New Life : A Second Chance

With Joseph expressing his desire to continue his weight training, Kay mentally ticked off the box in her checklist. Her purpose was to get him to start doing what he normally did, rather than just focus on looking after his sister.

He, too, needed to be taken care of and from the looks of it, no one was really doing that.

Not that he was being ignored, but rather, it seemed to be the natural order of things?

Their dad, Stephan, went to work like normal.

Joseph, being the eldest, would naturally look after his sister even though she didn't really need 'taking care of'. In the sense that she kept to herself and didn't cause trouble. 

But when that happened, what about Joseph? He was left alone and who knows what sort of things went through his mind? What he was truly feeling?

Kay wanted to let Joseph know that there was someone that was there, just for him - yet, at the same time, she also wanted him to know that he had lots of people there who loved him.

He seemed to have withdrawn into himself in an attempt to be strong. Perhaps he was also imitating his father, Stephan, that seemed to get back to normal so fast? After all, he had already gone to work and left behind his kids to be taken care of by other people.

Three different people, three different methods of coping with their grief.

The kids, at least, had Kyle and her. Stephan had to deal with his own grief, in his own way. Kay hoped he managed to do so, and she wasn't really concerned about Stephan. He was, after all, an adult - not to say that he didn't deserve care but his kids deserved it more.

They could only stretch themself so much. 

To Kay's surprise, however, she found that she quite enjoyed being in Joseph's company. He was a really bright and positive guy, with a heart of gold. She enjoyed her talks with him, 

Their life settled into a routine. 

Kay would come after Stephan left for work. She would spend the whole day at the apartment, and cook them lunch. She learned from Kyle what were their favourite foods and made extra effort to learn them so as to give them some sense of familiarity.

She was initially worried that it might trigger some intense sad moments and in truth, it did at first. However, it was part of the healing process.

The first time she placed dish she had cooked on the table, Joseph was the one that was startled and stared at it.

It was something simple.

Chicken stew, though it was not the thick creamy version. Rather, it appeared like soup, with the pieces of chicken, potato and carrots cut into cubes. This was Joseph's favourite dish and his mother would often make huge batches of it because he would always eat up the leftovers for a couple of days.

Now, upon seeing that steaming pot of stew, with its familiar smell and appearance, Joseph didn't say anything as he scooped up the stew into his bowl. 

Kay saw his adam's apple go up and down a bit as he gulped, taking his time pouring the stew and putting some rice into it. It was slow, deliberate movements, as if he was recording it in his mind.

Lianne's reaction was better.

She looked at the dish, then at Kay, then said, "Thank you."

Kay sat down next to Lianne and started eating as well. 

From what Kyle had told her, Lianne was really close to her mother. So much so that she would only sit beside her mother during mealtimes, or at the very least, across from her. She didn't like having a space between her and her mother, even if that 'space' was her father.

Although Lianne's actions seem indifferent and aloof (with her attention mainly on her phone), it didn't mean that she was cut off from the world. It was her way of coping with what was going around her. Anything negative, or what would make her upset, was muted when she was playing her game.

These were things that Kyle only realised now, after Lianne was diagnosed as Aspergers. 

Unfortunately, those were also the things that triggered her father, thinking that she was being anti-social. Thus, Lianne forced herself not to use her phone when her father was around, which in turn, increased the pressure and stress upon her.

This was why Kay didn't mind nor admonish Lianne for always being on the phone.

Aspergers had their own way of dealing with the various stimulants around her and Kay felt that Lianne's method was far better than isolating herself completely from people. Though one would often equate 'being there physically but not mentally' was just as bad, it wasn't in Lianne's case.

Kay turned her attention towards Joseph, who was simply eating silently, taking each mouthful like it was a serious matter.

"Does it taste okay?" Kay asked nervously.

Joseph nodded.

He continued eating, as his mind was filled with memories of his mother with each spoonful.

It didn't taste exactly the same as what his mother made, but it was close enough. He tasted the familiar flavour, feeling the warmth of the stew flowing down his throat and warming him up from inside.

Without him realising it, a single tear emerged from his eye and fell down his cheek. It was only when he saw it drip into his stew that he broke out of his thoughts.

"It's almost like how Mama used to make it," Joseph finally said, his words hoarse with suppressed emotions.

He looked up at Kay and asked, "How did you know?"

Kay gave a smile and lied straightforwardly, "Your father told me about all of the dishes your mother used to make. I hope you don't mind."

Joseph was stunned.

Seeing that look, Kay said softly, "He really loved your mother very much."