"Ahhh, open wide Kotaro." Ami guided the spoon filled with porridge to Kotaro's mouth.
"Ahh!" Kotaro sat in Ami's lap at the table being fed rice porridge.
"Do you like it?" Kotaro slightly nodded his head, chewing the porridge slowly. Ami wiped away the bits of porridge that leaked out his mouth with his eating bib.
Ami scooped another spoonful of porridge and gently blew on the spoon, cooling the porridge. "Ahhh, open wide."
"Ahh."
"Good boy." Ami gently rubbed Kotaro's spiky silky white hair. "Your hair is acting up, I'll have to wash it again soon."
I sat on the opposite end of the table with my spoon in one hand and my bowl of rice porridge untouched, I was lost in my thoughts.
My immeasurable embarrassment from earlier this morning was still freshly stained in my mind but a new and unexpected feeling rose from a dark and unknown place within me. It was similar to the pain one feels after losing to an opponent you underestimated. It was similar to the pain felt when someone towers over all your best achievements with minimal effort. It was envy, no ordinary envy but envy of rage.
How could this small, not fully matured, and sub-species of a human have all of Ami's attention to himself? She fawns over him, smiles when he simply eats her food and rubs his head ever so softly and endearingly.
In all my years in being on this earth, I have never felt such utter defeat, especially to a mere INFANT!! If only my mother had birthed me a few years later, maybe then would I have had a chance for her to fawn over me too. But, all is not lost as he misses a key component; romantic feelings for Ami. Yes! I still have the upper hand. This mere infant is too young to understand the concept of love. His love for Ami is like that of a newborn son to a mother, no more and no less. Kotaro! You may have won the battle but the war is not yet over. This victory will be mine in the end. Mwahahahaha!
"-Zuma! Kazuma!"
"Yes! I'm listening." Ami's call jolted me back to reality.
"Do you not like porridge?" Ami asked, looking a bit disheartened. "I can make something else if you would like?"
"Of course I love porridge!" I answered quickly
"Really? But the spoon hasn't even touched the bowl yet."
"I was so entrapped by your beauty that I had forgotten my hunger even existed."
Ami's cheeks blushed a little in red.
I scooped a spoonful of porridge and quickly placed it in my mouth. I froze for a few seconds, remembering that I hated porridge and it was also cold from me waiting too long.
"It's okay if you don't like it. I'll make another dish." My hesitant reaction made Ami question my appreciation of the food.
"I love it. It's so superbly good!" I turned the bowl of cold porridge to my head and began guzzling down the food. In my misery, I smiled, trying to seem as cheerful as possible for Ami's.
I had a huge smile, masking my disgust. "The rice porridge was delicious."
Kotaro raised his hand, pointing at my face. "Porridge."
Ami hid her mouth giggling. "You have bits of porridge all over your mouth."
Using my hand to feel my face I felt bits of porridge.
"Oh really, I didn't realize."
"Stay still, I'll go and get a napkin." Ami lifted Kotaro from her lap and placed him on the ground to stand. "I'll be right back."
The entire time Ami left us there Kotaro kept staring at me with his black pupil eyes that seemed dead on the inside and a face void of expression. What was he thinking? In all my years I have never met an infant so blank.
A mere thirty seconds had passed by but it felt like an hour. Kotaro kept staring at me or rather staring at my soul. What was he doing? Is he trying to figure me out? Or maybe he doesn't want ME to figure HIM out. Oh! Kotaro, it seems I have underestimated you. You are quite the trickster but I will beat you at your own game.
Walking back to the dining table, Ami had a napkin in hand. "Sorry, that took so long."
"Let me clean you up nicely." Ami gently held me under my chin and softly wiped away the porridge from my face as if I were an infant.
Ami was so close to my face, her soft and smooth hands massaged me ever so comfortably. Her face so close I saw how smooth her pale skin was, I couldn't help but full-on blush. My face turned red while I tried to avoid eye contact out of shyness.
Kotaro raised his tiny baby hand, directing his index finger at my blushing red face. "Cherry!"
