Six years later…
In a hospital…
Natasha waited in the queue in front of a billing counter for her turn to pay. She was dazedly staring at the invoice in her hand. The bill was more than half her monthly salary.
Her son had a congenital heart problem and had to rush to the hospital once again. It was his second hospitalization this month. It took him a week to recover this time.
The doctor suggested surgery as soon as possible. If not, his condition would worsen. But Natasha could hardly manage his medications. She had no idea how she would arrange the money for the surgery.
Because of surrogacy, she couldn’t complete her drama major. Her dream of becoming an actress never came true. She wouldn’t have faced this money problem if she had fulfilled her dream. Now she was working as a typist in a small company to feed herself and her son.
She never complained about her misfortune as she thought she would have a happy life with her son. But her cruel destiny didn’t show her mercy. It had so much in store to make her suffer.
A lone tear rolled down her cheek. Natasha was not sure if she would ever be able to see her son healthy.
Tap-Tap-Tap…
"Madam, I have been calling you for so long," the young man on the counter yelled.
"Uh…" Natasha blinked, startled. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't notice the people in front of her had already left.
"Hurry up if you are going to pay the bills," the man continued. "If not, please step aside."
"I am paying." She pushed the bill and her debit card through the hole in the glass wall that separated the counter from the rest of the public.
After a while, the man handed her the payment receipt and said, "You will get the discharge summary soon."
"Thank you." She slipped the receipt into her purse and made her way to the general ward.
She saw her six-year-old son, Jack, playing with his dinosaur stuffed toy on a sickbed. She felt a pang of pain in her heart. Tears pricked at the back of her eyes. But she pulled a smile over her lips as she approached him.
"Boo-Boo-Boo…" She heard him making some buzzing sounds.
Jack dropped the toy on the bed and grinned at her. "Mommy, you are back." His dark green eyes sparkled with joy.
Natasha looked into his eyes in a trance. She had no idea what his father looked like. But his eyes always reminded her of how green and cold his father’s eyes were.
"Hmm." She sat down beside him. "Guess what? The doctor discharged you."
"Wow! I am finally going back home." Jack threw his arms around her neck. "I was getting tired of staying here."
Natasha laughed and wrapped her arms around him. "Then we should have some fun today. What do you say?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah… I want a party. I will invite Tony."
A glimmer of sorrow crossed her face. However, it only lasted for a few seconds. She resumed her smile and said, "We will have the party next time. I want to have fun with you. No Tony, no other friends."
Jack sagged on the bed, hanging his head down. His excitement waned right away.
Natasha felt awful, looking at his glum face. She forced a smile and drew him into her lap. "I promise to throw a party when I get my pay next month. You are welcome to invite Tony and other friends. But today, you and I will have fun. How about we go and eat some pastries?"
A smile gradually appeared on Jack’s face. "Pastries sound yummy," he squealed.
"Isn’t it?" She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. She put him on the bed. "Let me pack the bag." She pulled a duffle bag from beneath the bed and stuffed his belongings inside.
In the meantime, a nurse came over and handed her the discharge summary. "You are now free to leave."
"Thank you, sister." Natasha thanked her with a smile.
"You are welcome." The nurse left after waving goodbye to Jake.
Natasha finally finished packing and zipped the bag up. "Let’s get out of here." She walked out with his tiny hand in hers.
Several minutes later…
They arrived at a small bakery not far from the hospital. Jack came to a halt and looked at the other side of the road.
Natasha also stopped on the track and looked down at him. Her amber eyes narrowed as she pondered what he was looking at.
"What is the matter?" she asked.
"You always bring me here. Why don’t we go to that shop?" Jack pointed to the other side of the road.
Natasha looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a luxury bakery. Red lights illuminated the word 'Cake World’.
It was one of the largest and costliest bakeries in the city. A single cake would cost more than her weekly grocery budget.
She blinked in a daze, looking at the shop.
"Mommy. Let’s go there." Jack tugged on her hand.
She pulled her gaze down to him. "I will take you there the next time," she said, mustering a smile.
"You always said that," Jack sulked and added, "but your next time never came." He turned aside, crossing his arms over his chest.
Natasha opened her mouth to say something but paused. She felt awful for not being able to meet his request. She took some time to stare at him. Then she squatted in front of him and stroked his cheek. "I promise I'll get you a cake from there the next time. I didn't bring enough money today to buy a cake. Let's get some pastries here. I saw new flavored pastries in the morning. Don’t you want to try some?"
Jack threw her a sidelong glance, still sulking. "Promise?"
"Pinky promise." She linked her little finger with his.
