After a half-hour drive, I arrive at the small restaurant I plan to explore. It doesn't seem very crowded, and there are many female servers there.
I sat in the corner so I wouldn't stand out too much because of the clothes I was wearing.
"Rice, chicken, and water spinach, please," I ordered from one of the waitresses.
I kept my jacket and sunglasses on just in case my dad came here again. And I parked the car a bit far from here on purpose.
"Here you go, sir, your order…" a woman served me.
"Thank you… um… Miss?"
"Can I ask, is there an employee named Ivory here?" I asked the waitress in a low voice.
"As far as I know, no, sir. The name is Ivory," she replied.
It turns out she's not at this restaurant. But it's okay; knowing her name and address is enough. There's no need to rush; everything will come out eventually. I'm optimistic in my heart.
I looked around; there seemed to be no one I knew or who knew me. I finished the food I ordered and hurriedly left. "Ma'am… The usual order, two portions."
Before I finished eating, I heard my Dad ordering food. I saw him come alone, but he ordered two portions. Maybe for his friend who would join later.
Luckily, my Dad was sitting a bit far from me, and since it was lunchtime, the place was getting crowded, which was good. From here, I could monitor what my Dad was doing without being noticed.
And sure enough, shortly afterward, a woman approached Dad's seat and sat across from him—it was Ivory.
The curiosity that had been bothering me all this time was finally answered. Right before my own eyes.
I never would have guessed that the man I had always respected, admired, and considered the best Dad could do such things behind my back and my mother's.
At that moment, I lost control and wanted to hit my Dad. But I held back, for the sake of the family's reputation. Then I decided to take a photo of the two of them as evidence.
After finishing their meal, the two of them parted ways. My Dad went to his office, and Ivory rode her motorcycle toward her house.
My emotions began to calm down, and I returned home with a bitter truth about my family.
When I arrived home, I looked for my mom.
"Mom… where are you?"
For some reason, I felt guilty toward my mom. I wanted to tell her everything, but I was worried that my mom and dad would argue. Especially since I was about to leave for the city to continue my studies.
"What's wrong, dear… where have you been? Have you eaten lunch yet, dear…?" my mom's voice came from behind me.
I took off my jacket and hat, threw my glasses onto the living room sofa. I immediately embraced my mother tightly, very tightly. She returned my hug, stroking my back while whispering.
"Mom is ready to listen to your story, dear…" she said with concern.
It felt so comforting to be hugged by my mother. I didn't want to let go. This time, I wasn't aroused; maybe because this hug wasn't about desire, but about love.
I'd rather not tell her. I don't want Mom to be hurt or sad. I want my Mom to stay cheerful like usual, I thought to myself.
"Jaxon loves Mom..."
I released Mom's hug and kissed her beautiful lips tenderly.
~~~~
A week has passed since I found out that my Dad was having an affair, and by deciding to keep my Dad's secret to myself, I went back to acting normal. I wanted my mother to stop worrying about me being so quiet and gloomy all the time. I joked around with my Dad again so that he wouldn't suspect me.
There's something I want to confirm—what exactly caused Dad to act so cruelly. Every night for a week, I secretly eavesdropped on Dad and Mom's activities in their room. It turned out they never had a marital relationship.
So that's why Dad cheated? I thought.
I felt sorry for Mom; she must feel empty as a wife.
At that time, all I could think about was how to take revenge on Dad for how he treated Mom. And give Mom the emotional satisfaction she couldn't get from Dad.
Recalling what I had done with Mom in my room, the idea of doing it again suddenly crossed my mind.
But how to start?
One morning, as noon approached, Mom was sitting quietly on the sofa, watching a gossip show on TV. Dressed in a housecoat like any ordinary housewife. Since I had had sex with Mom and acted as if I was rejecting her, she never showed me her sexy clothes again.
"Mom…" I called out, approaching the sofa.
"Hmm… what is it, dear?" she replied, still staring at the TV.
"Why don't I ever see Mom wearing the clothes Mom used to wear when I first came home?" I said, starting to tease Mom.
"Mom has thrown them all away, dear… Mom thinks Mom doesn't need those kinds of clothes anymore," she said, turning to look at me.
"Yaaah... why did you throw them away?" I asked, a little disappointed.
"Why...? Are you missing them?" Mom teased me with her sweet smile.
"Um... a little, Mom..." I answered shyly, rubbing my index fingers together.
"Yesterday, weren't you angry with Mom, to the point of ignoring Mom like that... Well, Mom just threw away the clothes! And there won't be anything like yesterday again! Once is enough!" Mom said firmly, knowing exactly what I was thinking, then turned away and pouted.
It's only natural that Mom said that. First, because I'm her child, and second, because I once ignored her, hurting her feelings.
I went into my room and started thinking about my plan to get back at Dad, so he'd feel lost and come back to Mom.
Bzzz. My phone vibrated.
"I'm coming over to your place now!"
It was Benny who sent the message. And I let him come over. It was actually convenient for me, rather than just sitting around in my room.
Benny came alone, with his usual playful smile and jokes that always made me laugh. He reminded me of our promise to play PlayStation.