He is your father. Do you remember?".
Kenny and Mathew stare at each other for some time. The long hair of Kenny was tied into a ponytail. With glimmering innocent eyes and a constant freckle movement of his body, Kenny looked at Mathew.
"Papa!".
Mathew gives a wide smile and hugs him.
"He remembers me! Anyway it's only been an year we separated."
Mathew ruffles his long hair and looks at it with a nostalgic eye.
"When I was young, my father would cut my hair whenever he felt they were long. So when I am young I have shorter hair and when I am old, coping with hair loss, I will anyways have short hair. Brilliant stuff."
Angela smiles at this poignant memory of Mathew as she takes off the school bag off Kenny.
"But I think you dont look good in long hair."
Mathew picks up the newspaper kept on the teapoy.
"Anyways it wasn't about looking good. It was about feeling good."
Mathew slides his hand through his hair and passes through a bald spots. He sighs a bit and looks at Kenny, who has run to Angela and has climbed her back. He suddenly begins to remember a time when Kenny used to climb up his back when Angela used to refuse him to do so with him.
He returns back to the present state, where Angela is happily taking him around the dinning table with him on the back.
"I thought you hated it when he climbed up your back."
Angela continues taking a round around the dinning table.
"I still do. But what other option do I have? Hope you would have visited us more often."
A small bell hung from one of the rods of the window, made a tingling sound as a bit of wind rushed in.
"Hope you wouldn't have left me."
Angela stops diametrically opposite to Mathew and puts Kenny down. Kenny dashes into the washroom and bangs the door close.
Mathew continues speaking.
"Sometimes I feel you never loved me."
"Of course! Didn't I take a great decision of having a kid with someone I don't love? And let's be practical. The things I love aren't the only things I have. There are other things. You must be having them too."
Angela goes to the sofa and lies on it. Mathew goes to the nearby chair and sits on it. Angela stares at the wall while Mathew stares at her.
"I thought you were quite adult about it. But here you are, sulking like a kid," said Angela.
Mathew takes an apple from the basket kept on the dining table and begins to spin it in his hand.
"Why do you mean by being 'adult' about it? Don't adults have feelings? The day you told me about leaving me, I behaved nonchalantly. Did you really think I don't feel something? You took away Kenny with you. Who else do I have there?"
Angela turns towards Mathew, still in a sleeping posture.
"Could you have taken care of him? Do you really think his childhood could have been normal? Here he is getting love from each gender."
Mathew slams down the apple on the floor.
"So you replaced me with that shitty lover boy of yours and think that Kenny's getting father love? Some things might seem similar but it doesn't mean they are replaceable."
Angela now gets into a firm sitting upright posture.
"Shitty lover boy? Is that what you think of him?"
"Oh for God's sake! He's a kid. Why did you choose him? He was fair and tall wasn't he? I was getting slower on bed, isn't that the reason?"
"Mind your language. Kenny might be hearing".
"Let him hear. Is that how you are giving him a normal childhood? By hiding things from him?"
"So should I tell him? He will understand everything, won't he?"
A rough flushing sound came from the bathroom and the two suddenly became silent. Kenny comes out of the washroom and slams the door close again.
"Mom, were you calling me?"
Angela tightens her lips and gives a slight annoyed gaze towards Mathew.
"No, Kenny. Washed your hands properly?"
"Yes."
"Then why aren't they wet?"
Kenny looks at the hands and then towards them.
"I wiped them".
"Don't act over smart. Go,
wash your hands."
Kenny hangs his faces and walks to the washroom as if dragging his feet and his whole body to listen to his brain. The two look at each other with unerring silence when the sound of the calling bell kicks in. Mathew sits on the sofa while Angela opens the door.
Angad, Angela's boyfriend comes in.
"Oh, you must be Mathew. Nice to meet you".
He leans his tall body over to Mathew to shake his hands. Mathew leans a bit towards him as well.
"Was I a surprise?"
"You texted Angela, right? She told me."
Mathew looks at Angela while Angad goes to the wash basin, loosening his tie.
"Hope you had no problems coming here, Mr. Mathew."
Mathew looks at Angad gravely and maintains a silence.
'How would I have problems coming here, when here are the problems.'
"I wanted to meet Kenny. It's been an year,so.."
Angad washes his face and his hands with a sanitizer, making a large foam on his hands.
"I told Angela to take Kenny with her and meet you. But she was like you will be fine."
Mathew looks at Angela and slightly nods his head.
"When did you say that?",Angela asks Angad.
"Don't you remember? It was Christmas."
Angela now begins to grind her teeth and closes her fist tightly. She lets out a fake smile.
"Are you sure, Angad?"
Angad turns towards Angela and realises that maybe he shouldn't have let out this information.
"Oh, no, no. I think I told it to someone else."
Angad also gives a fake smile to Mathew.
"It's okay, Angad. You or she don't have to come to me. And I think she's done an excellent job looking after Kenny."
Kenny toddles away to the TV and turns on the cartoon's channel.
"He still sees Shinchan. So refreshing to see some things that don't change", Mathew says and looks at Angela. Angela looks away.
"Angad, are you going back to office?", she asks.
"Yeah, just came here to have a quick brunch. You can microwave yesterday's curry. And bread would be fine."
Angela goes into the kitchen leaving the two men alone by themselves.
"Angad, can we talk for a bit?", Mathew asks.
"Sure", replies Angad and the two head over to the balcony.
The balcony had the view of other neighbouring buildings and a faraway street with jostling vehicles and street vendors.
"I have been having nightmares for months about a person reciting poetry to me and then threatening to kill me. This is something really serious. Even my psychiatrist knows about this."
Angela silently snicks out one bread out of the plastic packet onto a plate.
"So? "
Two breads.
"That person is you, Angad."
The micro wave makes a ting sound and Angela takes out the curry.
"But I don't recite poetry."
Three breads.
As she brings the meal to the dinning table, she hears a shriek. Of someone asking for help and also falling down.