REUNION

Just few minutes after Kaye left, an unexpected visitor came. He stood in front of the gate for a while before deciding to rang the doorbell.

"Did Kaye forget something?" Yvonne asked her husband who was reading a magazine.

"But she has her own key to our villa. It must be someone else." While speaking, he stood up to open the gate and see who was visiting them.

He checked the monitor first, but the man had his back facing the monitor so he didn't see his face. Chadwick opened the side door instead of opening the gate.

"How can I help you?" he asked the man. When the person turned to face him, he was surprised and didn't know what to say.

"You must be Chadwick? Is my mother inside?" Ivan asked directly with that expressionless face. Honestly, he was nervous.

"Yes. Come in." Chadwick schooled his face and calm himself. He opened the gate so that Ivan could drive his car to the garage. "She's in the living room." He reminded Ivan before leading him inside the house.

"Who came?" She was writing something on a book so she didn't turn back to face her husband.

"M-mom." Ivan called out to her softly. It was almost a whisper in the air.

Yvonne was rigid upon hearing that voice. She didn't move or respond. "I must be hallucinating."

"Mom. I'm back." This time, Ivan's voice was louder to make sure that she hears him.

Yvonne stood up and turned around to see the man she longed to call her 'mom', few steps away from her.

"Ivan. Is that really you?" Yvonne asked not knowing what to say. She was choking with the sudden mixed of emotions.

"Mom, I miss you." Ivan walked towards her in a quick pace. Yvonne met him halfway and gave him a big hug. "I'm sorry it took me so long to find you." Ivan whispered.

"Ivan. My son. Ivan. Ivan." Yvonne kept calling his name while sobbing in his arms. "I'm so happy you're back. Ivan. I'm sorry I can't take you back. Ivan. Mommy is sorry for leaving you."

Ivan was crying as well. They say that men don't cry unless they were in so much pain. This time Ivan cried so much. All the years that they were separated. All the years that he couldn't fins her. All the years of pain and longing were flowing freely as tears.

Chadwick was weeping on the side seeing this reunion. He knew how much Yvonne wanted to see her son. He knew how much she wanted to hear him call her 'mom'. He knew how much she wanted to see him grow but she could only see him from afar.

"Mom, I knew everything when I was ten. I was supposed to ask you but you left and it took me so long to find you again. Why didn't you come and find me?" Ivan asked like a child wrongfully accused of doing something bad.

"I came to find you. I was looking at you from a far. I was scared you would hate me. Besides, you're used to calling Grace your mommy. Do you think I want to ruin your family?" Yvonne told her son. She knew that she was weak and she couldn't even get her son back but she was happy to see him from a far.

Ivan loosen his hold to his mother and looked at her closely. "You look exactly the same from my memory."

"How did you find me? This place isn't registered under our name." Yvonne asked. "Come sit here." she led him to the couch.

"My friend and I spent almost a year to find you without anyone noticing. Grandfather, didn't know as well." Ivan told her mom while wiping his face.

"Indeed. He must not know." Yvonne agreed to him. Chadwick arrived and brought them some refreshments. "This is my husband, Chadwick."

"Thank you so much for looking after my mother, uncle Chad." Ivan bowed deeply to express his sincerity and gratitude.

"It's not a big deal. I love your mom so it's given that I'll take care of her." Chadwick responded with a smile.

"I have tried multiple times to take you back but I failed again and again. The last time I tried doing it, your grandfather wanted me to marry the son of his friend. I knew from that moment that he's not planning to help me take you back but make me a tool for his business. I left together with Chad. I don't really know what your grandfather is thinking. Since I was a child, he never favored me." Yvonne said full of grievances. She knew from the start that she wasn't the favorite and she accepted that. However, going so far as to give her son away if she won't agree to marry the person he liked for her was too much. It was a good thing that her sister cared for her.

"I owe Grace a lot. Without her, there's no way I could see you. It was thanks to her that we could still meet. It was because of her that you meet the girl you like." Yvonne diverted the topic to a different one. They both understand that talking about the past is depressing.

"I found her. This time it's really her." Ivan smiled at this point when talking about the person he likes.

"If you came earlier, you could've meet her." Yvonne smiled meaningfully.

"Oh. You like our dear Kaye? Too bad, she likes someone else." Chadwick said mischievously.

"She likes someone? Who?" Ivan was upset after hearing it from them. He didn't know that Kaye would tell them the person she likes.

"The person she likes ran away from home. And that person came back with his girlfriend to introduce her to his family. Isn't she unlucky?" Chadwick continued.

Yvonne just smiled at them since she knew everything from the start, but she didn't want to tell them. Let fate or destiny takes its own course.

"If you really like her, it would be better if you talk to her. Kaye is a wonderful girl and you knew her long ago, but I don't think Kaye know that you're the person she once knew."

"I'll tell her everything." Ivan answered confidently, but he didn't know it would not be that easy.

Ivan stayed there and catch up to his mother for the lost chances and time for the past years. They've got so much to talk about that not even a year could suffice the time they needed.