Mommy, Where is Daddy?

"You seemed bothered about something, brother. What's the matter?" Jason, Enzo's older brother, asked as he sat beside Enzo. Enzo had been quiet ever since he arrived from the day he excused himself in the middle of their meeting that he had a more urgent matter than the meeting.

After that, Enzo seemed troubled and always in deep thoughts about something. He would wake up, dress up, attend gatherings and work at home; however, he seemed down and soulless. Jason couldn't withstand the sight of his brother acting like this; he needed to corner him and make Enzo confess what was causing his drop shoulder and behavior as if the world didn't revolve around him any longer.

"Nothing, maybe. I'm just exhausted these past few days." Jason didn't like what his sharp ears heard. Enzo wouldn't sigh after; he replied if that was the real reason behind it. So, Jason leveled his head at his brother, arched a quizzical brow and his kin eyes so that even a criminal couldn't spit any alibis, and sprinted.

"Enzo, Brother of mine, do you think I was born earlier than you to be an idiotic man?" Jason asked as he punched his brother's waist with enough force as compensation for Enzo's explanation.

Enzo heaved a deep sigh, and his eyes blazed with anguish. And then, he opened his mouth to speak the truth that stirred up his brother's mind. "I have a child," he stated.

Jason's mouth dropped open, and when Enzo's statement was evident in his mind, he whacked his brother on the head and said, "The fuck, bro! Did you screw several women and impregnate one? Remember to use an umbrella when you rummage a woman's vagina! You can't just spurt through and drill your flings!"

"That's not it!" Enzo hissed at his brother's sudden outburst.

"I have a child, and guess what, I just knew days ago that he existed. His name is Tristan, and he is six years old." Enzo's brother, Jason, seemed to notice that Enzo wasn't joking around. He cleared his throat, making a fake cough. He still couldn't believe that his brother had a child this early.

Jason's forehead creased as he massaged his temple to ease the tension he felt upon knowing that his brother was the first to have a child than him, who was older.

"Wait, give me a moment to breathe," Jason remarked as he took a deep breath and looked at Enzo. "I never imagined you'd become a father this early. I assumed you'd joke around, but seeing you bothered, that's big trouble, brother." Jason raised an eyebrow as he patted his brother on the back.

Enzo shook his head and grinned, "No, it wasn't a trouble, I'm glad that he existed, and Brother, he came from me, and he is my child."

"Say, who's the mother?" Jason asked. He wanted to know who the woman that his brother impregnated was. He would indeed be happy if he knew the woman. Jason took a glass of water that one of the maids had served earlier and drank it.

"It was my ex-girlfriend, Abigaile Lewis," Enzo said defiantly, with a statement of fact.

"What the fuck, Brother?!" Jason's eyes almost popped out as he spewed the water he drank, coughing, and his gaze flashed to his brother in disbelief. He couldn't believe it; Abigaile Lewis had been every man's dream on campus when they were in high school. She wasn't like the other woman, who was ferocious, vicious, and had the manner of flirtatious. Her demeanor as an aspiring living lawyer and modern nerd made her stand out among the rest of the population of girls in their school.

Jason placed his index finger on his chin as if he thought that Abigaile Lewis was his brother's longest girlfriend for the record. And he believed that Abigaile could make his brother blinded by the concept of love and tame Enzo, but he just heard the news one day that they got separated. At first, Jason didn't believe it, but as he saw his brother dating another woman after their breakup, he thought it, and since then, Jason never heard any news about Abigaile.

"H-how come that shit happened?!" Jason exclaimed.

"I don't know; Abigaile just called me one night. She told me to meet her the other day, and then he introduced Tristan, telling the child that I am his father." Enzo explained solemnly, reminiscing how things happened suddenly. He met Abigaile unexpectedly after six years. He had the chance to talk to her, and then, in an instant, Enzo became a father.

"Say, brother mine, are you sure the child was yours? I know Lewis is a clever girl but were you certain that the child is yours?" Jason asked with confusion.

