My Handsome Uncle, Please Be Mine!

24 || The Truth? ||

Part 24.

“Papa,” called out Kimmy with her cute voice.

“Yes, dear?” Joe replied. “What’s up, honey?” he added.

“Grandma said I’m going to have a new mom, is that true, Pa?” Kimmy asked, her voice trembling in typical four-year-old fashion.

“No, sweetheart,” Joe answered, unable to explain further.

“Mama, why did Mama leave us, Pa?” Tears welled up in the little girl’s eyes.

“Papa promised he wouldn’t leave Kimmy, Kimmy, don’t be sad, okay?” Joe reassured her.

Kimmy nodded slowly.

“Now go to sleep, okay?” Joe requested. He wanted to quickly get Clara out of her hiding place. It wouldn’t be fair for her to hide there for hours.

“Yes, Pa,” Kimmy replied.

But the little girl couldn’t seem to close her eyes; her gaze was fixed on the photo of her parents’ wedding.

“Papa!” Kimmy whispered.

“Yes, dear?”

“Thank you for putting Mama’s picture back up; I don’t feel lonely now because whenever I miss Mama, I can see her there, and Mama is also watching me!” she said.

Joe nodded.

Oh!

Clara just realized that the photo was still there not because Joe hadn’t moved on, but because of Kimmy’s wish.

So, what did that kiss mean? “Does Uncle Joe love me?” Clara’s question flashed through her mind.

“You go to sleep now! Papa is sleepy!” Joe coaxed as he turned off the main light and hugged Kimmy, hoping his little daughter would fall asleep soon so he could bring Clara out.

The ticking of the clock continued. Seconds turned into minutes. Joe observed Kimmy, who had fallen asleep.

After making sure his daughter was asleep, Joe breathed a sigh of relief. Slowly, he got up from bed and walked quietly to the wardrobe.

He opened it and led Clara out.

“Uncle, I want to go back to my room now!” Clara whispered.

“It’s only nine o’clock; Mom and Dad are still in the living room; wait until ten!” Joe requested.

Clara nodded and complied.

The room was dimly lit. Two bedside lamps cast a soft glow, along with the light from the balcony.

“Uncle!”

“Yes?”

“Where’s the sofa?” Clara, unfamiliar with Joe’s room layout, asked.

Joe guided Clara to the sofa. They decided to sit together, side by side, on the plush seats.

“Uncle,” Clara whispered.

“What is it, Clara?” Joe responded, holding Clara’s hand tightly.

“That photo, the photo of Uncle and Aunt Vivian’s wedding, let it stay there!” Clara said.

“Why? I thought you didn’t like it being there?” Joe turned his face closer to Clara’s cheek. There was a comforting feeling that couldn’t be expressed. There was a different feeling in his heart; no emptiness anymore. The void in his heart seemed to be filled with Clara’s presence.

“Isn’t Kimmy the reason Uncle keeps that photo there?” Clara asked.

There was no answer from Joe.

“Has Uncle forgotten about Aunt Vivian?” Clara asked again. She really wanted to know, especially since Joe had stolen her first kiss. Clara’s enthusiasm grew; she wanted to know what was truly in Uncle’s heart.

“Whether I want it or not, do I have to forget her? It hurts to love someone unilaterally, Clara, it’s very painful. She became selfish and did whatever she wanted. And… Even when I gave in and followed all her wishes, I was still wrong,” Joe said.

Silence.

Oh! There was a tightness in Clara’s chest. It was overwhelmingly heavy.

“What about my feelings for Uncle? Is it the same as Uncle’s feelings for Aunt Vivian? Will I also feel the pain Uncle feels?” Clara asked.

Joe couldn’t answer. Clara, she had a strong charm. But, when it came to love, her heart was hurting.

“Answer me, Uncle,” Clara urged.

Joe chose to remain silent because he couldn’t explain anything to Clara.

.

.

.

.

“Clara,” Joe whispered after they had been silent for a while.

“Um…” Clara murmured unenthusiastically, glancing repeatedly at the time on her phone that still hadn’t reached 10:00 PM.

“Are you angry?” Joe asked.

“I’m not angry, Uncle!” Clara replied quickly. “Can I make a request?” she asked.

“Go ahead, I’ll do anything you want!” Joe answered. He felt guilty and afraid of upsetting Clara. He was starting to get carried away by the atmosphere. An atmosphere where attraction and liking turned into excessive care.

“As long as the contract hasn’t ended, I hope Uncle Joe won’t bring anyone between us!” Clara insisted, releasing Joe’s grasp.

“Of course, Clara!” Joe replied. He wrapped his arm around Clara’s waist. There was a sense of gratitude that emerged. If it weren’t for Clara, during the difficult times of his divorce from Vivian, maybe every night he would only run to alcohol. But, because of Clara, because of Clara’s presence, Joe was able to control his frustration that he faced. Now he was frustrated because he was afraid of losing Clara, and afraid of hurting her.