Only then did Jack smile and say, "Okay. I will have some pastries."
Natasha breathed out a sigh in secret. She smiled as she stood up. "Come on." She held his hand and went into the shop.
Jack's eyes sparkled as he looked at the different kinds of pastries in the glass case on the counter.
"Which one do you like to eat?" Natasha asked.
"That one." He pointed to a rectangular, moist, and fluffy pastry with yellow and white layers and a cherry on top.
"Alright." Natasha held up her hand and called the shop owner. "One pineapple pastry please."
"You want to eat here. Or shall I pack it?"
"I want to eat," Jack chimed in.
"Okay." The shop owner laughed. He put the pastry on a disposable plate and gave it to him.
"Yum, yum…" Jack licked his lips, gaping at the pastry.
Natasha couldn’t help but smile, watching his delight. She led him to one of the tables outside the bakery after paying the bill.
Jack sat on a chair and began to eat.
"Do you like it?" She asked, taking a seat across from him.
"Yeah. It’s tasty. Mm…" He cut off a piece of pastry with a wooden spoon and then extended his hand to her. "Try it."
Natasha ate it. "Mm… It tastes good. Let me feed you." She took the spoon from him and fed him.
Jack grinned gleefully and ate with zeal.
That scene captured the attention of a young boy of Jack's age inside a Rolls Royce parked on the opposite side of the road in front of Cake World. He put his tiny hands against the windowpane and watched them.
However, his expression gradually darkened. His dark green eyes, which usually shone bright, dimmed with sorrow. He found that cheap pastry was delicious and wanted to eat it. He was also envious of the lovely relationship that the boy and his mother shared. He looked away from them, sulking.
"Uh… Your chocolate cake is here." Meanwhile, a young driver in his twenties stepped into the car and put a large cake box on the passenger seat. He grinned at the boy and asked, "Would you like to have some?"
The boy shot him a stern glare, his tiny fists tightly clenched in his lap.
The driver’s smile faded straight away. He remembered his boss's cold green eyes when he looked into his fiery eyes.
‘Like father, like son,’ he murmured to himself. He mustered a smile and said, "No problem. You can eat when we get home." He started the engine and drove off.
The Rolls Royce pulled over in front of a luxurious villa several minutes later. The boy jumped out of the car before the driver could get out and open the door for him. He stomped into the house, his face glum."Master Johnson, watch your steps," the driver cautioned as he pulled out the school bag and the cake box. "You may fall."Johnson hurried in without bothering about his words. He saw his father’s fiancée, Amber, in the hall. His face turned even darker as he muttered in his mind, ‘Bad witch.’"Hey, little wonder." Amber approached him, donning a sweet smile on her face. "You are back from school. Come and sit with me for a while." She stretched her arms wide.Johnson gave her a sidelong gaze and walked up to his room."Oh…" Amber turned around and stared at his back, mouth agape. "What is the matter with him?"She saw the driver coming in. "Why is he so upset?" she asked. "Does anything happen in the school? Do I need to contact his teacher?""I have no idea why his mood has
"When I was young like you, mamma and papa used to take me to Shihai," Natasha said as she walked to the bus stop, holding Jack’s hand. "It is a lovely town in a valley, surrounded by pine trees and away from the city's pollution. I enjoyed visiting there. Uhh…" She sighed deeply. "I haven't been there in years. I am thinking of…"She stopped talking abruptly when she saw Jack staring at something. She followed his gaze and saw nothing but running cars."Are you okay?" she asked, a frown on her face.Jack shifted his attention to her frantically as if he had just come out of his trance. It made Natasha frown even harder."What are you looking at?" she asked.Jack blinked as if puzzled. He then smiled and asked back a question, "Do you like to ride in a car? A luxurious car?"Natasha couldn’t help but laugh. She put her hand under his chin and said, "Of course, I’d like to ride in a car. We will get a car when you grow up and get a good job.""Hmm…" Jack nodded and turned aside.Natash
Jack had been in a sour mood since they returned home. He had not been talking much. He kept himself locked in his room.Natasha wanted to make him happy. She prepared Jack’s favorite chicken noodle soup with a lot of scallions for supper."Yummy soup is ready," she said as she put the bowl of soup on the table. "Come and have it before it gets cold.""…"She cast a sidelong glance at his room and called him, "Jack… I am waiting.""…""Jack…" She turned to his room. "Are you coming?"She walked over there and raised her hand to knock on the door. Her hand froze in the air as she heard him talking. It sounded like he was conversing with someone else. Her eyebrows knitted as she leaned forward and put her ear to the door."Yes… I want specifically that one," she heard him say."Jack…" She knocked on the door."…""What are you doing? Open the door." Natasha pounded on the door harder this time."Coming, mommy."Creak…Jack opened the door after some time. "Yes, mommy." He smiled at her.