Ami turned her head to Kotaro and followed the direction in which he pointed.
"Hehehe!" Ami giggled, barely covering her mouth with her hand and holding the napkin in the other hand.
"Why are you blushing so much?"
Just then I realized they were talking about me.
Feeling awkward and embarrassed, I unconsciously and uselessly scanned the room with my eyes, toying with my ear lobe, fumbling my words while still blushing. "Well… Um… Actually... You were kinda... really close-"
"Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!"
"Excuse me one minute, my phone's ringing. I'll be right back." Ami hastened to find her phone mid-sentence.
As soon as Ami's back was turned, I facepalmed. Dropping my face into my open palms with my elbows on the table. The heavens' sent phone call saved me from embarrassing myself any further.
Kotaro, this child is too dangerous to be left awake. With one word he made me feel so embarrassed in front of Ami. I greatly underestimated his destructive power. Kotaro being a child was no disadvantage to him whatsoever.
I looked over at Kotaro who was still standing at the very same spot Ami left him. He looked back at me, with his ever so sleepy and expressionless eyes.
Once again, he raised his tiny baby hands and pointed out his index finger at me.
"Cherry!" Kotaro smiled a little.
A few veins slowly popped up on my face from the bits of rage that were emerging from interacting with this infant.
"Hehehe!" Kotaro whilst giggling once more pointed at me. "Cherry looks funny."
Now I was visibly annoyed at this infant. In a thoughtless and childish act of revenge I squinted my eyes and stuck my tongue out towards Kotaro to aggravate him like any child back in my day would be.
"Gahaha! Haha!" Kotaro was full of laughter. His laughter was unexpectedly pleasant. His expression of sleepiness and lifelessness would lead you to believe that he could not have such jovial and sweet laughter.
"Thud!"
Kotaro's extravagant and uncontrolled laughter caused him to lose his balance, making him fall on his rear end. His laughter stopped. This time I was sure he was going to cry
Precisely then, I realized if Kotaro cried I would have no way of explaining the situation to Ami. I would undoubtedly look like the bad guy. A bit of distress visited me.
"Hahaha!" Kotaro laughed once more.
"Haah!" I released a sigh of relief with my hand on my chest.
"Hehehe!" I giggled along with Kotaro from just hearing his sweet little laughter. Maybe he wasn't so bad
"Kotaro! Is that you?" Ami reappeared, wearing going-out clothes rather than her earlier pyjamas. She made her way towards Kotaro with an expression of surprise and disbelief.
"Finally, something. Thank God." Ami lifted Kotaro into her arms hugging him deeply.
I sat there a bit confused as to why she would say "Finally, something...". Children usually laugh but Ami made it sound like this was his first time expressing emotions.
"Finally? Why did you say it like it was a strange thing?
Ami held Kotaro lovely in her arms. "He has never shown such strong emotions before in his life."
My eyebrow rose in disbelief.
"Wait, really?! How is that possible?"
"When Kotaro was born he didn't cry, even when the doctor spanked him." Ami, in slow motion, gilded her fingers across Kotaro's little face. "He almost died from suffocation but little Kotaro survived."
"So, has Kotaro always lacked emotions since birth?"
"No, it isn't that he lacks emotion, he just has a hard time expressing it facially or in a big way." Ami gave Kotaro a little kiss on his forehead.
An overwhelming feeling of guilt and shame overcame me at that moment in time. I couldn't describe it or tell why I felt like that but I felt guilty for some reason. Maybe because I just labelled him as being a weird infant.
"Oh no!" Ami put Kotaro back on the ground to stand.
"I almost forgot I need to be somewhere urgently." Ami stepped away from us grabbing her pouch and without hands squeezed her feet into her walking shoes.
"I have some important business to deal with. I'll be right back."
Halfway through the door, Ami inquired of me. "Kazuma, watch over Kotaro until I'm back, please."
"Wait! I'm not very good with children..." I tried to decline but Ami was already through the door. It was too late now.