Chapter 61

~Eliana~

It was Wednesday, and all through the night, I had thought of how to tell Ian about the solution I had come up with for his own good. Thankfully, when I had returned back to work the previous day, Ethan had taken care of everything like I had told him to, and had even gone ahead to prepare different coffee drinks for customers, and had given me the complete money which he had collected. I didn’t have to pay for any stolen good, and I was glad to have trusted my instincts.

I took Ian home with, after giving his classmates a stern warning, which was certainly going to give me an earful when next there was a Parents and Teachers meeting, but I was less concerned. My days in Canada were already numbered, and I could do whatever I wanted to without worrying of the consequences of my actions, as there wasn’t going to be one.

“Mum, I’m ready,” Ian said, skipping into the kitchen, all dressed neatly.

“I just need to fry your eggs, give me a moment,” I said, giving him a small smile.

“Okay. Can I watch SpongeBob while I wait?” He requested.

“You’re not supposed to watch the television before going to school,” I said.

“Please?” He pleaded, giving me the puppy look.

I heaved a frustrated sigh. “How can I resist that stare? You may watch the television,” I said, finally giving him my permission.

“Thanks mum. You’re the best,” Ian said, and raced to the living room.

I poured the eggs into the frying pan, thinking to myself. Ian wasn’t even going to step his foot in the school today, but I was still making him believe otherwise. Damn! He was just a six-year-old, and I could definitely persuade him into being cool with the idea of leaving Canada. His only friend of his age grade was Audrey. His other friends were my boss, co-worker, and the old lady that lived next door. He didn’t really have much to lose, but I was still worried about taking away all he had ever known from him.

I turned off the heat from the gas cooker and dished the eggs into a ceramic plate, then fetched the loaf of sliced bread that I had gotten on our way home yesterday, while the water for his tea boiled.

“Ian, food is ready,” I called.

A few seconds later, he came into the kitchen, and pulled a stool close to the counter, where he enjoyed having his breakfast on most days. I had always kept him in the kitchen when he was much younger in order to keep my eyes on him, while I went about my chores, and now, he was so used to it.

He bit into the fried egg, and gave me a thumbs-up. “They’re perfect today,” He said.

“Wow, I’m glad,” I said, wearing a smile.

He munched the bread and fried egg noisily, while I made his cup of tea, which afterwards, I placed in front of him.

“Thanks,” He said, taking a large gulp, not minding that the tea was hot.

I never worried about that, as the hotness or spiciness of food never bothered him. Besides, since he had already triggered his werewolf abilities, I could be sure nothing could hurt him for so long.

“Ian,” I called, deciding to brace myself up and tell him the conclusion I had arrived at.

“Yes, mum,” He answered.

“Have you ever wanted to meet your grandparents and your aunties and uncle?” I asked.

He nodded his head, in the affirmative. “Yes, of course. I’ve always wanted to visit them during vacations, but I knew you’d never let me do that. I have never even seen them or spoken to them, I doubt they even know of my existence,” He said, looking a little bit sad.

I heaved a sigh. “If they knew of your existence, they’d have been here a long time ago and blown our cover, and I couldn’t risk that. However, I want to stop hiding, Ian,” I said.

He looked up from his plate for the first time since I had started the conversation. “Does that mean I can get to meet your family?” He asked.

I nodded my head. “Yes, Ian. They’re not just my family, they’re also yours, and it will be selfish of me if I kept your existence away from them. I guess it’s time for you to know who they are, and what they stand for,” I said, placing my hands on his shoulders.

“Wow, mum. I can’t wait for that to actually happen. James tells all these tales of his grandparents and Alicia says she goes to visit her cousins every summer. I also want to have a story to tell,” He said.

I squeezed his shoulders. “The thing is that if I take you to Los Angeles where the family is, we may never come back to Canada, and that means you won’t get to tell your friends any story,” I said.

A crestfallen look fell upon him. “Mum, but why?” He asked, looking really heartbroken.

“You have to learn how to take care of yourself, even as a werewolf. There are things you don’t understand yet, and even I, myself, don’t understand some things either. I can’t handle you alone, and I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but during the full moon, you’d be bloodthirsty and you may end up committing murder. Also, you could become so out of control, and yesterday was just a tip of the iceberg. You could give in to rage and do something disastrous, which would not only expose the werewolf community, but also make you become more out of control and do things you’d come to regret someday,” I explained.

“Why didn’t you tell me all this before?” He asked, finding it hard to believe all I had just said.

“I didn’t know how to tell you this. I can’t handle this alone, and you being so young would make it even worse. You need to identify with your people, and you need someone to guide you through it all. If we stay here, you’d become a lone wolf, without a pack. You need a pack, sweetie. You need people that will always have your back, and you need to know more about who you are,” I told him.

“I guess this means I am truly a monster. You’ve always been there for me, and done everything just for my sake. If you can’t help me through this, who can?” He asked, looking really helpless.

I gave him a reassuring smile, and touched his cheek. “Your father can,” I said.

“What? My father? Isn’t he a bad man?” He asked, with surprise laced in his voice.

I shrugged. “He’ll be good to you. You’re his son after all,” I said.

“No, mum. I don’t want to go close to someone who has hurt you, and is still capable of hurting you. You write all this werewolf stories all the time. I know because I’m always going through them when you’re not looking, so, you can definitely help me out. I don’t want my father to help me with anything. I don’t need his help,” He said, making an objection.