“Clara,” Joe whispered, guiding Clara’s body into his lap.

“Yes, Uncle,” she wanted to refuse for a moment. But, another part of her was curious and couldn’t resist it.

“Have you ever thought about us?” Joe asked.

“What do you mean, Uncle?”

“Okay, if we were really in a relationship, have you ever thought about people’s reactions? My mom and dad’s reactions, Kimmy’s reaction, and also your friends’ reactions?” Joe asked.

Silence. Clara. Thinking for a moment.

“I’ve never thought about it, Uncle. All I know is that I’ve loved you for a long time, and I just want Uncle Joe to reciprocate my love, regardless of what people outside say!” Clara replied. Her face was getting closer to Joe’s. Even his thigh felt warm. Clara began to feel comfortable sitting on Uncle’s lap.

“So, Clara, I will tell you the possibilities of what people might think if we were really dating!” Joe said.

Clara listened carefully to what the man was about to say.

“Mom and Dad might be angry with us, my friends might think I’m weak for chasing after someone older, and your friends might think you…” Joe stopped speaking.

“I don’t care what they say. All I know is that I love you very much, and all I want is for you to reciprocate my love!” Clara interrupted. She was afraid of what Joe was going to explain, afraid because of her shameless love.

“But I care about you, Clara. I want your future to be secure!” Joe insisted.

Clara, unable to handle what Joe wanted to explain, immediately got up from his lap. Then, she just left Uncle’s room like that.

Luckily, there was no one in the living room. Clara went into her room. She closed the door tightly. She lay down on the bed, then hid, curled up under the blanket.

Joe wanted to chase after Clara, but he was stopped by a cute voice calling him. Kimmy’s voice.

“Papa?”

Joe approached the source of the voice.

“Yes, sweetheart!” Joe replied, lying down beside Kimmy.

“I heard Kak Clara’s voice, did she just come here?” Kimmy asked, rubbing her eyes.

“There’s no Kak Clara here, it’s just Papa and Kimmy, go back to sleep. Papa wants to sleep too now!” Joe pulled the blanket to cover his and his daughter’s bodies.

Time continued to pass, and Joe fell asleep.

==❤==

Joe came home from work early. He intentionally wanted to invite Clara to have dinner together.

He arrived home around five o’clock. After getting out of the car, Joe immediately went inside the house. He hurried his steps to tell Clara to get ready.

Arriving on the second floor, Clara wasn’t there. Only Cici was arranging Kimmy’s toys.

“Where are Kimmy and Clara?” Joe asked.

“Miss Kimmy is with Mrs. Linn, and as for Clara, she’s attending an event at her school, Sir!” Cici replied, pausing her activity momentarily to answer Joe’s question.

“An event at school?”

“Yes, Clara was picked up by Mr. Joko earlier, and she left again,” Cici answered politely.

“Was it Mr. Joko who took her?”

“No, Mr. Joko left earlier today and will be back tomorrow, Sir!”

Joe hurried to his room. He checked the CCTV and had a hunch that Mario had taken Clara back to school!

The man checked the CCTV footage. With his right thumb, he scrolled through his phone screen to find Clara’s number.

And…

The call connected, but the girl didn’t answer Joe’s call.

“Why aren’t you picking up, Clara!” the man muttered, starting to worry. He hadn’t had time to send a message in the afternoon because he was busy with preparations for launching a new product.

The same thing happened in the morning. Clara left for school early to avoid talking to him.

“Are you trying to avoid me, Clara?” Joe asked himself. He admitted, he wasn’t in the right position. In the position of someone who loves and is not loved in return.

That’s not the problem now! The only problem was whether Joe wanted to acknowledge his attraction to Clara or let the girl misunderstand. Then, allow Clara to get close to someone else.

Joe sat down, watching the TV screen showing the CCTV footage. It was seen at 4:15 PM earlier, Clara got into a car.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

Joe didn’t see it wrong; the man who opened the door for Clara was Mario. Yes, his posture and body language were still vivid in his memory.

“Huuftt,” the man let out a long breath. “Should I pick her up or let Mario take Clara!” Joe leaned back on the sofa. He stared at the ceiling of his room. Clara had really occupied his mind today.

One.

Two.

Three.

His phone vibrated; there was a message from Mario.

[Uncle, I need your prayers, later on the way back, I want to express my feelings to Clara, please pray for me, Uncle, hopefully Clara will accept my love.]

Joe got up from his seat. He quickly grabbed the car keys he had just put down. Then, he hurriedly left his room.

“Where are you going?” Mrs. Linn asked as she led Kimmy upstairs.

“I have some business to take care of, Ma!”

“Where are you going, Joe?!” Mrs. Linn shouted. However, the man just passed by.