"Where are we exactly heading, dad?" Greyson asked in the middle of the ride. Being this close with Garren again is enough to make me anxious. So I'm here in my seat and trying my best to make the slightest gestures. Gladly, Greyson is here to ease the tension in the air. "Picnic Grove. It's an hour ride from here," Garren answered. "You'll have a lot of fun there." The depressing silence returned as Greyson went back to playing with his iPad. "Have you ever been to a picnic before?" Garren blurted out all of a sudden. See? This is what I'm talking about. He initiates conversation with me, something that he stopped doing. "My parents brought me and my brother to a picnic before." I still responded because I don't want to appear snobbish. "What do you guys do when you're there?" "It's nothing fancy. We eat the foods that my mother cooks and then talk about some random things." A smile made its way on my lips, reminiscing about those simple yet happy memories—during those
"Dad won once again!" My face contorted as Garren took down my last chess piece. The exasperation I'm feeling heightened when I saw the smug grin plastered on his face. God knows how much I want to tear off that arrogance in his face. After we got tired of ambling around the park, Garren took out some board games that he brought so we could idle away the hours. Greyson has been playing this game for two years now, so he's good at it. But what made me fall for that notion was because he defeated his father. Then the latter challenged me into a game. I also know how to play chess. And since it's been a long time since I played one and I kind of miss it, I took on his challenge. I was confident that I'd be able to defeat him because his son did. But he proved me wrong. Because in the two sets that we played, he defeated me in the most humiliating way possible. I was only able to take down three chess pieces of him from those two games. It turned out that he was just goofing arou
"I'm done!" Greyson cried out, breaking the stillness hovering in the air. When we got tired of kite flying, Garren told us to rest first. Then he brought out coloring materials and three small canvases. He gave them to Greyson and me and told us to paint something. But here's the catch, he asked us to blindfoldedly choose a piece of paper on which each of our names was written. And we have to give our artwork to the person we picked. I prayed not to pick out Garren because I didn't want him to poke fun at my artwork. This is one of my fatal weaknesses. Gladly, the deities heard my prayer, and I picked Greyson's name instead. Although I'm not really proficient in this field, of course I still exerted an effort. I momentarily forget that I'm with these two and focused all my attention on drawing a rose with a backdrop of a sunrise. "I'm done too." I got hustled when Garren announced that. I'm the only one who's not done. It calmed my nerves. I picked up the pastel blue colo
Garren awakened me when we reached the mansion. I accompanied Greyson to his room and told him to take a bath. I did the same thing and felt relieved when I finally got to take off my damp dress and change into comfy clothes. The night went well. I wasn't at all surprised when Cynthia barged into my room and bombarded me with a bunch of questions about our day. I knew she wouldn't stop nettling me, so I narrated everything. She was grinning like a mad hatter the whole time I was telling the story. But I just ignored her insanity. When morning came, the repetitive sound coming from my alarm woke me up from my slumber. I yawned and pulled myself up. However, a curse fell from my lips as an excruciating pain shot through my head. I can also feel my body burning. I breathed deeply and attempted to stand up, but I ended up falling back to bed. I sneezed, feeling a bit dizzy while rubbing my runny nose. There's also this irritating obstruction in the back of my throat. Damn it. I
"Are you sure you're okay?" I laughed at Greyson's question. He's been asking me that from the moment he woke up until now that we're about to go to school. "I swear, I'm in good shape now." Fortunately, this morning, I felt better and my headache was gone. I still have a runny nose and cough, but it's bearable. I just wore a mask so Greyson won't get infected. "Just focus on your final exam, alright?" I ruffled his hair. Today is the start of their exam week, which means that their recognition day is approaching. I'm pretty sure that this kid will bag a lot of awards. Greyson has been busy for the past few days reviewing in preparation for their finals. I seriously admire his passion to learn. "Now I become nervous again," he grumbled. I chortled. "Don't be. I know you will ace that exam." He nodded. "Fine. But you're really okay?" I tousled his hair. "You're so stubborn. I'm alright, and it's all thanks to you!" Yesterday, when he arrived home, he came to my room and to
The day that Greyson has been waiting for has finally come- his recognition day. The entire mansion is in chaos in preparation for this day. Cynthia told me that this is the first time this has happened because last year when he graduated preschool, his father only gave me a present. But he wants to make a difference today. Hence, all the maids are busy in the kitchen. And after we leave, they will also put up some banners and balloons to surprise Greyson. You read that right, "we." Greyson insisted that I should come with them. "But I want you to be there too. You helped me a lot in my studies and cheered me up whenever I felt discouraged." That's what he told me when I tried to decline because I thought it'd be weird if me, who's merely his nanny, would come with him. His father is there, so I find my presence unnecessary. But when he said those words, my decision changed right away. I was flustered, needless to say. Hearing that from him gave me a sense of gratification.
"Why is the mansion silent?" That was the first question that Greyson asked when we arrived home. We exchanged knowing glances. I saw Garren using his phone a while ago. He must have already notified them about our arrival. "They're probably resting," Xavier answered. The child pouted. He's possibly thinking that the others won't be celebrating with him today. Garren stepped forward and slightly opened the door. He turned to his son and smiled. "Go on, buddy." The latter frowned, but he didn't say anything and just entered the house. "Congratulations!" Greyson was startled as all the maids, led by Claudette, surprised him with a huge congratulatory banner and balloons. He hasn't recovered from that when someone emerged from behind them carrying a cake. The smile on my face dropped, but I quickly put it back because I don't want to spoil the fun and cast a shadow over this celebration. "I'm so proud of you, moonpie! Top of your class. You're without a doubt my grandson,"
Silence hovered between us for a couple of seconds. Nothing could be heard but the silent whisper of the night breeze and the crickets. "Doing what?" Garren asked, breaking the stillness at last. I raised the bracelet he gave. "This. Why are you doing this-" "Didn't I tell you the reasons? It was a token of appreciation. I didn't know you could be this-" "I'm not merely talking about this bracelet, sir." For the first time, I found the courage to cut him off, knowing how much he loathes that. "You're confusing me." I don't know if what I'm doing is right or if I'm digging my own grave. But I can no longer bottle these up. "Everything about you confuses me." His eyes widened a fraction. I know he's as anxious as I am. "Do you seriously think that I didn't notice you'd changed after that day that you brought us to the amusement park? Well, I do. And until now, I still don't know the reason why." I looked at him straight in the eyes. "I didn't confront you because I didn