The Ex and Her Riches

Zendaya mimicked him and whispered, “Uncle Charles, let’s keep Benny company together. It won’t do if you keep running away, Uncle Charles. If we should apologize, then let’s apologize. One day, Benny will be touched by your apologies and forgive you!”

Charles’ face paled, but he patted her head and said, “This isn’t something that can be solved with an apology. Let me think of another way around this.”

Zendaya pouted and pointed out, “Uncle Charles, are you trying to avoid this?”

Charles fell silent.

He simply could not think of a way to face Benedict at the moment.

Whenever he saw the way Benedict weakly lay on the bed, the feelings of guilt and helplessness would threaten to drown him.

It crushed him.

“Uncle Charles,” Zendaya cried out, swinging Charles’ arm and pestering him. “Come in with me. Sometimes Mommy ignores Daddy because of his mistakes too. When that happens, Daddy will just keep pestering her. He’ll do anything to get back into her good books. I’m sure he wants to stomp his foot and start bawling sometimes as well.”

Then, Zendaya covered her mouth and giggled. “Uncle Charles, have you heard of a fruit called durian? Why don’t you get some of them? If Benny doesn’t want to forgive you, then you can just kneel on that fruit’s thorny shell. I’m sure Benny will be moved by that.”

Charles turned speechless.

No godfather ever went on his knees for his godson.

Even if they were not godfather and godson, he, as someone older than Benedict, would technically never kneel before a child.

Still, he was more curious as to why Zendaya would think of durians. “Zendy, why would you ask me to get durians and kneel on them? Did your daddy… do this before?”

Zendaya earnestly shook her head. “I don’t know. Mommy keeps the door shut whenever she scolds Daddy, so I wouldn’t know. The walls in our house are thick too, so even when I tried to eavesdrop, I couldn’t hear anything.”

At that, Charles’ expression darkened.

door and a

those two phrases were placed together in a situation involving a couple, he could not help but think about

he asked, “Then why would you

on her face. “That’s because durians taste great! I’m craving a little for some, and Benny likes it too. If you’re going to kneel on its shell, then we can eat

gave Charles another suggestion, “If you don’t like

corners of Charles’ lips twitched. “Zendy, you’re…

were chatting,

an icy voice,

mouth and muttered, “Oh no! Was I too loud? Did Benny

if he heard us? It’s not as

hair, he sighed and said, “Zendy, go in and keep your brother company. I’ll go

“Yay!” Zendaya cheered.

the ward, Zendaya

hungry, Benny? We’ll be having fruits in the afternoon—durians and

as he glanced at her. He then pushed away her approaching

back after her half-an-hour meeting. A quarter of an hour

“No, I don’t want to! I want to eat durians and pineapples with you! By the way, Uncle Charles is here to apologize

had blurted out to Benedict a plan that Charles had not even agreed

“He’s… going to kneel before me? Did he say so

“Uh-huh,” Zendaya affirmed.

was doubtful, but he could not help wondering if it was true. Still, it did not dismiss the hatred he had

karma will get to me and cut my lifespan shorter if someone older kneels before me. Is he trying to

thought that

pineapples. He never said anything about kneeling, but that doesn’t matter. You’re sick because of Uncle Charles, and you’re hurting once in a while because of

a

head and flashed

have to eat a few more pieces of durian flesh… I mean… If I have to pay the price to get you both to make up