Chapter 45: Theo (I)
Theo Zaal, the son of Tessa and Neban, was born on the simplest of days.
When Tessa first saw Neban, the thought going through her head was that she wanted him. And not because she fell for him; no, it was far from that. Because she knew that someday the man would have fame and fortune.
Even though the man was not a hunter, she could feel how overwhelming his aura was.
So Tessa wanted to manipulate the man into falling in love with her, possibly trapping him with a child, so he could offer her everything she always wanted.
Initially, she thought it was easy when she started hanging out where the man would usually go because he seemed to have set a routine for himself.
But she learned that it wasn't.
Neban would quickly enter and go like he was in a race on how fast he could get his order. It annoyed Tessa, but it did not stop her from trying to catch his attention.
When she finally got to talk to him, Tessa realized many things that would make it impossible for her to achieve her goal.
The first thing was that the man barely gave any information about himself (he wouldn't even give his phone number). Tessa only knew his name was Neban, he was working a regular job, and he had a mother and father.
And the man would always have something on that covered his face.
The second thing was that Neban was cold while barely talking to people.
When the man would open his mouth, his responses were short and to the point, almost sounding rude or like he was better than everyone else. His overwhelming aura was not the only thing keeping people away, Tessa supposed.
And finally, trying to seduce the man was like talking with a brick wall: unresponsive and unmovable.
Tessa tried all her tricks, even showing more skin than she ever did in her life! She feared that the man was gay, or even worse, impotent! How was she going to trap the man with a pregnancy if he did not sleep with her?
Then one day, it finally happened.
Tessa decided to be upfront and ask the man to sleep with her, to which he surprisingly agreed, stating that he wanted to try sex for the first time.
She internally cheered because it was finally going to happen. When they reached her place, Tessa, deviously, poked holes in the condom before they used it.
And after a month from when they did it, Tessa bought herself multiple pregnancy tests (she wanted to be sure since Neban wanted to sleep with her once).
Initially, when the results came, Tessa was delighted; she was pregnant! Now she could trap Neban, probably convince him to be a hunter, and get all the things she wanted.
But the excitement died down when Neban stopped talking with her because he caught how two-faced the woman could be; he did not like that she was not honest.
Tessa was furious, hating that she let herself get caught by acting like a sweet woman when she was a rude person in reality. She should not have yelled at those people at one of Neban's familiar places.
So she spent the rest of the months miserable with a baby growing in her stomach. Tessa never wanted a child, but now she was stuck with one.
When the baby was born, she did not name him nor give him the care that a mother was supposed to.
Tessa did change his diapers and occasionally feed him. But she ignored his cries and everything else. And as the boy started to grow more, Tessa was turning more hateful.
The baby's eyes were green, and his hair was brown, reminding her of Neban. She hated it because it proved how she never caught the man and was stuck with a baby she never wanted.
So one day, when the boy turned one-years-old, Tessa was packing her bags while clearing out her house. She was ready to leave and disappear from this country. But first, she had to get rid of the main baggage: her baby.
She walked outside with the baby, taking him to the park as she was getting ready to abandon him there when out of nowhere, she saw Neban!
Tessa could not believe her luck and how unlucky she was. She was disappearing today and did not want the man anymore after leaving her miserable with raising their baby (she never told him that she was pregnant).
So, she followed the man, making sure to stay a few feet behind while keeping the baby in her arms quiet. When Neban reached his place, opening and closing the door behind him, Tessa stood there, waiting a few minutes before walking to the door and knocking on it.
When Neban answered, he looked at her like he had no clue who Tessa was. She wanted to rage at the man for forgetting her; was she that bad at sex or something?
During her anger, she gave the baby to Neban while saying how the child was his, and she did not want it. Then, once Neban grabbed the baby, she disappeared like a ghost.
Tessa told herself that she did not want to come back.
****
Neban named the baby Theo after three days of trying to take care of him. His parents helped him with learning how to take care of a baby while deciding on a name.
The name came to him when he was watching a show with the baby, and the boy would seem to giggle every time he heard Theo. So Neban decided that he would name his child that.
The baby seemed to be thrilled and instantly started answering to the name Theo.
Neban spent his weeks taking care of Theo, growing attached to the boy when he realized that his home and salary were not big enough to raise a child.
So, regretfully, he became a hunter, leaving the boy behind most of the time because he wanted to make money to raise a child. At least with his level, he could save up enough money in a short time and retire while spending the rest of his years raising his son.
Now, if only he could get rid of the need of wanting to work all the time.
****
Theo was a smart baby.
At one, he was talking better than most toddlers while already writing (even though it was hard to read the words) and reading books. Theo was more mature and did not cause problems for his papa and grandparents.
The boy enjoyed reading, but most of all, he loved learning from the television.
He would watch all types of shows ranging from kids to teens (PG). Theo would learn how to speak from them and the outside world because he barely left home.
His grandparents would take him to the park a few times, while his papa worked most of the time.
But Theo did not complain because there were books and TVs at home that he could learn from while keeping him busy. Sometimes, he did wish he had more people to talk to.
When Theo turned two, he held conversations with his family, even though he would miss a few words in his sentences.
"How is my little buddy today?" His papa would ask when they would rest together on one of his rare days off.
They were lying in bed, Theo was resting on his papa's chest and stomach as his small hands grasped Neban's shirt.
"Want to read, papa." Theo wanted to read a book to Neban, showing him how much he was approving.
Neban smiled at Theo before running his hands through the boy's hair. Theo loved the feeling; it always bathed him with warmth and showed how loved he was.
Sometimes Theo would have dreams of a woman that did not love him and threw him away. But every time he opened his eyes from the dream and saw his papa, it would leave him.
Theo loves his papa, and his papa loves him.
"What story do you want to read to me?" Neban asked.
For most, it should be the other way around, but Neban enjoyed listening to his son read because every time Theo said something right, his face would light up.
Many times, people told Neban that he was a cold person who did not know how to love or care for anyone. But when it came to Theo, he knew that all those people were wrong.
He would do anything for his son because the boy was the world to him.
Theo picked his head up, looking at his papa with a smile, "You choose."
Neban chuckled before moving, setting his son down. He reached under the bed, keeping some books there as he pulled out the first one he felt. Then he put his hand over the cover so that it could be a surprise.
Theo put himself in a sitting position to see what his papa chose for him, but he couldn't see anything with Neban covering it.
Theo pouted, "What is it?"
Neban gave his son a small smile before opening the book and saying, "Read it to me and tell me what it is."
Theo's pout left him as he grabbed the book before moving into his papa's lap. He looked at the first page, taking in the pictures, before reading the words to Neban.
Neban held Theo with one arm while his other hand ran through the boy's hair as he listened to him. Even though the temperature was cold in the room, the scene was warm enough for them.