The mainstay of breakfast was still the freshly toasted bread, fried eggs, and ham. But the ability of the curry dumplings to remain so popular among everyone was uncanny. A plate of seven or eight would immediately be snatched up as soon as they hit the table.
"I never expected you to be such a good cook, Bruce." Martha smiled at Bruce and said, "It's a good thing you didn't inherit that from your dad. You have no idea how much he botched up in the kitchen."
"Not that much. Your mother tends to exaggerate."
Batman, having wolfed down his toast and fried eggs in record speed, stood up. After wiping his mouth, he took off his napkin and placed it back on the table, silently ascending back upstairs.
His movements were soft, devoid of any emotion, yet his departure induced a silence that lasted at least 20 seconds until it was finally broken by Thomas' deliberate cough.
"Eat faster, lads. You need time to digest before the football game."
Martha also finished her meal quickly. After tidying up her place, she stood up, nodding to Thomas before heading upstairs.
She quietly opened the door to Batman's room, he was standing by the table, sorting things out. Martha gently patted his back and said, "You didn't eat enough. Shall I have Alfred bring something more?"
Batman shook his head. After Martha glanced out of the window, she said, "At least come and watch the football game. The kids are all excited. They'll be thrilled if you show up."
"I'll watch from here." Batman turned towards Martha, "After the game, I have to head to the company. I'll have the recent reports sent over to you."
With a sigh of resignation just before she left, Martha rested against the door, shaking her head. Thomas, having changed his clothes, hung his suit jacket on his arm and waited for her at the staircase.
"I know it's not his fault, but I'm still very concerned." Martha confessed as she began descending the staircase, "He doesn't seem happy, Thomas, but what's worst is... he's accustomed to this unhappiness."
"That's his choice." Thomas, seemingly still angry, opted to stomp away down the staircase, hesitated, then added, "Maybe all this is because we can't bear the thought that we've missed out on so much."
Later on, Dick's friends arrived, protecting towards the green lawn of the backyard in droves. The yard was spacious enough for their soccer game.
Competitors included Dick, Jason, and Tim, along with Damian. Damian was much younger than the rest, but he was not an ordinary kid and should not be underestimated.
Those who were older did not join the field game, they became the strategic guides for Jason's team. Bruce was the coach, Thomas acted as the referee, Alfred was in charge of logistics, while Martha was the sole spectator.
But perhaps she wasn't alone after all, Batman stood by his bedroom window on the second floor, quietly observing the game.
In reality, asking children of their age to execute strategies was rather ambitious. They were old enough to have their thoughts, ideas, and judgment intensifying their wilfulness to do things in line with their thinking.
Inadequately matured, they fail to understand the significant impact of teamwork on the game situation. They were under the impression that as long as everyone does their best, victory was near at hand, inevitably provoking complaints against unsuccessful teammates.
Because they had communicated the tactics the night before, initially, they held impressive dominance in the game. From Batman's point of view, the turning point occurred due to incompatible positions of the front and rear players. The players at the rear were untimely in moving, providing the opponents a golden opportunity.
Yet, the kids could only see the superficial aspect, that was, Jason unable to defend against the opponent's flank attack that led to losing the crucial first goal. Eventually, conflicts erupted.
The atmosphere on the field became tensed. To the group of kids, who were friends of Dick and unfamiliar with Jason, it felt like betrayal when Dick sided with Jason.
By halftime, the atmosphere was not merely off but strained. Everyone held their breath in silence as the older Robins, who were seated in the coaching area, could no longer hold back because they could see that the problem did not lie with Jason.
Bruce was the first to approach them, gathering the players. When one of the team members started blaming Jason, he stopped Dick and Jason from retorting and asked that member to finish his say.
When that member began speaking confidently expressing voluminous analysis, Bruce held the others back from filibustering, and Jason was also restrained by Bruce from returning any retort, so one person spoke at a time.
Many people have encountered such a situation. As one keeps talking and the surrounding becomes quiet, doubts creep in about whether they have misspoken.
That kid's enthusiasm gradually dwindled. Bruce then allowed Jason to speak, whilst instructing Dick to stand with his friends. As Jason started to make his case, the others tried to interrupt but were stopped by Dick.
Thus, it was: one person speaking at a time, which left no room for an argument. In the end, they realize that crying over spilled milk in that place would do no good, as they had already lost one point. The key focus was to decide how to level the score.
Again Bruce brought them together, and had the three Robins on the coach's bench give their situation analysis. Here, Dick and Damian played crucial roles; Damian looked like Bruce, and Dick had the Wayne surname. They were playing football in the backyard of the Wayne Family, where even immense anger would get extinguished by the bucket load of cold water.
Soon they finalized a plan, did some player adjustment. The suppressed anger within each of them got vented out on the field, all holding it in, each wanting to prove it wasn't their fault. In the end, they successfully scored two goals, walked away with the match victory.
When the match ended, Batman saw Bruce and Martha approach each other. Martha turned to Bruce with a smile, "Your soccer game is much better than your dad's, more importantly, you understand the kids much better."
"Maybe because I became a dad at a young age, it's fortunate." Bruce said, "I am closer to their age, and so I can better understand their thoughts, because it hasn't been long since I's been their age."
Martha burst out laughing immediately, saying, "I can hardly imagine you getting into an argument over a soccer game. In my memory, you were never easily agitated."
"People tend to change." Lowering his head, Bruce chuckled, "It's the same with children. Jason has a temperament, and that's because he once lived a long, lonely, street life. His rage is his armor and weapon."
"When you lose something, you have to grow more to guard against attacks on your vulnerabilities."
Martha's gaze dimmed slightly. She gently caressed Bruce's face and said, "I am glad that we haven't missed a lot, and I think things are good as they are now."
"Because both of you came back, yes."