Chapter 7 - The Meeting 2

"Maaaa! Why was this man beside u sac sleeping in our bed? Who allowed him to sleep with us?"

Splash spoke loudly so to be heard by her mother who slept at the adjacent bedroom. At the same time she put her child in her arm who embraced her tightly while getting out of her bedroom's door. She could feel the shivering of her body. Baby Arm's sob was contineously heard in that household. As her voice was loud, Splash was successful in waking up not only her mother but also her father. Having been senior citizens, their movement was no longer fast. So Splash and her child waited for a little while. When Granny Reyna opened the door of their bedroom, Gran Jim instructed them to get inside and be seated on the coach placed by the window across the bed.

"We instructed him to ocupy the coach in your bedroom." Her mother admitted of their permission to let Sydney stay with them in the same room.

"We're so sorry, honey. We thought he's going to obey our instruction." Grand Jim apologized to his daughter sincerely.

"He had shown us the result of the DNA test, darling. So, how could we refuse him?" Granny Reyna mused.

"I don't deny it. That is the fact. However, it does not mean that he should be allowed to stay with us in the same bedroom. He can stay at the loft." Splash complained irritatedly.

"Calm down, Splash. Let us talk to him when he wakes up." He gave him an assurance.

"Yes, dear. If he wouldn't agree... then... Out he goes from our house." Her mother told her sternly.

"Ma... Pa... This Britton man appears to be so mysterious." Splash quipped.

"Can you expound in details what you mean?" Her mother seemed to be confused.

Hence, to remove the confusion of her mother.. and her father, too... she explained in detail of the occurrence about the surprising appearance of her child's father. Consequently, it wasn't only Splash who was perplexed but also her parents. There were already three people who were willing to solve the mystery of Sydney's appearance when she didn't even give him her whereabouts. The three of them were all tongue tied... Thinking... when Baby Arm asked for her morning lukewarm milk.

They decided to go to the dining room for their morning warm water with a lemon squeezed in it together with Baby Arm to drink her milk.

Granny Reyna went to the kitchen to cook their food for breakfast. Whereas, Grand Jim went to the garden not only to water their ornamental and vegetable plants but also to weed and put an organic fertilizer from his compost peat.

Meanwhile the single mother and her child went back to their bedroom tip toeing. They need to go to the rest room for their sanitation. After taking a bath, she put her daughter on the chair in front of the dresser. There, she dressed her up with her fresh clothes after applying moisturizing cream all over her body. While doing this she whispered to her daughter.

"Keep quiet. The stranger might be disturbed."

"Hey! I am not a stranger. Stop scaring our daughter." He objected against Splash's words.

Both were wonder-stricken that they were aghast.

"Oh, I am sorry. I did not mean to scare you both. Why am I on the floor now?" His time to be surprised that he was no longer on the bed.

"It seemed that you outrun me with that question. It should be me who should ask you why you slept in our bed?" Splash glared at him while trying to insinuate her ire for his unwanted presence.

Then she added, "Are you an expert burglar?"

"Ms. Peace... I am with you when I got in here in your place. We were together, remember?"

"Together or not, you are not allowed to stay in my bedroom. I hope I made myself clear for you to get what I mean."

"Yes, Ma'am! But... can I use your rest room before going out of this room?"

"No! You can use the rest room between the living and the dining rooms.

Hurry up! You're really scaring my daughter!" She ordered her strictly while holding her child tightly as Baby Arm's face was on her chest.

Afraid that he would fail to coax his daughter to recognize him as his father, he immediately went out in search of the rest room as his urine was about to squirt. There was no time for brisk walking. He had to scoot really quickly so he wouldn't be mortified. He skidded to a halt... Turned back... when he noticed the door between the living and dining rooms as he was about to get through it. Finally, he was relieved to unload his body's liquid waste.

He got out of the rest room and walked toward the dining room while calling for Granny Reyna.

"Mother... Mother... can I use your coffee maker?" He politely asked even though Granny Reyna was nowhere to be seen in that room. But with his modulated husky voice, Granny Reyna heard him.

"Feel free to do so. You may have a creamer, too. The sugar is also in that condiment beside it." She instructed him clearly.

He did what was told with him and brought his cup of coffee in the garden where he saw Splash's father who was very busy gardening. Immediately, he went to the bedroom where he slept, knocked and asked permission to get inside as he was going to retrieve his most treasured bag.

"Ms. Peace, can I get my bag in there?"

"I'll give you a minute to get it." She said as she opened the door for him.

As he was really in a hurry, he speedily grabbed it from the door where he hanged it and rapidly went out toward the garden.

"Father, let me assist you." Then he quickly pressed hard three buttons at the back part of his bag and... Zoom! Zaap! Boom! The garden tools moved by themselves including the water hose that water the plants without anyone manipulating them.

Grand Jim was dumbfounded. His head was twirling like a robot as he was confused which one would he look to. For twenty minutes, the garden was weeded, plants were watered, the weeds together with the detached dried twigs and leaves from their mother plants were placed in a pit. He scampered like a child with mixed emotions of excitement, amazement, and dreadfulness who seemed to have his hair horrent caused by a spooky apparition.

He was panting when he went inside the kitchen where his wife was almost done cooking and naturally was completely baffled by his appearance.

"Love, what happened?" She queried.

"Our Baby Arm's father... Is he an alien? Can we tell him to leave our house?!"

"Sweetheart, calm down. You are not being hospitable if you do that. Let us talk to him." Granny suggested.

"Mariah, set the table for our breakfast. I am done cooking." She ordered their maid as she removed her apron and hold carefully the arm of her husband pacing toward the dining room.

They were already seated when Mariah jangled the bell to invite every family member that meal was all ready.

"Mariah.. You have to tell our visitor that it's breakfast time. Remember.. that he's unaware of that sound of our bell." Granny Reyna ordered her.

Everybody was eating zestfully with only the sound of the cutlery when Granny Reyna talked in her most pleasing voice.

"Baby Girl... Darling... Won't you greet our guest?"

"He is our guest? He is not a stranger?" Baby Arm asked her naively.

"Yes, dear. So... How will you greet him?" Granny pushed her to do so.

"Granny, how will I call him? What's his name?"

Granny directed her eyes to Sydney Britton to give him her non- verbal language that he should introduce himself to his daughter. Of course, that was the go signal Sydney had been waiting for.

"Of course I have a name. You can call me Sydney Britton." He said in his mildest voice.

"Okay. Good morning Sir Sydney Britton." She greeted him cheerfully.

"Listen to me carefully and tell me what's in your mind. Would you like to have a Daddy?" Granny implied.

"Mommy, you told me I don't have a Daddy." She spoke as she twanged her fingers to her mother's side.

"That was before your Sir Sydney Britton spurted in our place." Granny quipped looking intently to Splash.

"Yes, baby darling." She favored her mother's persuasive statement.

"You mean Sir Sydney is my Daddy?" She wittily guessed it.

"You're so smart, honey. Yes, I am your biological Daddy." Sydney filled in his daughter a factual information.

"What does biological mean?" She innocently asked.

Sydney was obliged to explain: "Sweetheart, biological daddy means that my blood is in your body."

"You have no more blood Daddy? Did I have it all in my body?"

"Adrianne May, why can't you just agree? When you grow older you will be able to understand what it means." Splash rebuked her in a nice way.

"Got it Mommy. Can I be with him?" She asked permission politely.

"Only here at home before our eyes. You are not going out with him of this vicinity without anyone of us." Splash sternly hinted while staring at Sydney.