Chapter 8 - The Trepidation

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

Sydney was not stoical not to sense the innuendos of his daughter's mother. He was not wondering of her trepidation that he might run away with their child. For him, he wouldn't dare do it as he had no plan to raise her child without a mother. Last night, through his translator gadget in his bag, he was able to understand the dialect they were using by expressing their skepticism about his intention to claim his fatherhood with Baby Arm. His erroneous procedure and programmed variable to his invention was indeed, advantageous. As Splash was staring at him, he naughtily smiled and winked at her at the same time that forced her to take away her eyes from him changing her eyes' direction through the glass window behind him.

Such demeanor of the two was noticeable to the keen observation of Baby Arm's grandparents. They bent their head down synchronically before looking at each other meaningfully with their visible smirk.

"Alright, as all our stomach is already full, let us continue our discussion in the garden." Grand Jim told them everyone.

Grand Jim led them toward the foyer going to the garden seats. Baby Arm went to the small nipa hut her Grandfather built for her where she played with her toy kitchen wares and dolls.

"Sydney... Being the father of our grandchild, can you reveal your secret of your detection of the whereabouts of Splash?" Granny Reyna requested.

"Likewise, explain about the garden tools that took care of the gardening work a while ago without someone."

"Can I be excused for a while to get my bag?" Sydney courteously asked permission.

"Just go on getting it if it would help you to clarify occurrences that bewildered us." Grand Jim permitted him.

Not long after, Sydney was back with his bag worn in his body.

"I will show you the wonder this bag grants me some extraordinary incredible activities in my life. But you have to assure me of confidentiality."

"I agree." Granny promised.

"The same with me here." Grand Jim seconded.

"Me, too." Splash agreed agreeably.

"Please open your eyes, be a keen observer while I use the bag I am wearing." Sydney instructed clearly.

He did the same procedure he did at the garage in metro commercial city and... Plok!!!!! HE WAS NOWHERE IN SIGHT.

The three observants looked for him around the garden separately only to no avail. They failed to find him in every corner of the wide garden drove them to go back to the gazebo. Upon they were seated... PLOK!!!!!

SYDNEY BRITTON APPEARED.

"With this IBT I can even travel to long distance places."

"What does IBT stand for?" Splash had a sudden unexpected interest to talk with him.

"Ms. Peace it means Invisible Bag Teleportation. With this bag as my secret gadget to become invisible and can teleport from one place to another." He enthusiastically explained.

"Does it have a timer as you can appear at the exact time you would like to meet? Was this also a kind of detector?" Splash interrogated him to efface her queery feeling about the unexplained experience she had.

Instead of answering he asked her. "Did your mobile phone rang a deafening twitter sound?"

"Yes."

"That was the precise time when this IBT connected to my phone gauged your location and your intention to scape away from me."

Only the momentary sound of silence could be heard. But!... Only for a while... Because of Grand Jim's inquiry about the garden tools issue earlier today.

"Can you also show me how you let the tools work a while ago?"

Can we go to the living room, instead of here in the garden? There's no more work to do here, anyway." Sydney requested.

Mariah was told to get the mop and leave it at the middle of the living room including the duster. When the maid left, the command on the gadget was pressed really really hard at both sides of the bag.

SPLASH! WIS WAS!

THE MOP AND THE DUSTER MOVED ON THEIR OWN ACCORD.

Both stopped when every corner was perfectly cleaned.

The three of them marveled on the service that his IBT gave him.

"Can you guide me how to use it?" Splash gently requested with her two palms met together.

"By all means with all my heart." Sydney promised sincerely.

From that day on the orientation, guidance, training, and practice had begun. Splash was really enjoying it that she almost neglect her tutorial activity with her daughter. Day in.. Day out.. The familiarization of the process in manipulating the IBT was achieved. Thus the saying, "When there is perseverance, there is a hot soup to sip till you dance." is true.

Teaching her enthused him to manifest his interest for her in a very subtle way. On the contrary, her subterfuge was never exposed to him of her furtive plan which she could never reveal to anyone, not even to her child, nor to her father and neither to her mother. Only God knows what she was webbing to do for the next few months.

