Hope of the Dying World

CHAPTER 59 - THE YEAR-END

"Mom." It was like a whisper but he caught the professor's attention.

"Are you saying something?" The professor asked. "Don't you like the flavor?"

He just shook his head and focused on eating his ice cream. He was finished and just waiting for the two when his phone rang.

"Hey! Where are you? I called Mrs. Santos but you're not at home." His dad worriedly asked.

"We're in an ice cream shop, dad. Cally wanted ice cream so we bought her some."

"We? And who's with you?"

"With... Uhm... Our professor which Cally mistook as mom." He said in a low voice. For a second, there was silence on the other line. "Dad? Still there?"

"Y-Yeah. I'm patrolling near an ice cream shop and I saw your bike behind a pickup car."

"If you want, you can drop by here." Trestan offered.

"Ah. No. I'm on my duty."

"Ah, yeah. Well, then. Take care, dad."

"You too."

"You wanna talk with Cally?"

"Sure." He responded while looking at them from the other side of the road.

"Dad wants to talk to you." Trestan handed his mobile phone to Cally who's busy eating her almost melted ice cream.

"Daddy!"

"Hey, sweetie."

"I'm eating ice cleam light now and... And..." She looked at Professor Zyrille. "Mommy is with us!"

"Sweetie, mommy is not there. It's your Kuya Trestan's prof---"

"No daddy! She's mommy! Light, mommy?" She innocently asked Professor Zyrille but the professor seemed to smile sadly.

After the call, Timotheus heavily sighed and waited for them to leave the ice cream shop.

"Thank you, professor," Trestan said while lifting Cally in his right arm and holding his bike on the left. The professor dropped them in front of their house.

"Mommy, why ale you not living with us?"

"Cally." Trestan looked at her seriously. He was really embarrassed because of his little sister. She shouldn't call the professor their mom.

"Fine! She's not mommy!" Her teary eyes made Trestan worry. "I... I just want to be with mommy!" The little girl ran toward their front porch crying.

"Are you sure she'll be alright?" Professor Zyrille asked while looking at Cally crying.

"Don't worry, Prof. She'll be fine."

"Okay. I gotta go. Take care of your sister and of course yourself. Bye." The professor waved her left hand and beeped her car before leaving.

+++

"Blair! Why are you not dressing up? It's your Year-End Party." Ferran asked while pulling the pillow Blair put on her face.

"Uncle, I don't want to come."

"How about the dress I bought for you?"

"A dress!?" She sat on her bed with frustration. "You know that I hate dresses, uncle! Ugh!" She facepalmed.

"Well, it's kind of pretty. Will you wear it for me?"

"And why should I wear that for you?" She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows.

"Because I won't give you your new bike if you don't---"

"A new bike!? For real?" She was about to go outside to see a new bike, her uncle was talking about.