Mr. Perfect and His Cute Little Son

Side Story 1

"Because of you, I laugh a little harder, cry a little less, and smile a lot more."

-Unknown

***

Ian and Elle first met when they were 10 years old.

Bagong lipat lamang sila Ian noon sa subdivision kung saan nakatira ang pamilya nila Elle, habang abala ang kaniyang mga magulang sa pag-aayos ng kanilang mga gamit sa kanilang mansion ay naisipan ni Ian na maglibot-libot at maging pamilyar sa lugar.

Sa kanyang paglalakad-lakad ay nakita niya ang park na matatagpuan sa gitna ng subdivision kung saan may mga palaruang pang-bata. May climbers, enclosures, spinners and slides, monkey bars, tunnels and swings.

As a kid, of course, he was attracted and wanted to play and try each one of them.

The first one that he tried is the slide... then the monkey bar... then the slide again...

He was in the swing, swaying back and forth when he heard soft sobs... at first, he thought he was just imagining it but the sobs became louder and louder.

He stopped the swaying of the swing by pressing his feet against the ground preventing him from swinging any longer and focused his ears on the sound.

The cry is just nearby so he decided to stand up and find the source. He strolled around while looking in every nook and cranny of the playground until he spotted someone inside the tunnel.

He saw a little girl, crying on her knees without any slipper and wearing dirty clothes. He bent his knees and looked at her with pity.

The girl is thin and her skin is pale while her black and dry hair is covering the side of her face, some strands are also sticking to her wet cheeks. She didn't notice that someone is staring at her because her heart is sad and wanted to release it through her tears until Ian talked to her.

"What's wrong??" He asked with his eyes full of compassion towards the little girl and voice so kind.

The little girl trembled in surprise when she suddenly heard a voice. She thought she is still alone in the park, she didn't notice that someone arrive. If her family knew that she is hiding there, they will surely punish her. That thought made her shiver and fear surrounded her heart.

Is that her father? Her mother? Or her twin sister? Did they already find her?

She is like a scared squirrel in a ball at that time as she readied herself for another nagging from her mother and punishment from her father. She looked up timidly but felt relief knowing that it is not her mother and father but instead a handsome boy that she is unfamiliar with.

The boy is neat-looking while wearing beautiful clothes that emphasize his white and milky skin and a pair of white shoes that complement his clothes. With just a glance, you can already tell that he is from a rich family.

She suddenly feels shy towards him, especially with the contrasts of their appearance. She is the exact opposite of him. Ugly, dirty-looking while wearing dirty clothes, no slipper at all with her dry and dark skin because of always being under the sun.

But the boy didn't care at all, he didn't criticize her appearance, no malice and discrimination can be seen from his pair of eyes. Instead, he smiles at her kindly that emphasizes his good looks more and shows his beautiful white teeth. He wanted to assure her that he means no harm so she doesn't need to be scared or be on guard towards him. Because he feels that if he made a wrong move, he will scare the little girl away.

"Why are you crying? Are you lost?" He asked gently but the girl just stared at him with a confused mind.

Who is the boy? She hasn't seen a beautiful boy like him around the vicinity before. Why is a beautiful child talking to her? If he knew she is an unfortunate child that only brings misfortune to others, will he still talk to her and smile at her kindly?