"Aunt?"
Ricco stared at his mom's phone, a small frown on his lips.
"Why is she calling mom after all these years?" he asked himself aloud.
"Ricco, I can hear my phone ring!" Delfina yelled from the bathroom.
"Quit yelling, mom. I know," Ricco replied.
"So? Who's calling?" Delfina asked as she stepped out of the bathroom.
She lived in a small studio apartment with her son. Their house wasn't much but it still contained the amenities like their bathroom and kitchen.
She had worked two jobs before she was able to sign the lease of this house but now, with the rate Ricco was going in and out of a hospital she doubted she could afford the next lease.
But till then, she'll know what to do.
"It's Aunt," he replied with a suspicious tone.
Delfina chuckled. "That's your Grandaunt. Why do you sound so suspicious?"
Ricco shrugged. "I just think it's suspicious that he's calling you after all these years."
Delfina gave her son a weird look. "You sound like an adult sometimes."
Ricco frowned. "Oh please, mother, half the adults I know have stones for brains so thank you very much but I'm not an adult."
Delfina chuckled at her son's honesty. Aside from his heart condition, Ricco was a very smart and attentive kid. He always noticed those little things that most people overlooked and sometimes he spoke like a grown-up.
Like how he did just now. She had already expressed her concerns to his doctor but he just assured her that her child was 'special' that was all he said.
She hadn't bothered herself about his attitude again.
"Alright, Ricco. You've made your point, now can I have my phone?" "Only if you promise to always think before acting," Ricco said simply.
Delfina scoffed. "I'm your mother and I do the thinking for us so hand over my phone this instant and go play like the child you are!"
Quietly, Ricco gave her the phone and stepped out of the house.
She knew she hurt him by yelling at him but she needed him to be disciplined not always act like a smarty-pants.
She dialed her uncle's number again. She couldn't blame Ricco for acting the way he did because she hadn't been in contact with anyone for over five years now. She only spoke occasionally to her uncle but no one else. So she too was surprised when he said her aunt was calling her.
Her uncle picked up on the second ring.
"Hey, Fina. How are you?" her uncle asked over the phone.
"I'm doing fine, Uncle. How about you?" she asked with a smile.
"I'm doing great. How are you and Ricco doing?"
"We're good, Uncle. Listen, Lucia called me."
There was a slight pause on the other end of the line then he resumed talking.
"I talked about inviting you and Ricco for dinner. I was going to call you later and invite you but she just called so I guess she wanted to be nice," her uncle replied.
Delfina frowned. "Dinner? With your family?"
"That's your family, Fina. I know you don't exactly see eye to eye with my wife and daughter but I would like Ricco to meet them."
Delfina nodded before she realized he couldn't see her.
"Alright, uncle. I'll come to the house tonight with Ricco."
"See you soon," he said and hung up.
Delfina sighed. She had a lot of things on her mind and dealing with her aunt and cousin wasn't on her list but she had no choice, she had to respect her uncle. "You can just say no, mom."
Delfina jumped, startled at the voice of her son behind her.
"When did you come in and when did you become a mind-reader?" she quizzed, slightly irritated.
"I've been here for a while but then you had a very readable expression on your face," he replied with a small shrug.
"We're going. Go get dressed."
***
The trip to her uncle's house took longer than expected since she lived four hours away from them and there was traffic.
After almost five hours of journey, she showed up on the porch with her son clutching her hand. She didn't think she would be back here after everything her aunt and cousin put her through.
The door swung open before she could knock and her uncle enveloped her in a hug.
She was surprised at her uncle's action but she still found it endearing.
When he released her, he tackled Ricco with a hug and tried to tickle him.
Ricco just stood, arms akimbo staring at him.
"Uncle, he has no tickle spot," she intervened, already feeling embarrassed for her uncle.
His face red with shame, he stood up and smiled at him. "I'm sorry," he apologized.
"Apology…" Ricco trailed off when she saw the look on his mom's face, he felt bad.
"Don't listen to my mom, Granduncle. I'm extremely ticklish. You just have to do it close to my stomach," he lied.
Her uncle's face lit up immediately and Delfina wondered why her son was lying. She knew he has been about to smart-mouth her uncle but suddenly he lied and was now fake-laughing?
She made it a mental note to ask her son about this behavior when they got home. The boy acted like he had a mind of his own.
Her uncle ushered them in and Ricco went to the back of the house to explore. She decided to catch him up about her life for the past six years now because he asked.
"So you live in a studio apartment?" her uncle asked.
She nodded, she had skipped the part where she might not be able to afford the studio next year which was just four months away.
"Why would you do that when you can live in this mansion with us?" her uncle asked.
"Uncle, I can't."
"My wife and daughter won't be a bother, I'll make sure of it. If anything, they should be grateful because it was your sacrifice that made me regain my footing again." "I don't think they will understand and steer clear…"
A loud cry in the courtyard interrupted her and she recognized it as Ricco's voice.
"That's Ricco!" she exclaimed running to the courtyard, her uncle following closely behind.
She saw Gemma standing close to Ricco, a small cane in her hand. "Did you spank my son?" she asked, calmly trying to control herself.
"Yes. Because he has no manners. He can't speak to me anyhow he likes and get away with it. I will teach him a lesson because I can see he took after his mannnerles mother!" Gemma fumed..
Rage flooded through her body, intoxicating her like wine. Her hands moved before her heart thought of anything. She slapped Gemma on the face, hard because she saw her handprints on Gemma's face.
Gemma cried out, attracting her mother's attention who came running out.
"You're here to ruin things again with that child!" Lucia yelled at her, "You have no right to touch my daughter." "No, she had no right to spank my son and I will not tolerate it. The slap is just a warning, the next time you so much as offensively look in his direction I'll murder you!" Delfina warned.
Gemma and her mother gasped looking mortified.
"Are you going to stand there and watch her insult and threaten us?" Lucia asked, referring to her uncle.
Her cousin chirped in. "Yes, father. Do something!"
"I believe that you and your mom had this coming for a long time," her uncle replied then turned to her, "I'm proud of you, darling."
Gemma saw red as her father ushered her cousin and son inside. She turned to her mom who was equally furious. "You're going to regret this, Delfina!" they screamed after her.
Something told her it wasn't an empty threat but she didn't care, she was ready to kill for the sake of her son. She wouldn't let them bully him as they did to her.
"Good job!" her uncle beamed at her.