Part 33

Abigail rested her chin on the bar table, her eyes watching her aunt as she prepared dinner for them.

"Don't you get a headache from just watching me this whole time? Why don't you grab a knife and help me prepare the food?" Claire spoke without taking her eyes off the meal she was making.

"I'm your guest. Everywhere else, guests get served food, not asked to help make it," Abigail responded casually.

Claire could only shake her head at her niece's reply. If she weren't her niece, Claire might have already hit Abigail's mouth with a spatula for her cheeky attitude.

Claire turned around and placed the steaming stir-fry on the table. Then she grabbed another plate, which she filled with fried chicken that she had drained earlier. She set the plate of chicken on the same table and then turned back to get the chili sauce.

"Aunty, what's Flavia's dad like at the office?" Abigail asked, biting into her fried chicken.

"Why do you ask?" Claire responded, smothering her chicken with sauce.

"I'm just curious. Is Flavia's dad as cool as Uncle Altezza or not?"

"What does Altezza look like?"

"Handsome," Abigail answered innocently. Claire laughed at her response.

"Besides handsome?"

Abigail furrowed her brow. She took another bite of her food before answering. "He's friendly, and he seems to really love Flavia. He's the cool uncle type."

"As cool as Uncle G?"

"Yeah, kind of similar," Abigail answered with a forced smile. "Do you think Flavia's dad is handsome?"

Now it was Claire's turn to furrow her brow. After a moment, she nodded. "Yes, for a mature man, he's considered handsome."

"Why do you call him a 'mature man'?"

"Well, because he's not a teenager or even just an adult anymore."

Abigail pouted. "Just say he's too old," she remarked as she took another bite of food. "Do you think he's a good father?"

Claire shrugged. "What do you think? You probably know more than I do," Claire replied.

"How would I know? You're the one who spends more time with Uncle Antony, not me."

Claire shook her head again. "I only see Flavia's dad for a few minutes a day, Abby. He's my boss, and he's way above me in position. But you, you hear about him from Flavia all the time, so you probably know more about him than I do."

Abigail nodded, understanding her aunt's point. "I think he's not that different from my dad. They're both busy with work. The difference is, my dad spends more time with me, my mom, and my sister, while Uncle Antony doesn't."

"What has Flavia told you about her dad?" Claire asked, now curious.

"Flavia says she hardly ever sees her dad, even during school holidays. You know she spends more time with Uncle Altezza," Abigail answered with a hint of frustration in her voice.

"Does Flavia think her dad is strict?"

"No, her dad isn't strict; he just seems like he doesn't care about Flavia because he prioritizes his work over her."

"And does Flavia think her dad is mean?" Abigail shook her head.

"Does she think her dad doesn't love her?" Abigail shook her head again.

"Does Flavia love her dad?" This time, Abigail nodded.

"Flavia says she knows her dad loves her because if he didn't, he wouldn't give her what she wants. She also said if her dad didn't love her, she wouldn't be living with him now—she'd be with her mom instead. But even so, Flavia still feels lonely."

Claire nodded in understanding. As an adult, she could empathize with Flavia's feelings. Every child wants their parents to be present. Even though Flavia was never lacking financially, deep down, she surely longed for her father's presence.

"Has Flavia ever met her biological mother?" Claire asked, a question that suddenly nagged at her.

Abigail shook her head. "Flavia told me that Granny once offered to show her a photo of her mom, but Flavia refused."

"Why did she refuse?"

"She said she didn't think it was necessary. If her mother really loved her, she should've cared about her. She should've come to see her because Flavia is sure Granny wouldn't stop her from meeting her. Do you think that's true? That her grandmother wouldn't block her mother from meeting Flavia?"

Claire shrugged again. "I don't know. I've only met her once, so I don't know her well. But you've met her more often—what do you think?"

"I don't understand how adults think," Abigail answered with a shrug. She had finished her dinner and was now licking her fingers clean of the remaining sauce. "Aunty, if Flavia's dad proposed to you, would you want to be her stepmom?" The question was asked in a flat tone, but somehow it struck Claire deeply.

Claire shot a sharp look at her niece. "That question again?" she snapped, but Abigail nodded. "I already gave you my answer a few days ago, didn't I? Or have you forgotten? You're not getting forgetful, are you?" Claire teased.

Abigail shook her head. "That was a few days ago. It's different now."

"How is it different?"

"The days have changed, so maybe your mind has changed too," Abigail replied with a mischievous smile.

"Weird kid," Claire muttered under her breath. She grabbed both her empty plate and Abigail's, then carried them to the sink. Abigail followed with her empty glass in hand.

"What's so weird about it? I'm asking from the bottom of my heart," Abigail responded in an exaggerated tone.

Claire shot her a side-eye but chose to ignore the nosy girl and continued washing the dishes. Instead of leaving, Abigail turned around and leaned her back against the kitchen counter.

"What's weird is your question. Out of nowhere, you're asking me if I'd want to be Flavia's mom."

"That's not weird. It's actually a perfectly reasonable question from a friend who's concerned about her friend's future," Abigail replied dramatically, still maintaining her exaggerated style.

"What do you mean by that?"

"You don't know how Flavia cried and begged me to convince you to become her mother. As a good friend, of course, I want her to be happy. And she even said she'd be happier if she could be my sister."

"Now, think about it. How could we become sisters? I can't ask my parents to adopt her because she already has a father. And I can't ask Grandma to make her one of her grandchildren because she already has me and my siblings."

"So, the only solution I can think of is for you to marry her father. Obviously, I can't ask Uncle G to marry Flavia's dad," Abigail concluded with exaggerated seriousness.

"So, if I marry Flavia's dad, she'll automatically become my daughter, and you'll be her cousin. Is that what you mean?" Claire asked, giving her niece a sharp look.