The training of using the IBT made them known each other. She allowed him to assist her in her tutorial activity with their daughter. Day after day, the child become closer to her instantaneous father who just popped up unexpectedly. However, he was not yet allowed to be with his daughter without their presence. Their trepidation of losing him to him was still in their heart and mind. They crossed their finger not to leave themselves unguarded. They should always be alert in watching his every move... Frightened that he might bring her along with him with the use of his IBT.

Definitely, they had to confiscate his wonderful invention without being noticed by him. Or they might just tell him frankly.

"Mr. Britton, should you let me keep your bag for more familiarization with it?" One of her tactful means to stop him from scaping with her child with him.

He did not want her to think that he had no trust with her, though the truth was his fear that she might use it without his knowledge. He was afraid that something might have happened to her should she mistakenly pressed the buttons in confusion. Therefore, despite his foreboding feeling, he gave in to her request. After all, he was planning to make another one which was already in his mind long before he met them.

By the way... At this point, Grand Jim and Granny Reyna were in the metro commercial city as one of their children requested them to stay with them while her only sister was on leave and took care of everything in their ancestral house. With their absence, the stressful moments of Sydney's life was quite relieved. Some awkward situations were unavoidable. Maybe... Just maybe... he could have pushed himself into the heart of Ms Peace.

Behind her, Sydney started to make another IBT. He was fortunate that he was hospitably accommodated up the loft. He almost spent his time making it that sometimes he would even skipped his meal pretending that he was asleep. The equipments and the materials he used was secretly purchased from the local hardwares while others were bought on line.

"Would you like to accompany me to my grandfather's hometown? I can practice using your IBT there."

"Are we going to bring along with us our baby?"

"Of course she should be always with us." This answer of Splash made him happy as he was already acknowledging him as her child's father.

Splash chose to practice in her deceased grandfather's farmland. There she was able to confirm that she would be safe in using the IBT. Besides, she managed to wheedle him to guide him to use the detector, the timer, the several buttons for different uses. He was also taught which button should be pressed to a long distance teleportation, how to make it fast or slow teleportation and so on and so forth. She was really overjoyed of the newly acquired skill handing on such a marvelous invention.

Sydney was stunned but bewitched when Splash unexpectedly kissed him on his two cheeks sweetly. As it was a surprised twin kiss, he was unable to kiss her back because he seemed to be melting.

In her mind, how she wished to teleport using the IBT but... she stopped thinking.... instead she asked Sydney with her thought in mind. Although, she was still hesitant, still, she had to ask him.

" Sir Britton, will it be possible that the three of us can teleport with only one IBT?"

"LET US GIVE IT A TRY."

They tried it.

They practiced more.

Splash held their baby tightly while Sydney stoop up at her back encircled his two arms at her waist, locked his two hands after pressing the required buttons. From the farmland, they teleported to the town proper where the ancestral house of her grandfather was located. As they were successful of the short distance, they had tried to teleport at least seventeen kilometers away. They set it to a place where no one could see them. The next teleport they together did was nineteen kilometers away and was set to be at their home in Siksikan City.

PLOK!!! THEY WERE HOME SAFE AND SOUND.

It took them fifteen minutes to teleport from the farmland to their home in Siksikan City.

While eating their snacks an interview cropped up. Splash was the interviewer, Sydney was the interviewee.

How long have you discovered this gadget of yours?

The time after I donated my seed for you.

You've been using it for three years now?

Only a year. Two years were spent in designing, programming, developing, and testing.

Why have you thought of this breakthrough?

The truth was, it was a mistaken or erroneous invention. Originally, I was planning to invent a gadget that could detect a man's or a woman's deception against his/her life partner. But it turned out to be this one.

Well... indirectly speaking, this can still also be used to detect one's betrayal and deception by: first, using a detector. Next, setting the timer. Finally, teleporting exactly to the cheater's rendezvous. CLICK... CLICK... CLICK

They can be caught red handed... and with an evidence. It can be done so quickly or would just remain invisible while taking a picture of their shameful bed activity and leave at once by teleporting to your own place for the picture printing.

"Our daughter inherited your intelligence." Sydney said with admiration registered in his face.