The Substitute Bride

"You're a good boy, Charlie," Leila began. "There's something I want to tell you." She was a bit nervous and furrowed her brows as she continued,"You're going to meet someone tomorrow. I'll bring him here to meet you and I hope you can talk to him calmly."

Leila didn't tell Charlie who he was going to meet, but she knew that Charlie must be clear about the man he would meet.

Charlie frowned at Leila's announcement. "Are you really so eager to be with that man?" the boy asked bluntly.

The question and the tone of his voice shocked Leila. She knew Charlie could be straightforward but still didn't expect his reaction. And while the child never opened his heart to her, Leila always thought Charlie hoped to be with his father.

"How can you ask me that?" she replied. She had no other choice but to make things clear for him. "That man is your father. He never came to see you before because he didn't know about you." She paused to calm herself. "Are you mad at him?"

He said nothing. She continued as she wanted she could persuade Charlie to come to terms with the situation. "Your father is a good man. If he knew he had a son, he would love him and take good care of him."

In his heart, Charlie had no doubt that his father would love and care for him.

But he was confused about Leila, and how his father never knew of his existence.

"If like you said he didn't know about me, what about you?" he inquired with a frown. "I'm sure he knows about you, right?" Again, Charlie's words shook Leila, so her frown deepened. Even knowing his character, she never expected such a young boy to speak harshly to her or to be on the mark.

She felt a hint of embarrassment but calmed herself. "Charlie, I don't think you understand," she mumbled. "You're our son. And I'm sure he loves you very much, and it has nothing to do with how he treats me," Leila explained.

The boy sighed after listening to Leila. It was not a typical reaction from someone very young, but he was unlike other boys at his age. He already knew the truth behind her words. The man did not love Leila. Charlie was also very wise for his age. He was beginning to understand that even if she could be with that man, she would never be happy to stay with him.

"Okay, so follow your heart," the boy said without emotion. With those words, he turned to go back to h

embarrassed to say that he really missed her and wanted badly to see her.

He may be a little boy, but he had a strong sense of pride.

Sue spoke up to break the silence. "Sheryl, who is he?" She had been staring at Sheryl's young visitor, thinking he looked quite familiar and that she had met him before.

"This is Charlie," Sheryl introduced him with a smile. "We met each other yesterday," she added.

"Charlie, this is Sister Sue." She was looking at the boy while touching her friend's arm.

The boy hesitated slightly, then turned to Sue and said,"Nice to meet you, Aunt Sue."

"What? You just called me Aunt Sue?" she gasped. Quickly, she corrected,"Call me Sister Sue, please. I am still a young woman." She was taken aback by the child's reference to her. And no matter how hard she tried to convince him, Charlie refused to address her as sister. Meanwhile, Sheryl was amused by their exchange and giggled.

Sheryl excused herself to change clothes so she could take Charlie out to eat. Suddenly, Sue pulled her and whispered,"Sheryl, do you still remember the man I mentioned before? He knocked over the breakfast box I bought for you, remember?"

Her friend thought for a moment and then nodded. "Yes, I remember." She stared at Sue. "But why you suddenly mention something that happened a long time ago?" she inquired.

Sue kept staring at the little boy. "Listen to me, Sheryl." She took a deep breath before saying,"This boy looks very much like that man." Sue could not hide her excitement. "I was just so surprised at the resemblance."