“I just write stuff I’m not even sure about. Listen, I will never leave you alone with your father. I’ll be there to hold your hand every step of the way. I just need you to agree with me on this, and I promise that everything will be fine,” I said.

He seemed to be in deep thoughts, then sighed. “Can I see a picture of your...sorry, my family members? I want to know if I’d like to meet them,” He said.

“Yeah, sure. I’ll show you the pictures once you’re done with eating,” I told him.

About five minutes later, he was already done with eating his food, and he approached me to keep my word about showing him the pictures of our family like I had earlier promised.

I held him by the hand, and took him to the bedroom, where I asked him to sit on the bed. I then took one of my old boxes which was hidden under one of the tiles in the closet, and was very dusty. I hadn’t opened it in years, as I didn’t want to feel nostalgic, since it contained things relating to my family.

He showed up in the closet, and sat on the floor.

“Thought I told you to wait for me? This place is so dusty. It’s not good for your health,” I said.

“I’m a werewolf, mum. You don’t need to be worried about me,” Ian said to me.

I rolled my eyes. “Looks like my baby is truly not a baby anymore. Anyways, the last time I opened this box, I was pregnant of you and I was missing my family so much. When I had you though, you became all that mattered to me, and I stopped missing them so much,” I said.

“Not even your mother?” Ian asked.

“My mother wasn’t a good mum, but I’m sure she meant no harm. Anyways, you should know who everyone is before you finally meet them,” I said, and opened up the box.

I then took out a large photo frame, which I gave to him. He dusted it with his palms, in order for the photograph to become clearer, and he smiled, showing off his beautiful set of white teeth.

“Your mum looks a lot younger than your dad,” He noted.

A smile appeared on my face, as I sat on the floor like he had done. “He’s older than her with ten years,” I explained.

“That’s a lot. How about you and my dad? What’s the age difference between both of you?” He asked.

“Four years,” I told him.

“That’s not so bad,” He said, then directed his focus once again to the picture frame.

“Who’s this lady in a ponytail?” He asked, pointing at Elvira.

“Oh, that’s Elvira, my immediate elder sister. The one beside her is Eleanora, I used to hate her a lot when we were much younger. The man over there is Elio, my only brother,” I explained, pointing at each of them.

“You have a large family,” Ian said.

I nodded my head, in agreement. “Yes, we are large, but wait till you meet our relatives in New Mexico. We’re one very big Latin-American family,” I told him.

“I also want to be part of a big family,” He told me, with a longing look in his eyes.

“You are already a part of a big family, and soon, you are going to meet them,” I said, patting his back.

“I can’t wait,” He said.

“So, now, you agree to go to Los Angeles with me?” I asked.

He nodded his head, giving me a positive response. “Yes, mum. I want to be where you are, and also with my large family,” He said.

I grinned widely. “I’m glad to hear that,” I told him.

“Yeah. Mum, stop cutting your hair. You look more beautiful in this picture with your long hair let down,” He commented.

That statement made me travel down memory lane. “Your father also had that same opinion. I’m guessing you two are going to become fast friends,” I said.

“I don’t know about that, but we shall see,” He said.

“You sound so grown up,” I told him, ruffling my hands through his hair, and tickling him at the same time, making him chuckle out loud.

“That’s enough, mum,” He told me, laughing gently.

“I’ll process the travel documents in a few days, then I’ll make sure to sell all the stuff we can’t take along and put the money in your trust fund account, after which you’ll say goodbye to your friends...”

“I don’t have friends, mum. My only friend is Audrey, and I will miss her so much,” He told me.

“You can always talk to Audrey on the phone, and I’ll even give you the permission to talk to her via video call,” I told him.

“Thanks, mum.”

“You know, you can have a fresh start in Los Angeles, meet new people and make new friends. I’m guessing moving there won’t only be beneficial to you as a werewolf, but also beneficial to you as a human being. You’d get to live with your family, and at the same time, have many friends,” I explained.

“I understand, mum,” He said, and leaned closer to me, resting his head on my chest.

I pressed my lips against his head, soothingly, and wrapped my hands around him. All these years, we had lived far away from everyone I had known, and even though I felt nostalgic at times, we were at peace. I couldn’t help, but feel like I was going to ruin the peace I had had all these years by going back to the city where I was hated by practically everyone.

“Mum, who owns this?” Ian asked.

I looked at what he was holding in his hands, and I saw that it was a small box, containing the engagement ring Alistair had given to me.

“Your father,” I replied, feeling sad.

“Did you get married to him?” He asked, looking surprised.

“No, but I thought I was going to. Please, put it back in the box. We have to start packing and making arrangements to leave this place,” I told him.

“Okay, mum,” He said.

I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to see Alistair, especially now that I had seen the ring, and it had brought back old memories flooding through my mind. How was I going to stand seeing him with my son after all he had done to my family and I? How was I going to look him in the eye without having the urge to slap him hard in his face? How could I not break down into tears when I saw him happy after causing me so much pain? Was I even sure he was decent enough to accept his son, and help him out of his predicament?

There were so many questions that I could not answer, but after casting one glance at my son, I found the strength I needed to be able to face Alistair again after all this time. It was for his sake I was going back to Los Angeles, and it wouldn’t kill me to let go of the pain Alistair had caused me just so my son could still get a shot at having a normal life, even as a werewolf.