When Natasha looked down at herself, she found her black skirt was soiled. There was dirt on her knees as well. Her elbows hurt.She checked her elbows, only to see several scratches. The skin turned red.‘Jack will worry if he sees these.’She brushed the dirt off her skirt and slowly walked ahead to find a public toilet. After looking for a while, she finally found a lavatory and went in.She opened the faucet of the sink and cleaned her elbows first."Hiss…" She winced when the cold water touched her sore skin. After cleaning, she dried her hands with her handkerchief. Then she took two waterproof bandages from her bag and placed one on each of her injured elbows.Bang…She flinched at the loud noise of the door opening and closing. She turned to the entrance frantically and saw a man rushing in. Before she could figure out anything, the man dragged her into a cubicle and closed the door."Shh…" He sealed her mouth with his large palm.Natasha remained affixed to the wall as if she
Daisy came almost an hour later and handed Jack a remote-control monster truck.Jack’s eyes were shining bright as he checked the car. "Thank you, Daisy.""Give me a kiss." Daisy squatted in front of him and pointed at her right cheek.Jack placed a wet kiss on her cheek and hurried to his room.Daisy laughed as she stood up."You always bring such an expensive toy for him every time you come," Natasha grumbled as she came out of the kitchen with a bowl of noodles. "Don’t do it.""I am his mother, too. I have every right to spoil my son." She walked up to the dining table and took her seat on a chair. She sniffed the soup, a smile slipping across her lips. "Mm, smells good." She stuffed some noodles into her mouth with chopsticks. "Hmm… It’s delicious.""Glad to know that you like it." Natasha sat down across from her."I always like whatever you cook."Daisy finished the noodles quickly and burped loudly."Picmotion Production House is looking for a fresh face for their upcoming dram
Amber sat on the bed without moving, staring at the name 'Aurora Home' and thinking about the past.Aurora Home was a home for many orphans. Amber used to be one of them. Sean had often visited the orphanage with his grandmother and had brought lots of toys, clothes, and sweets.She had liked to play with him. There had been someone else who had also accompanied them… A little girl of her age, Erin.Flashback…Sean, Amber, and Erin played hide and seek in the backyard. After playing for a while, they were tired and plopped on the ground, panting, sweat dripping from their cheeks."Do you enjoy locking up inside this boundary?" Sean asked, looking at the tall greyish walls that had once been white around the property. "You have no idea what is outside this.""Mother Marian takes us out once in a while," said Amber."How about we go out and have some ice cream?" Sean asked, sounding excited."Ice cream?" Amber exclaimed, licking her lips, eyes dazzling."No, no…" shouted the five-year-o
The next day…Natasha went to ‘Pixy Media’, a studio of ‘Picmotion Production House’, for an audition for a figurant.The studio seemed luxurious, all carved glasses and steel. Natasha walked in, pushing the heavy glass door. The solid steel handhold of the door was cold enough to numb her fingers. A white sandstone lobby welcomed her. The cold air from the air conditioning made her shudder. She felt the need to hug herself.A young woman behind the solid sandstone desk smiled at her. In her white blouse and black skirt, the woman looked pristine.Natasha, dressed in a brown, long skirt and a plain white top that she had worn several times, was self-conscious before her. She regretted not borrowing a dress from Daisy. She approached her with a smile."Hi, I am here for the audition… for a figurant." She was able to form a sentence without fumbling. She submitted the form.The woman checked the form and said, "Go straight, then turn right and then left, and on the right-side wing you w
When Natasha entered the green room, she was surprised to see Nia. It reminded her of the hooligans who had vandalized Zion Consultant. That caused her to lose her job.Her stomach churned with rage. She clutched the script in her hand, her expression darkening. She wished she could chastise her. Then she thought it was useless to argue with her. She finally got a chance to start her acting career after a long time. She should focus on the audition.Nia was equally astonished to see her. "Natasha… What are you doing here?" She asked, coming over to her.The disdainful look on her face made Natasha extremely annoyed. "I am here to do the same thing you are here to do," she sneered."Audition and you?" Nia scoffed arrogantly. "Well, I hope you will get a side role at the very least. Good luck." She walked away to the other side.Natasha pulled her eyes down to the script in her hands, not bothering about her."Hey... did you hear that the producer is here?" Someone said in a hushed tone