Secret? I don't know how I feel aboutthat.
Silas, who was taken aback by his mother's sudden confession, looked up, matching her gaze. "What secret?"
Sophia paused for a second. Silas was bad at reading people. In fact, the manalogy freak had a grave flaw: he had no understanding of humans and their emotions. So the oblivious prodigy could only make guesses about what was going to come.
As Sophia was about to word out the secret she claimed to have been hiding for a long time, she got a call. Her ringtone broke through the silence.
"Just a minute." She glanced at the phone that was kept by her side on the table.
"I'll have to take this one. It's important." Saying that, Sophia stood up, walking a bit away from the table to the window that showed the beautiful outside view.
Looking at this, Silas felt a little relaxed. Hearing that he was going to be told something that had been withheld until now had made him tense up. More than that, he wasn't even the same person! He also suspected that his mother might've already seen through his facade.
Sophia's call lasted for a while. In the meantime, Silas made guesses about what the secret could be but soon found himself lacking a lot of information.
Transmigration's side effect is memory loss? No, perhaps the less important memories get erased because of the consciousness overlapping.
By then the waiters from before had already arrived with their meal.
There were two plates set before him. The waiter carefully placed a dish of butter chicken, it had creamy tomato sauce that caught Silas's attention. Alongside that was a mound of fragrant basmati rice speckled with saffron threads. A bowl of paneer tikka, its cubes marinated in spices and charred to perfection was added next.
Next came a small serving of dal makhani, rich and velvety, slow-cooked with black lentils and kidney beans, releasing a comforting aroma that mingled with the scent of warm, fluffy naan. A few slices of fresh cucumber, tomato, and red onion lay on a side plate, offering a crisp, cooling balance to the richness of the other dishes.
Silas's mouth watered; he quickly wanted to eat, but his previous life had taught him enough decency to wait for his mother before starting.
But thinking about how the original Silas would've acted, he figured it was best to drop the formalities and do the honors of digging in right away. Silas convinced himself that it was only because he had to act like Silas and not because he was really hungry.
As Silas was halfway through his dinner and was enjoying all the different flavors, Sophia joined him. Without saying anything, she too started eating. It was clear that the secret was delayed for a while.
Having savored the naan and butter chicken to its fullest, Silas moved on to taste the basmati rice. With a spoon, he carved out a small portion of the rice mound, taking some on the spoon. Then he dipped it in the bowl of dal makhani before stuffing it in his mouth. He didn't quite understand what he was eating, but he was getting positive feedback from his taste buds.
It only took a few more minutes for him to finish eating. Sophia, having started late, was still eating. After finishing, Silas picked up the napkin that had at some point been placed without him noticing on his right. He unfolded the napkin, then used it to wipe both his hands and mouth, and folded it back, placing it right where it had been before.
Just then, he realized that he was subconsciously being formal and also expressing excellent table manners—something Silas wouldn't do!
Having come to the realization, he quickly looked up in front only to meet his mother's gaze, which was quietly observing him. He quickly broke the eye contact. For a while, neither of them said anything.
After finishing eating, Sophia glanced around, then she looked at Silas and spoke,
"About earlier..."
"Earlier?" Silas fumbled a reply without thinking.
"The secret I mentioned. That might have to wait for now. It seems like I will have to leave the city for a while. I will be back in a week. I will tell you about the secret after I return. You don't need to think about it while I am gone."
Just then the waiter arrived with a small tray. It carried two small bowls of gulab jamun, a golden spheres soaked in fragrant sugar syrup, which was perfect for a sweet finish to the meal.
As the waiter served the dessert, Silas could only think about what the secret could be. The thought of having to wait a week in suspense did make him more curious about the secret; however, it also relieved Silas. He did not want to hear about a mother-son secret.
Sophia did not mention anything else, and so Silas did not bother asking further. The dessert already had his complete attention.
Silas picked up the spoon. He then precisely cut the golden sphere that was still warm and had a sweet smell in half. Sweet syrup oozed out as the spoon made its way through the layers. He carefully picked up a small piece on the spoon, bringing it near his mouth while maintaining the bowl under the spoon with his other hand, making sure not to drop the syrup.
As the spoon entered his mouth and made contact with his tongue, a very sweet taste spread rapidly. The characteristic sweetness mixed with the soft, chewy texture of the dessert made Silas want to eat more and more. Every bite was more delicious than the previous one.
Sophia looked at Silas, who was enjoying the dessert. She did not interrupt him and ate her own portion.
"Right, since I will be gone for a week, make sure to pay regular visits to Mrs. Miratya. Her situation has been worsening. At her age, there isn't much she is able to do on her own," Sophia said casually, finishing her dessert and instructing Silas.
Mrs. Miratya was an old woman in her 70s. She was Silas and Sophia's neighbor and the only other person Silas had a conversation with after dropping out of school apart from his mother. Five years ago, the pain of having lost her husband gradually led to the worsening of her situation. Mrs. Miratya did not have any children, so she always treated Silas as her own grandchild.
As the corresponding information surfaced in his brain, Silas quickly nodded in affirmation before finishing his leftover dessert.
Sophia also wanted to use this time to confront her son about his future; about what he had planned on becoming or doing; but seeing him happy and enjoying himself made Sophia hold back. She decided to forget it for the moment, for it could always be talked about later.
After finishing the last bit of dessert and finding out the hard way that directly drinking the sweet syrup wasn't a good idea, Silas and Sophia left.
Outside the big building of Restaurant Fantasia, their driver was patiently waiting for them. Silas got into the back seat with his mother.
The entire way back was quiet; the only noise was of the moving car and, at times, the faint sound of honking through the closed windows. Silas's eyes were focused outside. He still could not believe that he had actually transmigrated to a whole different world.
After arriving at their house, Silas got out and went inside. He was a little tired and sleepy. Sophia also got out of the car, and as she did, she handed the driver a bag in which she had some food packed from the restaurant.
The driver thanked Sophia, parked the car in their garage, and left for home.
Sophia went inside, into her own room.
Silas had already changed into comfortable clothes and was ready to sleep. Covering his body with a blanket, he could not help but miss his sister, although he did not quite understand that feeling.
He was scared and also excited for what the future held for him. He wanted to go back, and for that, he would have to learn more about manalogy and fill the gaps in his knowledge. Thinking about this, Silas slowly drifted into dreams and fell asleep.
Silas's eighteenth birthday came to an end. Both Silas and Caleric had now turned eighteen.