Chapter 151: Another Child

After they bought the groceries, Amanda Vance carried the large bags. Felix Ford insisted on helping, so she handed him a light one to carry as well.

Back home, they put everything away in the refrigerator. Amanda Vance’s eyes landed on the oranges, and she took them back out. "It’ll be a little while before I start cooking. Mommy’s going to start on dinner, so why don’t you have some oranges first, okay?"

"Okay! Then I’ll help Mommy peel them."

"Okay," Amanda Vance said, nodding as she looked at him.

She wasn’t allergic to oranges herself. Jean’s allergy was inherited from her own mother—a generational skip.

His symptoms were quite severe. Forget eating oranges; he couldn’t even touch the juice while peeling one, nor could he stand the smell. After discovering his allergy, she had never bought oranges for the house again.

However, when Amanda Vance looked down, she saw the little boy with his head bowed, peeling an orange. The peel was a bit tough, but he was focused intently on the task. Yellowish orange juice stained his hands, yet he had no reaction at all.

After finally peeling one, Felix Ford carefully picked off all the white pith before standing on his tiptoes to offer it to her. "Mommy, eat."

His eyes were full of anticipation. A lump formed in Amanda Vance’s throat as she bent down and ate it.

The orange wasn’t large, and it was seedless. It was juicy and sweet.

"It’s good, right?" Felix Ford asked, watching her with a wide grin.

"Mhm, it’s delicious," Amanda Vance finally replied after a long pause, her voice a little hoarse.

Felix Ford didn’t think much of it, simply assuming it was hard for her to talk because her mouth was full. "Then I’ll peel another one for Mommy."

"No, that’s okay. You eat it. Mommy is going to start cooking now."

Felix Ford immediately set the orange down on the coffee table and came pattering back. "Then I’ll help Mommy wash the vegetables."

"Okay."

This was their usual routine. He loved being clingy with his mother and didn’t want to be apart from her even when she was cooking. But since he couldn’t cook and didn’t want to just stand by and do nothing, he had come up with the idea of helping her wash the vegetables.

That was something he could do.

Amanda Vance had even bought a special little stool for him. It was very sturdy, so he didn’t have to worry about it tipping over when he stood on it.

As she chopped the vegetables, her gaze kept drifting to the little boy beside her. He’d gotten orange juice on his skin, but there was absolutely no reaction.

’He’s not Jean.’

’She was certain of it.’

’In that moment, many small details she had previously overlooked came flooding back. Jean wasn’t affectionate, but this boy was. Jean didn’t smile much, but this boy loved to smile, especially when he was with her.’

’She unexpectedly recalled the day he sang "Only Mom is the Best in the World" to her. The pang in her heart now was even sharper than it had been then.’

’He must have missed her so, so much.’

’But she hadn’t just lost him; she hadn’t even known he existed.’

Her eyes stung so badly that she didn’t even notice when the little boy looked over at her.

"Mommy?"

She snapped out of her daze, her eyes meeting his worried gaze.

Felix Ford looked at her, his face full of concern. "Mommy, why do you look like you’re about to cry? Did I do something to make you sad?"

He looked at her, a little lost and blaming himself.

It felt like something was caught in her throat. Amanda Vance shook her head, swallowing a few times to force back a sob. "No, the peppers just made my eyes sting."

Felix Ford glanced at the pepper in her hand. Even though it was just a big, non-spicy bell pepper, he figured it must still be quite strong.

"Then bend down a little, Mommy, and I’ll help you wash your eyes, okay?"

Her own hands were now covered in pepper juice, so she couldn’t touch her eyes.

"Mhm, okay."

He led her to the sink. Amanda Vance bent over slightly as Felix Ford wet his hands and carefully rinsed her eyes. His touch was very gentle. "Is this okay?" he asked as he worked.

"It is," Amanda Vance nodded. Hot tears streamed down her face, mixing with the water so he couldn’t tell.

But Felix Ford still felt a stinging heat on his fingertips. He glanced at the bell pepper. ’It doesn’t taste spicy when I eat it,’ he thought, ’but I guess it really stings when it gets in your eyes.’

His movements became even gentler. He only stopped when Amanda Vance said she was okay. He then hopped off the little stool, fetched a towel, and gently wiped her face. Finally, he said seriously, "Mommy, I should learn to cook when I’m older. I’ll cook for you, so you won’t get pepper in your eyes anymore."

Amanda Vance’s eyes started to well up again. She blinked quickly, reached out to ruffle his hair, and said with a smile, "That’s not necessary. You’re still little. Mommy will cook for you. How about you cook for Mommy when you’re all grown up?"

"Okay," Felix Ford said in his sweet, childish voice, his little hand gently touching the corner of her eye. "Does it still sting, Mommy?"

"It doesn’t sting anymore. Rinsing it helped a lot. Thank you..."

She trailed off, suddenly remembering that she still didn’t know his name, and swallowed the rest of her sentence.

Felix Ford didn’t notice anything was amiss and just grinned. "That’s good."

He went back to washing the vegetables.

Amanda Vance returned to the cutting board as well.

Once he finished washing the vegetables, Felix Ford went out to the living room. He watched TV while peeling an orange, glancing back toward the kitchen from time to time.

Then he leaned back on the sofa, content.

’Having a mom is the best.’

Amanda Vance finished cooking quickly. Felix Ford ate until his belly was full and wanted to keep eating, but Amanda Vance stopped him.

Amanda Vance had been with him for a while now and knew his appetite. He had already eaten a little more than usual; any more and he’d feel sick.

"Okay." Felix Ford obediently pulled his hand back. "Then I’ll eat more tomorrow, so I can grow up fast and cook for Mommy!"

Amanda Vance froze for a moment, a slow warmth filling her heart. Even without knowing the boy’s name, she was still deeply moved by him.

"Okay," Amanda Vance said softly, looking at him. "Let’s go out for a walk."

"Yay! Okay!"

Felix Ford couldn’t have been happier.

He slid down from his chair and put on his jacket without being told. Once he saw she was ready, he slipped his little hand into hers. When she looked over, he gave her a wide grin.

Amanda Vance smiled back and patted his head. "Let’s go."

"Mhm."

It wasn’t winter yet. The air was cool but not yet cold, and the community square was full of families who had come out with their children to play after dinner.

Amanda Vance looked down at the little boy. "Do you want to go play with the other kids?"

Felix Ford shook his head.

’He wasn’t interested in those little brats.’

His eyes scanned the area, then suddenly lit up. He pointed to one spot and said, "Mommy, let’s go play on the swings!"

It was a two-person swing, so he and his mommy could swing together.

’That way, I can play and be with Mommy at the same time!’

’I’m so smart!’

He secretly gave himself a mental thumbs-up for his cleverness, then looked up at Amanda Vance with anticipation.

Faced with that look, how could she refuse? Even before she knew he wasn’t Jean, she would have struggled to say no. But now, knowing the truth, her heart was filled with so much guilt and a desire to make things right that she couldn’t possibly turn him down.

"Okay, let’s go." She agreed at once, without a hint of hesitation.

Sensing her indulgence, Felix Ford beamed even more brightly, his smile stretching from ear to ear.

He also felt a little shy for some reason.

He let go of her hand, ran to the swing, and plopped down. A little kid nearby who hadn’t gotten to it first pouted, on the verge of tears, but he paid them no mind and waved to Amanda Vance. "Mommy, hurry up!"

Amanda Vance watched his smiling face and started walking toward him.

With every step she took, her sense of contentment grew.

’So, her other child... was still alive.’

’And he was living a happy life.’

’That’s wonderful.’