"Junior," Kyle continued patiently, still not letting go while the shivering boy was hollering, "Adults can make mistakes, too. Even your mother. She is only human."
"No, no, no, no," Junior continued wailing.
Kyle stopped hugging him and looked at him in the eye, "Even though I am not your father, it does not mean I will go away."
Junior suddenly stopped wailing, but his chest was still heaving from the outburst earlier. With gasping breaths similar to hiccups, he asked, "Wh-wha .. do … *hiccup* … mean?"
"I am not your father," Kyle emphasized, "But I do not mind taking on the role as a father figure for a while."
Still gasping, his breath uneven, Junior wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeves. Kyle stopped that and started wiping Junior's face while saying, "Not so hard. You can spoil your eyes that way."
"I .. I … dun … understand," Junior said, tears falling down again. At least he wasn't wailing uncontrollably like before.
