The next morning we again go down for breakfast. I forgot to charge my phone last night and it’s almost dead.
“ You didn’t eat much last night buddy. I suspect it’s because you didn’t like the food? “ Lucas asks, in a gentle tone.
“ It’s because I don’t like you. “ Tim replies bluntly. I stare at him but he ignores my warning.
“ Oh… too bad. I thought you and I could have some ice cream for breakfast. “ Lucas replies in a childish tone.
“ Did you say ice cream? Em never allows me to have it in the morning. “ Tim complains.
“ Well, Em is mean. You can have all the ice cream you want but..” Lucas outs out a condition and Tim’s smile fades away.
“ But? “ Tim asks.
“ You’ll have to be my friend. “ Lucas puts out.
Tim ponders for a second.
“ Do you have the cho... Choco…flavor? “ Tim asks, struggling to say the word chocolate.
“ I do, I also have chocolate chip, then chocolate fudge and cookie dough. “ Lucas completes. Proud of his little ice cream collection.
“ Friends! “ Tim exclaims and then Lucas brings him his ice-creams.
I’ll have to confiscate that before Tim eats too much and gets sick but for now, I let him be. Moving has been hard on him too even though he is just a child he feels the change too.
Just then, I get a call from John. I am about to pick it but my battery dies.
“ Lucas, John was calling me but my battery died. Can I call him on your phone? “ I ask.
“ Yeah, it’s in my bedroom. “ He replies. I scurry away to his bedroom to call John.
It must be important.
I open the phone, surprisingly it has no passcode.
I talk to John and after a few minutes, we say goodbye. Just then another call comes on the phone.
I call Lucas to tell him his phone is ringing. I try to pick up the call but I struggle to do so. Do I swipe left, or right, or down?
This is confusing. Swiping in every direction, I am unable to pick the call up but I end up opening the gallery.
There I see a video with my face as the thumbnail. I open to see it is recorded on the time I and Lucas went out in the club.
The video is shot by me. I can be seen swinging the camera here and there with a glass of alcohol in my hand. In the corner, I can see Lucas also consuming alcohol.
In fact, throughout the video, he consumes more alcohol than I do. The video ends in the club.
Just then Lucas arrives.
“ You..you have a missed call. “ I say extending his phone forward.
“ I accidentally opened the gallery. “ I inform him.
“ It’s okay. “ He assures me with a smile.
“ I opened the video after that. The one that I shot in the club. You… You never mentioned you were equally drunk? I blamed you for what happened that night and you didn’t even tell me that you were not sober either. “ I put out.
He stops scrolling on his phone and lifts his head, making direct eye contact.
“ Would it matter Emma? I’m the bad guy and I always will be in your eyes no matter what I do. “ He says and then departs, leaving me in unease.
I blamed him, I even thought he took advantage of me that night but he didn’t deny that. Why would he take all the blame when it wasn’t his fault? Why would he not try explaining himself?
Would it matter Emma? I’m the bad guy and I always will be in your eyes no matter what I do.
Maybe I’ve thought wrong of him all along….maybe he deserves another chance?