Office Diaries - Chapter 135

“Why don’t you guys sit?” she invited as she ushered the group towards a miraculously vacant table. The group happily followed her, asking about her husband as they sat. “Alvin was kidnapped by my son but he will be back in a while.”

“A son?” one of the friends asked, but there was no malice in their voice and so Jena explained.

“I… I’m a single parent,” she answered, embarrassed for the first time that she came to the marriage as a set, but, of course, she wasn’t embarrassed about her son. Though deep inside, there was a part of her that wished Sam was truly Alvin’s.

“Ah, but is that your son over there?” another friend asked and Jena turned to where he was pointing at.

On the far side of the room, Alvin who was still carrying a sleepy Sammy talked with what appeared to be business acquaintances. Her son had his head on his new dad’s shoulder, facing their way and once again, she was hit by how much the two looked alike.

“Oh my…”

Jena turned to one of Alvin’s friend. The guy’s stare was fixed on Alvin and Sam and Jena got curious. Maybe he’d comment on the resemblance of the man and child too.

“What do you know… It’s King’s love child,” he said finally after staring for a good while and Jena frowned.

King’s what?

“Oh yeah…” the others murmured in agreement with the same wondrous amazement on their expressions and Jena couldn’t help but ask.

“What are you talking about?” she asked and her husband’s friends turned to her with their teasing eyes.

“Oh Jena, you don’t have to keep it from us. We know your love story. We were there when you first met King anyway. We just didn’t know you and King really hooked up eight years ago.”

Eight years what?

Jena was beyond confused now. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand,” she stated, her heart beating fast.

Why was it that she had this feeling that there was something big that only she didn’t know?

“Who’s King?”

With her question, Alvin’s friends suddenly froze. The smile on their faces turned awkward as silence ensued.

“Ah— nothing, nothing. King is a great dancer’s nickname… I mean… forget about King. We meant Alvin! We didn’t know the two of you had a child and he’s already so big,” one friend hurriedly said and Jena’s eyes flashed with pain.

“Jena? Is there something wrong?” another asked and Jena snapped out of her reverie and smiled as awkwardly.

“No— nothing’s wrong. Just…” she tilted her head as she hesitated but decided to tell them anyway. “Just Alvin is not my son’s father,” she confessed and the atmosphere turned totally gauche that it was hard to stay there.

Alvin’s friends quickly apologized and begged Jena to forgive them. She, of course, didn’t keep grudges towards them. It wasn’t their fault and it’s not as if they had ill intention when they said those words. She’s an idiot if she was not able to detect their genuine delight when they thought that Sam was Alvin’s son.

But due to this, the pain in her heart intensified that she was not able to keep track of what had been said— about her meeting someone named King eight years ago for instance. She was just too ashamed that she quickly wanted to excuse herself and escape by going to other guests.

At least, the empty talks with the others wouldn’t bother her so much. But she had no idea how to do just that.

On the other side of the garden, Alvin was talking with his business ȧssociates when he happened to glance to where his wife was and he froze.

Hot damn…

His beautiful wife was talking seriously with his college buddies and he felt his stomach lurch. He hadn’t had time to warn his friends to shut their mouths. He felt cold panic in his veins that he excused himself from the group.

As if sensing his anxiety, Sam lifted his head and looked at his face.

“What’s wrong daddy?” he asked in his small voice and Alvin held him tight.

“Sammy, daddy is having some problems,” he told his son seriously. He didn’t want to treat him like a kid.

“What problems?” his “Minnie Me” asked, his equally upturned eyes big with curiosity as he looked at his father.

If there’s someone who could help him right now, Alvin thought that it would be his son.

“Sammy, do you see those people who are with mom?” he asked and when his son nodded, he sighed. “Daddy needs to talk to them alone. But I don’t know how to ask your mom to leave us,” he said and Sammy grinned.

“I will help you daddy. I got your back,” the little boy said just as he placed his head on Alvin’s shoulder again. “Bring me to mom daddy. I’ll make her go,” he said and Alvin kissed the top of his son’s head for his genius.

Nervously, Alvin walked towards his wife and friends, breaking their talk.

“What’s wrong with him?” Jena asked worriedly upon seeing Sammy unmoving in his arms.

“I-I don’t know,” Alvin answered just as Sammy lifted his head and reached for his mother.

“Mommy,” he said cutely and Jena didn’t think twice to stand up and take him in her arms.

“What’s wrong baby?” she asked and Alvin watched as Sammy whispered something to his mother’s ear.

Jena’s eyes widened and she turned to them with an apologetic smile.

“Could you excuse us for a bit?” she apologized to their guests and leaned over Alvin to whisper in his ear. “Sammy’s having tummy ache. I will bring him inside okay?” she informed him and Alvin, realizing what his son told his mom readily agreed.

“Come back immediately, okay?” he told his wife and gave her a peck on the lips. “Hang in there sport,” he told Sammy who when Jena turned around to go inside the house gave his father a toothy grin and a wink.

Little Smarty Pants…

Alvin and his friends watched them go, and as soon as they were out of their sight, the young president let out a sigh of relief.

“What was that King?” one of his friends asked and Alvin gave them a disapproving look.

“That’s what you call ‘being saved his ȧss by his seven-year-old kid’ kind of thing,” he retorted dryly as he sat on the seat Jena vacated.

“So, he really is your child,” his friends said triumphantly and Alvin snorted.

“Do I really need to answer that? You saw him right?” he countered, not at all denying Sammy’s parentage. “Just what did you and Jena talk about?”

“Why are you so grumpy? We should be the one who’s pissed. What a friend you are! You didn’t tell us you’re getting married until last night and you didn’t tell us you and that beauty had a kid.”

“Sorry for that,” Alvin apologized. “But as you can see, I didn’t know I had a child until a year and a couple of months ago when I returned from the US.”

“What? You mean Jena didn’t tell you?” they asked and Alvin sighed.

“Well, you see…” he looked from one friend to another. “Jena doesn’t know I’m Sammy’s father either.”

As expected, his announcement was met with incredulous expressions. He watched as their eyes almost popped out of their sockets as they looked at him as if he were mad.

“Why? How?” they asked and Alvin let out an exhausted sigh.

He looked totally defeated at the moment that he slumped in his chair as he leaned forward and placed his elbow on the table to prop his chin with his hand.

“Have you guys forgotten? When we saw her eight years ago, some bastard was trying to take advantage of her?” he reminded them and they all nodded.

“Yeah, we remember that. It’s your last night in Korea. It’s the day before you left for the US,” they agreed.

But one of them looked confused.

“But King, didn’t you asked us to look for her after that? You even returned to Korea a few months after to find her,” the friend said and Alvin nodded.

“I did— but my search was not successful. She had been kicked out of school already that time and I couldn’t find her anywhere. I returned to the US without seeing her,” he said and their eyes widened in understanding.

“Oh! We thought you met again after that— that’s why the kid…”

Alvin shook his head. He then proceeded on telling them what he failed to tell them before. It was about what really happened after they had taken Jena to his apartment and left her there in his care.

“King, you’re a wolf,” one of his friends commented and Alvin flinched.

He knew they were just teasing him, but he couldn’t help but feel bad remembering that night. No, he didn’t regret having Sammy. He loved his son as soon as he saw him. But he regretted giving in to temptation that night. Since getting together with Jena, he realized how big of an emotional scar he had given her that night. He was now at a loss as to how to tell her and to ask for her forgiveness. He was afraid.