“Glad you came.” Matilda opened the front door with a gentle smile. She was wearing a one-strap dress with bright-colored dots embroidered all around it and had her hair tied into a bun. She looked at least a decade younger.
“I am not late, I hope.” Jesse asked while stepping inside the house.
“No, you are right on time.” Matilda said with a smile and hooked arms with Jesse while showing him the way to the living room. “Our last guest hadn’t arrived yet. Please take a seat until then.”
Jesse hesitantly nodded, still not completely sure why he was invited to this gathering.
When he reached the living room, Nyx was already there, seated. She wore a black dress with a knee-high skirt and black thigh-highs.
It stunned him because she looked vastly different when she wore a fishnet blouse and ripped jeans.
Now, she actually looked like a respectable lady from high society during a funeral. The ladies from high society often wore brighter dresses, as they made them stand out more. Rarely, they wore black dresses.
Still, Nyx looked very elegant and beautiful in her black dress and white gloves.
“Hello~” She softly waved her hand with a small smile. Even though she looked elegant, the moment she opened her mouth, she returned to her seductive nature. 𝒪𝗏𝓛xt.𝗇t
“Hi.” Jesse rolled his eyes and sat down on the couch. He tapped his feet against the floor out of nervousness. He wanted to find out why he was here but thought it was rude to ask, so he waited impatiently.
“How’re you doing?” Nyx asked while leaning her cheek against her hand.
“Good…” Jesse sat upright and crossed his legs. He suddenly looked very confident and relaxed. “What about you?”
“Pfft.” Nyx let out a small giggle and shook her head. “No need to act so reserved~ Relax.”
Jesse exhaled and leaned on the sofa’s backrest. He was feeling quite uncomfortable around her, as it was hard to tell what was going on in her mind.
Matilda was cleaning the tables with a cleaning rag in the kitchen.
Her gaze occasionally landed on the picture on the fridge door, showing her husband, Jack, and her sitting on a large tree swing. They all wore smiles.
She thought she could hear the laughter coming from the picture, but then the doorbell rang across the house.
Ding, dong.
“Oh, our last guest has arrived!” Matilda said and tossed the cleaning rag to the sink. Patted down all the wrinkles and walked to the door.
Jesse and Nyx could only see her opening the door and bright light coming from the outside, and then they saw a tall figure stepping inside and hugging the elderly woman.
Matilda whispered something in the man’s ear. He then turned to the living room, showing his handsome face with a black beard.
The man was wearing a black suit with a white shirt underneath, and he had a black tie on his neck.
He was also clutching a silver-handled walking cane and a top hat in his other hand.
Jack placed the top hat on the clothes rack and limped towards the living room with Matilda walking beside him. They got seated on the available chairs.
“Hey, niece.” Jack smiled fondly at the black-dressed girl.
Nyx smiled and nodded.
“You are relatives?” Jesse was surprised. He also wondered who this man was. ‘Matilda said that she wanted me to meet someone. This is the person, I guess, but why?’
“Yes, Matilda, here is my mother.” Jack said with a smile and looked straight at Jesse’s blue eyes, which had tinge of similarity with his own. “You are Jesse Kraham. I have heard about you from my mother.”
“Ah, nice to meet you.” Jesse nodded without shaking his hand. He didn’t shake hands, as it often ended up with him having a broken hand.
“My name is Jack Rothsmith.” Jack nodded his head and smiled at his mother. “Has my mother told you anything about why we were meeting?”
Matilda rolled her eyes. She knew that her son already knew that she hadn’t, but he was trying to steer his conversation.
“No, she hadn’t.” Jesse shook her hand and anxiously scratched his silver wristwatch.
“My son has the same disease as you do, Jesse.” Matilda said with a smile. “Humanoid Imperfecta.”
“What…” Jesse’s eyes broadened until they looked like round marbles. He looked at the handsome, bearded man with sense of familiarity.
This was the first time he met someone with same disease as him, which made him feel emotional.
“My disease is not as severe as yours.” Jack said and showed his silver-handled walking cane. “I can walk with the help of my cane just fine. I heard you use a wheelchair.”
“Yes, my leg bones can’t withstand the weight of my body. That’s why I have to use a wheelchair.”
“Mm, I have not heard anyone having as severe as yours.” Jack rubbed his black beard and nodded. He then showed a slightly nervous smile and said, “As you know, Humanoid Imperfecta can only be inherited.”
“Yes, I do…” Jesse gripped the edge of the sofa. He was thinking a few days ago about whether one of his parents really committed an affair.
Matilda and Jack shared gazes. Nyx tapped her finger against the armrest of her chair while keeping her gaze on the walls.
“Well, ahem.” Jack cleared his throat and nervously chuckled. “Approximately 23 years ago. I went to a party with my friends, celebrating my birthday.”
Jesse frowned and listened to his story with interest, even though he didn’t quite understand why he began talking about something that happened so long ago.
There was a certain feeling in his heart, but he quickly subdued it as he thought it was impossible.
“At that party, I met a beautiful woman. I heard her parents were traditional, and they had arranged a marriage for her with some politician’s son. She was very much against it but had no say in it.
“For the last night before getting sent to meet with the politician’s son, her friends brought her to have some fun with them before she was sent to meet with him. Then stuff happened, and they joined my birthday celebrations.
“I became very fond of that beautiful woman, and her story really made me feel bad for her. After several beers and many rounds of karaoke, we found ourselves in a hotel room.
“That night, in a drunken stupor, we did something we both greatly regretted. The next morning was also the last time I saw her. However, I still remember her name very vividly.”
Jesse gulped down the saliva and looked at the man with shaky eyes. His heart was racing, beating against his chest as if it wanted to burst through.
“Her name was Maria Kiefer back then. She was soon to be Mrs. Kraham.” Jack looked at the black-haired young man and saw his shaky eyes. “She married a person named Terry Kraham.
“I forgot about her, but that experience really changed me. I began truly changing my ways.
“Then, a few days ago, my mother informed me about her new tenant. A young man called Jesse Kraham, who has a disease called Humanoid Imperfecta, which can only be inherited.”
Jack wiped the sweat off his wide forehead and cleared his throat. He was feeling parched and felt like downing a whole bottle’s worth of water.
“So, ahem, you understand what I am saying…”
“Y-you are… y-you…” Jesse grabbed his chest and started greedily gasping for air. He couldn’t breathe, and all the surroundings began to shake. He turned light-headed and felt like the sky was crashing down.
“Breathe…” Matilda sat beside him and gently touched his hand. “Inhale and then exhale…”
Her words were like hypnotic spell. He listened and took a long inhale before exhaling all the air he could possibly breathe out.
His lightheadedness slowly dissipated, and he could see things clearly again.
“I understand this is a lot to take in.” Jack also breathed shakily. This was also a very nervous experience for him. “But one thing is clear.
“You are Rothsmith.
“You are my son.”