jennifer tried to smile, “It’s okay! But from now on, can you help Mommy with one thing?”
Alex frowned but answered enthusiastically, “Of course! If I can, I’ll definitely help Mommy!”
Jennifer smiled proudly at her son before continuing, “Can you stop calling Mr. Williams’ Daddy’ from now on? After all, he might not be your daddy! And once things get better, we’ll leave here, okay? Do you agree, son?”
Alex looked at his mother, searching for something in her sad eyes. ‘It seems like Mommy is much sadder than I am... maybe...’
Alex
He was still daydreaming when he heard a voice from behind him.
“I DON'T AGREE!”