CHAPTER 84: A CHILD’S LONGING

Meanwhile...

"Tut... tut...---Hello, Mom. This is Cairo. Can we finally meet?"

But only silence followed. Seconds passed, yet no voice came from the other end of the line.

"Hello, Mom, are you still there?" Cairo asked again.

Bern, who had been watching quietly, noticed the sudden sadness in Cairo’s voice. He glanced at his phone and realized the call had already ended minutes ago.

Sylvia had hung up.

Still, Cairo clung to the faint hope that his mom might speak to him.

"Cairo, son... the call has been gone for a while now. Maybe your mom just lost her signal again." Bern said softly, trying to cover up what Sylvia had done.

But Cairo didn’t believe him. His lips pressed into a pout, his eyes reflecting disappointment, like a child sulking.

"Dad, don’t try to cover for Mom anymore. I know she doesn’t want to talk to me. Not even on my birthdays, not even on the days that mattered most. She was never there by my side. I don’t even remember her face or know what her voice sounds like. So why are you still trying to cover her?" he asked, his eyes searching Bern’s face for answers.

Bern let out a deep sigh. It wasn’t that he wanted to shield Cairo from Sylvia ignoring him, but he believed Sylvia still hadn’t healed from her past.

He feared that seeing Cairo again would only reopen all the wounds she had been desperately trying to bury.

"How can you say that about your mom, Cairo? You may have never seen her, but she always asks about you through me. She never forgets your birthday. Didn’t she give you this?"

Bern pointed at the necklace hanging around Cairo’s neck, as well as his favorite shirt that Sylvia had sent him.

Sylvia might have avoided Cairo and might not yet have the courage to face him, but it wasn’t true that she had forgotten him.

She still remembered the important days in his life, especially his birthday. Bern knew how little Sylvia had, how poor her life was now. Yet she still saved up what little she could just to send packages overseas—small gifts filled with her love for Cairo.

Cairo looked down, pouting again. Though his words had sounded harsh, deep down he knew he loved his mom.

He treasured the things she sent him more than anything he had ever received, cherishing them as the only proof that his mom still cared, even from afar.

After a long pause, Cairo finally looked up at Bern with hesitant eyes.

"Dad... I’ve been meaning to ask you something. Do I have any siblings?"

Bern froze.

It was the first time Cairo had ever asked him if he had siblings. He had never asked about it before, not to his grandfather, nor even his Uncle Sylvester.

Even Bern had no news of Sylvia’s other children. The only time he had seen them was when they were still babies, before Sylvia flew abroad to escape and left the care of sickly little Cairo in his hands.

He still remembered how Sylvia had been unable to even look at Cairo as a baby without flinching, as if he reminded her too painfully of the father of her triplets.

Perhaps the memory of him stirred too much of the past, too much pain, and having Cairo by her side would only make things worse.

Aside from that, Sylvia’s situation was already difficult. Caring for a sickly child while barely able to manage her own life had been impossible.

Bern, as her only friend and the one who had taken responsibility for Cairo, had made a promise to Sylvia and to himself.

He vowed that he would help Cairo recover, so that one day he could finally meet the little siblings he had never known, and so Sylvia could find peace without being dragged back into the painful past.

"Dad... I’m asking you!"

Cairo pouted, and Bern couldn’t help but laugh softly before ruffling his hair.

"Where did you hear that you have siblings, hmm?"

"I heard it from Grandpa when he was talking with Uncle Sylvester!" Cairo replied, his small face serious.

Bern paused, lowering his head, his brows furrowed.

"Did your grandpa say some nonsense again to you? Or did he perhaps speak ill about your mom?"

Cairo thought for a moment, shaking his head.

"Nope. He was drunk when he talked with Uncle Sylvester... actually, he seemed regretful."

Bern froze. His mind went blank for a moment. There was no way Sylvia’s strict, old-fashioned father could feel regret. He was the very reason Sylvia had run away.

