Chapter 10- Reed
THINGS GO SWIMMINGLY the days after Halloween, if I do say so myself.
The house is clean, and I buy healthy groceries for my nephew’s return.
I don’t forget to pick up Aisen from his trip.
He’s so excited as he shares the pictures he took at the various museums. We laugh and chat over the jap chae I managed to cook without burning; if he doesn’t like the dish, he doesn’t tell me.
He has friends, had a good weekend, and we share a decent meal that I cooked―parenting win!
On top of that, work at the hospital is blissfully uneventful all week.
And when I bring Aisen to the MM Institute, Skyler chats with me like nothing bad happened the previous weekend.
He and I have coffee together, and every time I apologize for acting so ferociously, he insists I did nothing wrong.
Instead, he asks me about my kraken form, and I happily oblige.
Skyler isn’t grossed out by the sea monster inside me. I’m not sure why that warms the edges of my heart that I haven’t felt in a long time.
The cynical monster inside me knows the other shoe has to drop, and it does on our way back home the following Sunday. I spot a car I don’t recognize in my driveway, and when I see the two faces standing at my front steps, anxiety shivers up my spine.
“Is that my parents?” Aisen mutters.
I knew things were going too well for us.
I park the car, and Aisen awkwardly strides up to his mom and dad.
They’re wearing pristine matching track suits courtesy of the circus, like they do every time they visit.
Except, those few days were always planned holidays.
They’re not the type to visit out of the goodness of their hearts.
My jaw clenches with anxiety, knowing something is afoul. What do they want?
“My baby boy! You’re so big!” My sister-in-law sounds jovial as Aisen hugs her. She rubs his back and acts like she’s overjoyed to see him. Where was this energy seven years ago? My brother, meanwhile, has the decency to act somewhat uncomfortable.
“My son!” He holds out his arms for a hug, and I notice the paper gift bags he’s holding.
“What are you doing here?” Aisen asks. I stand, stone-faced, waiting to hear the answer.
“We wanted to see our boy!” Shannon gives me a smile she only uses when Aisen is present. “Aren’t you gonna invite us in?”
I try not to act dismissive; Ryan is my brother after all, and we’ve generally gotten along, even before our parents moved back to Korea. “Sure.” I open the door. “We already had dinner, but maybe there’s, like, some frozen pizza boo-gels or taran-taquitos I can heat up for you.”
“Oh, no thanks. We just wanted to check in on our boy.” Shannon says with saccharine giddiness.
“And see how big he is. Your uncle must be feeding you fertilizer or something!” Ryan says. He ruffles Aisen’s hair, and the boy laughs.
“No, we eat normal food,” Aisen replies with a smile. I’m glad he’s happy to interact with his folks. I, however, know they have an ulterior motive.
“I thought you were sailing around South America with your troop?” I ask.
“We’re on vacation, so we decided to visit the most important person in our lives,” Ryan says with a grin. He’s laying it on thick; if Aisen was so important, why is this the fifth time they’ve visited, ever?
“How is the circus troop?” Aisen asks excitedly.
“Ah, there’s so much to tell you!” Shannon says.
“We got you something,” Ryan says. He thrusts the gift bag into Aisen’s hands. “Why don’t we go into your room and try it on?”
“Okay!” Aisen dashes off, and Ryan follows him. The moment they’re out of earshot, my smile falls.
I look over to see Shannon on my couch, casually texting. “Wish you would’ve called me before you came,” I say. “It isn’t even Christmas.”
“Christmas is around the corner,” she replies.
“And we could have seen each other then.” I briskly walk away and return with three water bottles. I offer Shannon one, but she shakes her head. More water for me.
“So how long are you staying?”
She doesn’t reply, so I clear my throat. “Shannon?” I ask.
“What?” she asks, putting away her phone.
“How long are you in Mareflow?”
“Only two days.” She finally looks at me. “Listen, we needed to talk to you in person, Reed,” Shannon says.
Her serious tone gives me pause. “Yes?”
“I’m gonna be straight with you: we want Aisen to move back in with us.”
My blood runs cold. They want to take away my boy? I’m so blindsided that I forget that he’s not mine.
I try to school my shocked expression. “What?”
“We’re his parents, and we want to be there for our son. So, tonight, we’re going to let Aisen know.”
My head is spinning with conflict. They’re gonna take him away? “I…thought you lived on the road, touring the seas?”
“We do.” Shannon shrugs and takes out her pocket mirror.
She touches up her makeup as if she’s not throwing my whole world into a loop.
“But we have a houseboat. It’s docked for several weeks of the year.
Other couples in the circus take their kids around.
” She takes out lipstick and finagles with it, barely looking at me. “We want to be a family again.”
My jaw clenches, and I struggle to relax. Admittedly, when I first got custody of Aisen, I wanted her and my brother to show up and change their minds. But now, I can’t even think of a world where I’m not raising him. He’s part of my home.
“I see. What changed your mind?”
She glances at me momentarily, then looks back at her reflection. “We’re his parents. We’re ready to nurture him, to homeschool him, and teach him about the world.”
