“I hope I didn’t ruin a great evening!” he states on arrival. I stay quiet and composed, my inner magma flows ferociously through my throat pallet, but I trained my mind to do better. “I didn’t expect you to be around here!” Jackie asserts while staring at his frame with the “WTF” expression.

“Do you want to join us?” I ask with the last droplet of politeness left in me. At this point, the realization of this finally hits hard. It was bound to happen: I should prepare for more of these engagements if I ever sign up for the real thing.

“Daddy, who told you we were here? Was it mum?” The innocence! For some reason, I smirk because he has no idea what is at hand.

“No ninja, I just happen to come here at the same time as you and mummy,” he states clearly, “as for joining the party, sorry to decline the offer, I had plans. Probably next time with a better arrangement.”

©Joeln