It Should Have Been Like This

Book Four: yes

   "And practice my breathing so I can still go on with my swimming champ dream," Serene chirped. She wanted to be a swimmer, it was the only thing she has ever wanted, other than her father. I wanted her to be happy too and she was finally going to be a swimmer, but will have to take her breathing lessons gently and keep it to a level. It was risky, but it was what she wanted.

   I could never be more happy and proud of my two eldest children. If it wasn't for them, I would have done something utterly foolish and regret it for years and years to come. They made this happen, even if I was later going to.

   "Zyaire, my man, keep that head out of trouble, okay?" Zyaire nodded, "don't get into a fight so your head won't get hit, avoid any head collision, avoid..."

   "I know, Uncle George," he giggled, "you don't have to repeat it all-over again,"

   "I'm just trying to... You know what, expect me at your home every week for checkups," home, where was their home? I most likely didn't have any since my landlord kicked me out already. I didn't want to ask Nic for money, not that he was willing to pay more money for me to live in a slump as he called it. He knew if I didn't have a place to stay, I'd be stuck with him.

I was.

   The devil man wasn't saying anything to me but he got my passport confiscated at the airport when we arrived. I still didn't have my passport and no money to renew it. I couldn't just go out and blame him for my passport getting seized out of the blue, not without proof like he said... Or rather, texted. The only text he sent me. I knew he did it though, just like how my identification card mysteriously disappeared.

   "Mommy, when is daddy coming to pick us up?"

   "Mr. Verlice is going to send his driver over to pick you all up. He said he is stuck in a very important meeting," George replied for me. Serenity nodded. I knew he was avoiding me. The previous day, he made George tell me that he didn't let his parents know about us yet until recently. They were going to be flying from their home in Aurora to meet us and his mother was very excited.

   He knew I would scream his face off, he finally gave me a reason to shout. He had no right to tell them, but I wasn't going to yell because it helped my plans. He thought I was going to take the children away, he had no idea they were here to stay.

   After a couple of minutes, the driver arrived. The children couldn't stop squealing when they saw the car, even Sera joined them. Zach just seemed very unimpressed with everything and I was starting to worry over how bitter he was getting. I needed to put a stop to it, and the only way to do that was to act like I have forgiven their father. I knew he shouldn't be bitter at his age, so his childhood wouldn't be as rough as mine.

   He had Perry on his small shoulder, his hands in his pockets as he stared at the car uninterestedly. Even at his age, he was already pulling off his father's coolness. Since the whole thing was out, I removed their dye, and mine too. No one would remember me after so many years, I learnt that when George didn't remember me when we met.

   "Come on, Zach, you can ride shotgun!" Sera squealed out. He sighed tiredly and rubbed his face with his palm.

   "Mom," he raised his head to look at me, "may I take a cab? I don't think I can get into this thing, it'll suffocate me," he said with a look of displeasure. I scooped him into my arms immediately, sending Perry flying into the car. I wrapped his legs around my waist and laughed at his annoyed face. "Mom, I'm going to be nine in months to come, can you please not carry me like a child?" He snapped.

   "But that's it, you are my child," I smiled, intentionally rocking from side to side to prove my point. Sera and the others were giggling.

   "Mom," he whined, trying to wiggle out of my arms.