Chapter 10 - OPM- Oh, Promise Me

"I can always find her mother. I duplicated the IBT she had."

It was the first day of her reenstatement to her work. She was welcomed back by her colleagues. Unknown to Ms. Peace, each of them was so compulsive if the requirements were completely done by Sydney. Had it not for her closest office mate, they would have intruded in her life just what Bro Mor did by helping Sydney.

She was preoccupied with her work as it was Monday - the session day with the higher ups in every department plus the Mayor and his vice and the City councilors. She was only relieved when it was time for them to be off from their work.

She was stupefied upon her entry in her apartment when she saw that Sydney was there.

"Who allowed you to come!?" She was so furious that she felt she was quavering.

Sydney remained quiet who was so composed typing in his laptop as he was in contact with his brother whom he trusted to manage his small business firm but it's profit was more than enough to support both of them with their needs and wants.

.... He had condominium buildings in Las Vegas and San Diego, California. When he left for the Philippines, another condo unit in San Francisco, California was almost done. And at this point in time, it is occupied by so many leasees.

So, even though Ms. Peace was ranting him, he just listened to her while she was chatting with his sibling telling him his plan of investing here in his child's birth country.

"Since I couldn't preempt your insistence to be my tail, you are allowed to hand me over the requirements."

"I thought the submission of the requirements has already expired because one month of compliance was over?"

"No, what you have just complied was that affidavit but was not fully implemented, the DNA test plus the fee. What about the NBI and the medical certificates? Also, the written multiple choice exam with an essay type?"

"You still need all those? We have lived in one house together. Was that not enough?"

"Nnnnnooootttt eeeennnnoooouuuuggghhh! Ggggggrrrr! I just didn't tell you in front of my baby!"

"Our baby, remember? Had it not for me... You wouldn't have a very cute pretty child. See?"

"You mean... I owe you for it? Dream on!"

"Look here... You will never be able to find a handsome father for your dreamed child. So... Isn't it that you owe me for that?" He teasingly told him.

"Egoist, narcissistic, chauvinist importunate man!"

"Thank you! Those are my qualities why I discovered the IBT you love to use now."

Then he continued speaking when Splash didn't reply.

"I made a promise to your mother and your father. I also did the same promise to our daughter."

He stopped the argument as Ms. Peace appeared to be disinterested to argue with him.

Splash was so livid that if he was not mistaken in his observation... the virgin mother was trying hard to be stoic.

With this thought in mind, he chuckled that was unnoticed by Ms. Peace with her pouting reaction.

To go on with her nonchalance, she decided to prepare her evening meal but was halted by the newly cooked foods in her cooking pans. She gaped momentarily and faced Sydney to start nagging him again when the inventor stopped her.

"Woo! Woo! Woo! You are more adorable when you are gentle and friendly. I won't ask for more. Only your friendship is enough for me."

"OPM? to be broken..." She mumble but was heard by Sydney.

"What do you mean by OPM? Have you had an invention, too?"

"Idiot! It means.. Oh, Promise Me.. Promises are made to be broken."

"Not an idiot... I see... I never made a promise only to be broken. Never in my life would I break a promise I've made."

"Only when you're done with the requirements."

"That's a promise! Right? Tomorrow... Shall I still mail them? Or just hand them over to you personally?"

"Whatever the written instructions in that list of requirements, that should be followed."

Without Ms Peace's offer to eat, he quickly set the table for them to dine in.

Livid or not, she was forced to dine with him as sleep was already inviting her to lay down on her warm and comfortable bed.

She was about to wash the dishes, keep them, clean the dining table when they started to move until they were all clean and returned to their rack and drawer.

She snorted that caused Sydney to smile naughtily and had sparkled dark blue eyes.

As expected Sydney had magically disappeared. When he arrived, he was the one to read some stories to her daughter. He covered her with her quilt before telling Granny Reyna that she was already asleep.

He was in his bed but sleep was too elusive. An idea suddenly popped up in his mind.

When they went to Ms Peace's grandparents' ancestral house, he noticed that several natives were making the main road a solar dryer.

Copras and palay were spread on that highway. It could obstruct the vehicles and or motorists in their travel toward their destination.

His bag is not enough to get rid of them for a convenient flow of daily traffic. He needed a vehicle with an automated sucker in it.

He would name his future invention as Vehicular Enormous Automated Sucker. Its acronym would be VEAS.

I, Sydney Garcia Britton, Promise to myself to have another breakthrough. I promise to keep it that VEAS would soon come true.

In witness thereof, myself again, attest such promise to be achieved asap- as soon as possible.

Then he slapped himself on his face left and right... And... Laughed with the gobbling sound of a male turkey.

He slept well that night after a promise made to himself.

The next day in the afternoon, Sydney cooked for Ms. Peace who arrived before six in the afternoon. This was the same day when he handed her the requirements she was persistent to be complied.

She quickly inspected the content of the long brown envelop and kept quiet that the man was able to complete all of them.

She was secretly glad that the results of the lab test were both negativ & positive according to possible infection. He was also a law-abiding citizen of his country and hers.

Unlike last night, they were able to have a more complacent conversation. He informed her that there would be months that he would be unable to pay her a visit.

He was likewise able to tell her that he was going to teleport to where their child was.

Every Saturday afternoon, Splash would teleport from her apartment in metro commercial city to their home at Siksik City.

Days, weeks, and months, flew quickly like migrating birds from one place to another to find more food for survival. Her life being a single mother became easier with the help of the IBT as she could visit her daughter without spending so much money.

One Saturday evening while she was cuddling her asleep child, she did a sort of self-analysis.

She realized that Sydney's promises were met according to her expectation.

In that case, she should also fulfill her promise to be more friendly with him as he kept his and submitted to her the requirements.

Her parents were likewise appreciative when she showed them the content of the long brown envelop.

It was Sunday morning when she was the latest to wake up. Her daughter and Sydney were both dressed up.

They were seated at the breakfast table when her daughter requested to be with them in going to church.

Mommy, please be ready for the Sunday Mass today. Daddy and I will wait for you, won't we Daddy?

Yes, sweetheart.

And... Mommy... I want us to be together eating to any restaurant. Can we, Daddy?

Sure, honey.

Of course we shall all be together going to a supermarket. Shall we, Daddy?

Anytime for you darling.

Splash was not stupid not to sense that there seemed to have a connivance between the father and the daughter.

Sydney avoided the eyes of Ms. Peace as he did not want to see her fierce and irksome stare.

She was displeased but she was afraid to turn down her child's request. She was fully aware of her responsibility as her mother. She did not want to chase her away from her. She knew she was terribly missing her.

What kind of mother would she be to reject her child's enthusiasm to feel the joy of having both a father and a mother?

What kind of mother would she be to consider her unwanted feeling for Sydney's presence with them in going to places requested by her Baby Arm?

What kind of mother would she be to discard the virtues that she was instilling to her daughter?

Action speaks louder than voice.

Non verbal language is better than verbal languages abused by their users like promising just to break it.

That was happiest day of her child's life. They were together in the church, in a restaurant and in a supermarket.

Baby Arm had both a Daddy and a Mommy. They even had a selfie moments in those places they had gone together.

This was an experience curved in the heart and mind of their daughter. They were thankful to Doctor Domalaon who implanted IVF in her uterus that made both Sydney and Pearl Ace May an accomplished man and woman.