How could he ever feel remorse for the choices that had forced his daughter to leave? Impossible.

"Are you sure about that? You know your grandpa sometimes says bad things about your mom, right? That’s why I always tell you not to listen to him and not to trust him. Just stick to Uncle Sylvester and don’t let anyone put bad ideas about your mom into your head." Bern said, his tone gentle but firm.

" Yeah I already know about that Dad. But I’m sure this time." Cairo replied, his little brows furrowed.

"I really heard him sound regretful. He even said he wants to see his granddaughters too, but he can’t. That’s why I want to know if I have sisters because neither Uncle Sylvester nor Uncle Stephenson has children yet."

Bern stared straight at Cairo, his eyes full of expectation. Despite still being a child, he was already bold enough to demand the truth. Bern had learned that whenever Cairo looked at him like this, he wouldn’t stop until he got the answer he wanted.

"Well... actually, you do have sisters," Bern finally admitted. "Two older sisters, just a few minutes older than you."

Cairo’s eyes widened.

"Sisters? So it’s true? What are their names?" His excitement made him fidget restlessly.

Bern tried to smooth down Cairo’s messy hair, smiling at his energy.

"Well... you can guess their names. They’re also like yours, they were named after places."

Cairo scrunched his face.

"That’s hard to guess, Dad." Cairo ruffled his hair again. "Who decided to name us after a place? Was it you or Mom?"

Bern’s smile faltered. He knew he couldn’t lie to him completely, but he also couldn’t reveal everything. Cairo didn’t know that he wasn’t his real father.

Bern only knew that his biological dad had cheated on Sylvia in the past. And Cairo only knew that he and Sylvia were once a couple but were long separated.

"Uh... your mom.."

Bern swallowed, his throat tightening. Sylvia had named her kids after places, similar to the man, who was also named after a place, and who had once betrayed her.

Just thinking about the man Sylvia had once loved made Bern’s anger boil. He couldn’t imagine the pain Sylvia must have carried all these years while she was with him.

"So... what are their names? Is it Egypt and..."

Cairo paused, resting his hand on his chin as if thinking deeply.

"...and Madagascar?"

"Pfftt—why did you think Madagascar?"

Bern couldn’t help but laugh, the tension in his eyes immediately softening. A warm smile spread across his face, breaking the seriousness of the moment.

"Well, I just thought... since my name is the capital of Cairo, my sister would be named after some place in Africa. And Madagascar and Egypt are the only names that sounded nice together." Cairo replied innocently.

"Haha... you’re right about Egypt. But your other older sister’s name isn’t Madagascar, it’s Paris." Bern corrected, still smiling.

"Paris and Egypt..." Cairo muttered.

"They have beautiful names. They must be happy... because they’re with Mom. How I wish I could see them too. Do they even know about me? Or... do they also not know they have a brother?"

The smile vanished from Bern’s lips at the excitement in Cairo’s eyes dimmed. It was replaced with a quiet longing that made Bern’s chest tighten.

He immediately pulled him into a comforting embrace, soothing him gently. He couldn’t let Cairo feel overwhelming emotions too intensely. The pain and confusion about his family were too much for him to bear at once.

Bern wanted, if he could, to shield Cairo from every sadness tied to his family.

He was his foster father, yes, but he knew he wasn’t enough. Cairo needed Sylvia too.

So the moment they arrived in the country where Sylvia was, Bern didn’t refuse Cairo’s request to meet her. But unfortunately, they didn’t meet Sylvia.

Bern only heard that Egypt had fallen ill and was in the hospital. Since then, Cairo had been persistent, nudging him constantly, wanting desperately to talk to Sylvia even if it was just once.

Bern still held onto the hope that, at least for a single moment, Cairo could meet her.

********

On the other hand...

"Mom... did you cry?"

Paris asked as Sylvia entered the room.

The concern in her eyes was obvious as she stepped closer and gently hugged her mom’s legs.

"Did someone hurt you? Or did that Bear Man make you cry?"