Chapter 17 - Joshclar's Life at the Seventh City

"He could not bring you at home, could he? I would be going home tomorrow midnight, anyway."

"Is it okay for you that he brings me at home tomorrow afternoon, mommy?"

"As long as I am not at home, it's alright for me, darling."

When the mother and son hung up, they high five. Joshua was like a child of his son's age as he was jumping in joy. Step one of their plan A was very effective with the initiative of his son. They can start being together without hiding. Therefore, step 2 of plan A would be to make them meet and be together even from time to time for a moment without the feeling of awkwardness.

In the afternoon of the following day, Joshua brought his son to his mother's home. The boy was very tired after mall hopping that he slept in the car. Joshua was obliged to carry him to his bedroom with the help of the nanny leading toward his own room. He covered him with a blanket and instructed the nanny to attend to his needs. Before leaving he called the members of his son's personal team and gave them their compensation. Everybody was happy but only cheered quietly as they avoided the maid to know about it. From Richclar's House he went to a bus terminal for his travel going back home to his birth place, the Seventh City.

"Alas, his son would only be with his trusted team members, without his mom who was still on duty, without his dad who was on his way back to his own place.

While in the bus, he sent a text message to his son to give him the e- mail address of his mother as he was going to send her a letter of request. It was just thirty minutes waiting for what he asked his son to send him. He was glad that he was not going to send it to General Cardo Dimagiba. He would send it to richclar94@gmail.com..

The content of his request letter:

Greetings of peace and benevolence for you and our son from me be blessed by our Almighty God.

Accept my gratitude now that you introduced me to our son. You made my life more colourful than before as I would have my beloved to be given with the fruits of my perspiration. Honestly, I do appreciate that you kept your words to our son.

Since you seem to be very busy with your work, I am begging you to allow my son to live with me here at home where he was procreated. Living together, my son and I, would enable us to know each other because one day was not enough to shower him my fatherly love, care and concern.

Allowing him to live with me would manifest your unconditional love for him. You can get him back from me whenever you want to.

Sincerely yours,

Joshua de la Cruz

Joshclar's father

The day of his arrival was the day he started his maid to have a general cleaning. The unopened gifts returned to him by Richclar were kept in his room at an open cabinet beside the left side of his bedroom's door. They were still unopened and the wrappers were already faded. If his son would be allowed to momentarily live with him, he would show them to him. They were the evidence of his intensive love for his mother. His son could choose a bedroom to be occupied. It would either be in his bedroom or the bedroom that was once occupied by his mother. In his bedroom, the pictures of the mother and his son were displayed.

As it was summer, he had time to fix his garden to make its surrounding more homely to his son. However, a month had passed, there was still no reply to his request. Summer was almost over so there was no longer a chance for them to be together since the school year was about to start again. So, he no longer expected that his request letter would have an affirmative result. A week after his hopelessness, he was stupefied with the sudden appearance of his son at the gate while he was watering his flowering plants. At first, he thought he was just hallucinating as a product of his longing for his son's presence.

"Daddy, It's me, your son."

He seemed to be a robot walking by the path toward the gate to open it.

As soon as it was opened, his son jumped with his legs separated to encircle his waist with his hands around his neck. He was so happy holding him tightly that he did not notice that his tears was pouring down his cheeks.

"Dad, are you crying? Be happy. I am here. Mommy, look what you did to dad. He has tears of joy. You keep on hanging him in suspense. "

"Good morning. Can my son get in? He is so tired." Richclar requested and reminded him.

Without putting down his son he carried one of the luggages and invited Richclar to get in.

In the living room, he offered them to sit and instructed the cook to serve them breakfast. He dined with them as he had not yet eaten his morning meal, too.

Richclar was in her man's attire but not in her cop's uniform. Even though she wears a casual attire of a man, she moves like a man opposite to her graceful movement during the recognition day.

"Tch Tch... Son look at your mom. She is even more manly than I am."

"Yeah, she is" and smirked and winked to his father.

"Here are the papers needed by Joshclar for his enrollment. I hope you would not mind if he would be living with you as I am tied with my work as the chief Superintendent. It would only this school year. Next year I'll take him with me again." She explained while handing over the envelop with her right hand the pertinent papers of Joshclar, her left hand was in akimbo like a man.

Joshua accepted the envelop from her telling Joshclar to be in his bedroom to change his dirty clothes to a clean one.

"Baby dear... I shall be visiting your grandparents first before going back to our home in the commercial area capital city. So just stay here and you should obey him." She said while wearing the backpack at her back.

"What if we're going with you, mom?"

Richclar who was already at the door went back to where her son was seated. She squatted so her height would be of the same level as her son's and coaxed him in a very gentle voice.

"Baby, my darling.. I thought you are not going to make it hard for me to leave you here with your dad?"

"I want to meet them for the first time." he revealed his thought in his mind.

"Don't worry. Your daddy will contact them to come so you can meet them." Richclar quipped while looking at Joshua.

"Son, I'm here. Your mommy is right. I'll let them come so you'll meet them." He seconded what Richclar said.

"Here! Tsup! tsup! Mmuuuwwwaaa." She kissed him, stood up and went out leaving them in the living room.

From the time Richclar left him, the two were busy with their lives. Joshclar was burning his midnight oil during week days and continued his training to play musical instruments. As for being a recording star, in behalf of Richclar, the manager asked the recording studio for a one year vacation leave as he had still some more songs to be released.

On the part of the father, Joshua was busy as an educator, a school Dean, an author, an investor and a father. On top of these all, he had to prioritize taking care of his son. So everyday, he would accompany his son to school. In the evening, he would guide him to read his books and do the assignment, unlike Richclar who had almost no time to attend to the needs of her son. The advantage in his stay in the Seventh City was his experience of being a cub scout, an athlete and other school activities that he partipated in.

Joshclar did not just meet her grandparents at her mother side, he also met his grandparents at his father side. He had many relatives in the Seventh city which was the opposite when he was in the capital city.

From time to time, he communicated not only with his mommy but also with his personal team members. His father would remind him to do it during week end so he could concentrate on his studies. His life in the 7th city was far better than in the capital city as he had his father and a mother even though she was not with her at the moment, yet he can always feel her presence with her daily conversation by the phone as she was exempted among those whom he should have communication only on week ends.

To let his plan materialize, he had to tell his dad to tell his mom that his cellphone was broken as it fell in a creek in his school. To continue the daily calling, his mother would have to contact him through the cell phone of his father. Sometimes he would pretend not to hear his father calling him to talk to his mother. He was giving them chances to talk even for a while.