With the pot steaming right next to him, Karma slowly stirred the ingredients and then moved to the cutting board, where he sliced the carrot into tiny pieces before throwing them into the pot.
It had been about two weeks since his son and his friend, Julian, left for Gaul's boarding school.
Besides a few text messages and calls, he hadn't heard much about the ongoings at the school, but Principal Azer kept all the parents up to date with a newsletter every week.
After getting used to his house being quite a bit louder, it had turned quiet again as he was the only one living here now.
It was a bittersweet feeling.
Karma turned around after hearing the strange sound.
It almost sounded like someone threw a snowball into his window.
He opened the kitchen's curtains, and to his surprise, there was a gray-feathered pigeon staring back at him with a curious gaze.
"A pigeon? What in the world…"
Karma thought about just ignoring it and going back to cooking, but then he saw something tied to its leg.
It was clearly a letter, but not just one, there was two letters, one tied to each leg.
'A letter? Who uses pigeons to travel letters in this day and age?'
He opened the window, and the pigeon took a short flight before landing on his hand. It then, surprisingly enough, used its other leg to untie the letter and let it fall to the hand.
'It is a surprisingly intelligent creature.'
Karma thought, and then without further ado, the small-winged pigeon took flight and left without waiting for him to write a response to the letter.
After all, Bella didn't need a response. She just wanted to give him closure and help him move on with his life.
'A letter for me? I wonder who it could be. It had a second letter too, but I guess that wasn't for me.'
Karma sat down at the kitchen table, opened the letter, and began to read it.
It didn't take long for his eyes to pop open in shock.
The elegant and beautiful handwriting took his breath away.
He slowly read through the letter, and slowly, his heart was filled with contentment. The letter included everything he needed to know.
'That's all I needed to know, and now I can move on.'
He slowly closed the letter, put it away, and took a deep breath, feeling at peace for the first time in years.
Despite the steaming pot almost overflowing, he kept staring out of the window towards the setting sun and allowed himself to smile, feeling a weight lifted off his shoulders.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door.
Karma quickly moved the steaming pot off the stove and headed to the door to see who was there.
After the door opened, Bernard, the headmaster of Irio High, stood there smiling, holding a gift box wrapped in shiny red paper.
The gift box had sweets, mugs, and some cookies. It was clearly a high-end gift that was sold in upscale boutique stores.
"You are… Bernard, right?"
He remembered seeing his face on TV a couple of times. He was quite popular as the headmaster of Irio High.
Irio High had always been considered to be the main school of Irio because it carried the name Irio.
However, that thought had slowly disappeared from people's minds after the success that Karuza High had at the biggest stage.
"Oh, you know who I am? I've heard quite a lot about you as well."
Bernard said with a beaming smile on his face.
"Uh, may I ask why you've come here? If you're looking for my son, he is at Gaul. The boarding school stuff."
Bernard shook his head and handed Karma the expensive-looking gift box.
"I am here to talk to you."
Karma raised an eyebrow and accepted the gift box. Well, he was forced to accept it because Bernard was pushing it into his hands.
Bernard asked, but it was clear he wasn't taking no for an answer. Karma let out a sigh, let him in, and closed the door behind him.
"You're making food? Smells delicious."
Bernard said and patted the couch cushion, as if it were dirty, and then sat down before crossing his legs.
He looked around the living room, saw some of the framed pictures of Karma and Kiernan. It surprised him how such a great genius was born in such a humble abode.
"You're free to eat with me unless you're busy."
Karma said, and sat across from Bernard at the small living room table.
"I just ate. I won't stop you from eating, though. Feel free."
Bernard said with a smile.
"I'll eat later. What is it that you wanted to talk about?"
Bernard interlocked his fingers, smiled once again, and said.
"What do you think about your son joining my school? Is that something you would be open to discussing?"
'Since I wasn't answering their phone calls because I knew what it was all about, he decided to visit me at home. I thought they would give up after Kiernan already left for the boarding school, but I guess not.'
Karma let out a deep sigh and said.
"I let my son decide. He decided to leave for the boarding school, and I respect his decision."
"Why don't you try changing his mind? Irio High has a rich history of success. Money won't be a problem. I am even willing to pay him to come to my school.
"You want to pay my son to study in your school? I think there are some government laws that forbid that. Are you trying to break the law?"
Bernard just laughed at Karma's words.
"Those laws can be bent and interpreted in different ways. As long as we keep it discreet, no one will find out.
"Maybe in one year from now on, depending on your son's success in the nationals, you can move to the same neighborhood as I with so much wealth that you don't even know what to do with it."
"It sounds very… tempting, yes, but I really, and I mean really, don't trust you, and I won't allow my son to be influenced by you."
Karma stood up and pointed at the door.
"If you don't mind, I'd like you to leave."
Bernard pinched his glabella, took off his jacket, and rubbed the back of his head.
"All of you… Sure like to be a pain in the ass!"
With a backhand, Bernard sent Karma flying through the living room. He crashed into a wall, making a dent in the drywall.
Karma coughed out blood, his eyes shaking in surprise.