SCARLET

Chapter 18

Few minutes after the appetizers were served, there was a knock at the door. Standing from the high stool he preferred to sit on ever since he was little, Scarlet headed for the door and unlocked the bolt.

It was Carlos, his father. The older man drew the lad into a warm hug as he felt a pang of guilt in his stomach.
He was never around to witness his boy grow into the man he's becoming. He was way too entangled with his business trips that he seldom had quality time to spend with him, nor his wife. This was why the divorce happened and he's regretted it all day.
Thankfully, the issue of custody of Scarlet wasn't a fuss, as both parties agreed that they both be able to commune with thier son without any boundaries or hindrances.

Releasing their selves, father and son had a glint of amusement in their eyes, but it disappeared the moment the lady standing by the dinning cleared her throat.

"Are you coming over here to eat or you'll prefer it cold?" She questioned them, staring directly at the older man in the process.

"Come on mum, don't stare at him like that." Scarlet quickly resolved to shifting her chin to face him and giving her a disapproving glare.

They all took their seats at the dinning table, and as soon and everyone felt comfortable on their seats, the dug into the mouth watering sights before them.
Five minutes into the meal, Scarlet can't hold down the tension he was noticing among the two old couple, he could clearly see his dad stealing looks at his mom, and the lady in turn giving him a malicious sneer. What the actual sh*t is wrong with you guys Scarlet asked himself as it was becoming unbearable.

"So dad, how's the company faring?" He decided to ask, so as to end the deafening silence and raise a topic for discussion. Earning himself a dead pan from his mom.
Ignoring her face, Scarlet proceeded to listen to his dad talk about how he's been running his business umpire and the level of global approval and recognition he's been getting.

" That's that my dear, nothing much about the company as you can see" Hr finished as he dug into his meatballs.

Grinning to face his mom, he met a stern face poking the life out of the hotdogs on the plate. This only showed that she despised the whole company blah that they discussed. The same company that drew you away from your family and stole the time from you. You decided your wealth over family and that alone can make me slit...

"Mom! You're gonna ruin the plate if you don't take it easy with the hotdogs" Scarlet caught her off of her thoughts and stared with concern at her face.
Inviting his dad over might have made her uncomfortable, but this was his moment so he needed to make the best of it, so she should relax her nerves and not try to be selfish.

The next twenty minutes was spent in utter silence. Scarlet avoided trying to start up a topic that will cause drama again.
Dessert was served and Mr Mercedes decided to pass. He was an acute diabetes patient so he couldn't eat the vanilla flavoured cake which was served.
As the plates were cleared by Scarlet, he glanced over at his mom who was leaning by the sink. He could swear the saw a teardrop on her face, but before he could take a second look, she blinked it back.
She was hurting and he understood that, but what could he do, they already got a divorce, not considering the effects that would have on him.
How he was the only child at grade school whose parents never came to pick him up after school. PTA meetings were the worst as every other kid,both parents attended.
His days in grade school were traumatizing, but no one has ever really asked so he's never really told.

He could vividly remember one of the occasions where he was bullied at school because of either the absence of his dad, mom or both of them at some of the school functions.
He had gone to the toilet to ease himself during Grade six, on getting there, he saw a group of older children about four of them.
They looked at him like he was cow dung.
Then one of them yelled at him