Enzo picked up his phone from his pocket and showed a picture of Tristan that he had taken when they were strolling together in LA. He extended the phone in front of Jason. Jason immediately picked it up and even placed the phone near his sight as if he couldn't believe what he had just witnessed.

"Holy molly grail, son of a gun! Just shit, brother! He looks like your mini-version! No one can't deny the fact that you two were blood-related. Look at those eyes! Those features! I feel bad for Lewis because your genes won the race of life!" Jason reckoned while laughing, and then, later on, his mood changed as if he was having a hard time believing every confession that Enzo made.

"W-wait, damn it! Enzo Robinson, I think I will be having a hard attack now because of your sudden revelations, you rascal!" Jason yelled in frustration as he combed his fingers through his hair.

Enzo tried to get his phone from his brother, but Jason glared at him as he took his phone out. "Wait! Give me a fuckin moment. Allow me to have my niece's picture. I am a proud Uncle here!" So the two of them were messing with each other. Enzo doesn't know who the older between him and his brother is because Jason can be childish sometimes and hard-headed.

When Jason was done copying Tristan's pictures, Enzo saw how Jason made his son's picture become his brother's wallpaper, and then Jason fired him a question that caught Enzo off guard.

"So, what's the current score?" Jason asked while putting his hand over his head.

Enzo doesn't know what Jason means. Jason sneered and repeated his question. "I wasn't informed that being a father can make a person dumb." He taunted.

Enzo glared at his brother, who seemed to enjoy his situation. Jason raised his hand in surrender and spoke once again.

"I'm asking you if you already settled your misunderstanding with Lewis in the past." Enzo gulped and nodded his head as he avoided the analytical sight of his brother, Jason.

"Then, what did she say? Did she accept your apology or brush you off because of her ire? Girls are the lost members of Amazon, you know? They look docile outside but can tear you up using their claws-like nails."

"She told me everything that happened to her six years ago, how she bore Tristan alone, suffered, and cried. She has given up her dreams for our son. I can't imagine seeing her suffering alone while listening to her. My conscience eats me alive. I am a

jerk and irresponsible father for not being there when she raised Tristan alone, fed him, and watched him grow up as a normal parent did." Jason could feel the frustration and agony in his brother's voice. This was the second time that he had seen Enzo like this. The first was when their mother left them, and her father died of depression.

Enzo palmed his face; imagining Abigaile experiencing those adversities alone felt like a thousand needles plunge Enzo's heart. He was there, waking up every single day, continuing his usual life, but Abigaile, in the latter part, was struggling to think how she could raise

Tristan without a father.

Enzo tells his brother all the difficulties that Abigaile had been through. Enzo could see Jason's hint of shock and sympathy for Abigaile upon hearing about the woman's life in Chicago.

"She was sent away from her parents, and I got her pregnant at fifteen. I am a jerk back then. I didn't know that broke her plans and pieces to the point that she experienced those painful sleepless nights and dark past." Enzo could feel

the tears on the edge of his eyes. He wiped it harshly as he remembered how Abigaile cried in front of him while telling her past, raising Tristan alone, bravely.

Jason tapped his brother's shoulder again to make Enzo feel that he was beside him, making him think of his brotherly support. "Perhaps, the reason why fate made your paths collide was to rewrite the past and stand as the second chance for you and Abigaile?"

And there, Enzo grimaced and told his brother what was bothering his heart. "If that's the case, I'll be grateful if Abigaile will give our relationship another shot. I'll make up for everything with her and our child. I worked hard to become a better person, not the Enzo she met before, but the Enzo Robinson who would do anything to rectify my mistakes and heal the scars I left in Abigaile's heart, but..." Jason noticed Enzo's voice trembled into a sob.

"It's too late, brother; she already had someone she could gaze fondly at. Make all the gestures she has done to me in the past and tell me about her future goals. I'm afraid I'm too late, brother," Enzo bowed his head and wiped away his tears. "All I can do right now is to be a better father for Tristan, but my relationship with Abigaile will never be the same.

Enzo puffed for air and grimaced in front of his brother. Jason knew how Enzo could smile and fake that he was fine, but his eyes couldn't lie; they were filled with pain from his regrets.