I call bullshit. Before I can say more, my brother and nephew saunter back in. Reed is wearing a blue track jacket emblazoned with a mermaid symbol, the logo of the circus. “Uncle Reed, is it okay if me, Mom, and Dad go to the beach?”
“This late on a school night?” I ask.
Aisen shrugs, but my brother pats his shoulder. “I already said it was okay,” Ryan says.
“They want to see my new octopus form in action!” Aisen seems so cheerful, and I turn to look back at Shannon. She notices when I quickly come to the conclusion of why they’re suddenly so parent-y.
“Ah,” I say.
“It’s an interesting new development in our baby’s life.” Shannon stands up and gives a fake smile. “A giant octopus is so rare. So exquisite. And it’s our son!”
“We’re gonna go swimming with him! We want to see how majestic that octopus is.” Ryan laughs and hugs Aisen tighter.
I stand up straight and try to school my fury, for the boy’s sake. With a nod, I calmly ask, “And what about his kraken form? What about that?”
“No one in the circus thinks it’s cool,” Aisen says.
He turns to his dad. “That’s what Mom and Dad keep saying.
But social media loves octopus shifters.
” Aisen shrugs again. “So anyway, can we go swimming, pleeease? I know it’s a school night, but we’ll be quick.
I never get to go swimming with my parents. ”
“We already said it’s okay,” Shannon says, placatingly. She touches Aisen’s shoulder, then looks at me expectantly.
My mouth goes dry, but after a moment, I nod. “Go on. Have fun.”
“You can come too,” Aisen says.
“Nah.” I manage to chuckle and wave. “Go enjoy time with your parents.”
Aisen laughs and the three saunter off. “Tell us, how big is your octopus form?” Shannon asks as they walk out of the front door.
The boy is finally reunited with his parents. And they at long last want him, albeit only for his new monster form. I sit down on the couch and try not to wallow as anxiety kicks in.
What will Aisen’s life be like on the road if he chooses to leave? Furthermore, what will mine be like?
***
Hours later, I’m standing by Aisen’s doorway.
His parents have gone back to their hotel, but not before showering the boy with affection as they left my house.
Now, he’s sitting on his bed, fiddling on his phone.
I try to memorize the sight of his skinny frame in his pajamas.
If I squint my eyes, I can see the little one I used to read bedtime stories to.
“So,” I say. “Your parents love your new monster form.”
Aisen startles and puts his phone down. He shrugs, and nervous energy rolls off of him. “Um, yeah.” He scratches his arm, and I sit down an arm’s length from him on the sheets. “We got to play in the water, their mermaid forms and my octopus. It was fun.”
My heart aches a little more. “I’m glad,” I manage to say with a smile.
“And they said they want me to live with them on the road. Doing shows.”
I gulp. “Mhm.”
Aisen taps the bed. “Um, what do you think?”
“That depends. How do you feel, joka?”
He shrugs. “Travelling around the world sounds really dope.”
“It does.”
“But I’d miss my MM friends. We’ve gotten really close as monsters.”
“Yes, but with your cell phones, you can text them, right?”
“Right.”
I muster up my best smile. “And I’ll even keep you on my cell phone plan! That way, you can use the internet and stuff. And show me all the pics around the world.”
Aisen looks up at me with his tiny, dark eyes, so much like my own. “So, you think it’s a good idea?”
I hate it. “I think you should follow your heart.”
He bites his lip. “Homeschooling sounds easy. But boring. Still, not as annoying as regular school.”
“Ah.”
“And I do miss having parents. They said I’m getting so big without them.” He stares at the wall. “I don’t want them to miss me growing up.”
As much as it rends my heart to say goodbye to him, I know he’s missed his folks all these years. If my parents ever wanted to see me again, I’d forget all their transgressions and welcome them with open arms.
“You’re not a little kid anymore, Eyes-and-ears.” I poke his belly, and he chuckles. “If you want to travel with them, I’ll support you.”
He slowly nods. “I guess. If you think it’s a good idea.”
“It’s up to you.”
After a long pause, he replies, “It’ll be good to spend time with Mom and Dad. That’s what they said, anyway. I think so, too.”
My face goes numb, and then I pat his shoulder. “You’ll always have a place here on dry land if you need.”
With the finality of my words wafting through the air, my nephew leans in and hugs me. I hold on tight and try to fight back the burning in my eyes.
“Hey!” I pull back. “How about this Friday we throw a little party here for you and your monster friends!”
“Um, sure?”
“You can play Nintend-Ogre Witch games! And I’ll order all your favorite junk foods.”
He snickers. “Yeah, okay.” He bites his lip, then nods. “Only on one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“You invite Mr. Dillinger and the rest of MM Institute?”
I study my nephew’s face for a long moment. “You know, to entertain you with grown-up talk. While we kids play our games,” he says.
With a grin, I shove him lightly on the bed. “Way to make me feel old,” I say.
We both laugh, and I take in the happy moment. It might be my last fond memory with Aisen for a long time. But a proper parent always does what’s best for their kid. And I’m going to do right by Aisen, even if it means saying goodbye.