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“I’m really sorry, Pond,” Gunsmile mumbled apologetically over the phone.
“It’s okay, Papa. I understand. Mama needs to rest so that both she and my baby sister would be okay,” Pond tried to keep the sadness away from his tone because he did not want to worry the man who helped raise him despite not being his biological father.
“Do you want me to ask your aunts to accompany you to the Mother’s Day event?” Gunsmile offered but Pond shook his head harshly, forgetting that the other person could not see his gesture.
“No need, Papa. I don’t want to bother them. I can just explain to my teacher that Mama won’t be able to make it,” Pond said simply and Gunsmile sighed anew.
“Do you want to talk to her?” He asked the boy hesitantly as he glanced at Love who was lying on the hospital bed with an IV drip attached to the back of her hand.
"No, Papa. Just let her and my baby sister rest. I'm a big boy now," Pond said reassuringly.
“Is any of your fathers with you right now?” Gunsmile asked cautiously.
“Pawi just left for a VIVID fashion event in Milan early this morning while Pabi is still in training,” Pond explained evenly and Gunsmile’s eyebrows furrowed together in concern.
“So, who is taking care of you?” The man asked and Pond panicked a little at the silent admonition in the older man’s tone.
“Uncle Mick is here and also Grandma Kannika. She stays with me while Pawi and Pabi are away,”
“Why don’t you ask your grandma to come with you instead?”
“Wow! Great idea, Papa! I’m sure she’ll say yes!”
“The school event is still two days away, maybe if your mom feels better tomorrow…” Gunsmile hinted but Pond was quick to shoot the idea down.
“No, Papa. I don’t want to force Mama to be okay. I will be fine, really,”
“You’re such a smart and confident boy now, Pond. I am glad your fathers are raising you well even if they are always away,” Gunsmile finally voiced out his concern.
“Don’t think bad about them, Papa. Pawi had to be forced by grandma Chunhua to go in her stead because she is looking after Aunt Ming who is set to give birth this month. He didn’t want to leave me alone but I assured him that I will be fine with Uncle Mick and Grandma Kannika,” Pond explained patiently.
“Just call me if you need anything, Pond. You know I would always come running,”
“Of course, Papa. I love you. Say hi to Mama and baby sister for me,”
“I will, take care of yourself, Pond,” Gunsmile said before ending the call with a heavy heart.
“What do you mean Pond is already asleep, Mom? It’s just seven in the morning here so it should just be nine in the evening in Thailand,” Bright inhaled the steam coming from his coffee mug as he talked to his mom on the phone.
“Well, he helped me with the laundry earlier so he might have gotten tired and fell asleep early,” Kannika explained as she gently closed the door to Pond’s bedroom, wary of waking up the tired boy.
“Such a sweet boy,” Bright mumbled before taking a sip from his mug.
“And very considerate too, he asked me if it would be okay if I attend the Mother’s Day event in their school as a proxy for his mom,” Kannika said as she carefully padded towards the living room, taking great care not to make too much noise with her slippers.
“Oh, why? What happened to Love?” Bright asked with furrowed brows.
“Gunsmile said she experienced spotting and had to be rushed to the hospital. She needs to be on bed rest for two weeks to make sure that she wouldn't be giving birth prematurely," Kannika said in a serious tone as she settled into the couch. Mick was busy doing some graphs on the coffee table and seems oblivious to everything around him. He is now an architecture student at TU, the school where Win also graduated from.
“Poor Pond! And Win isn't there at the moment too," Bright sighed in concern.
“Don’t fret too much, Bright. I can go to his school with him. It’s just a mother’s day event and I am already an expert in those considering how I was always present for you no matter how busy I am,” Kannika chuckled nervously, sensing his son's discomfort at the thought that both he and Win aren't there for Pond at the moment.
The fighter felt a pang of guilt at what his mother said. Pond may not be related to them by blood but since he is Win’s biological son, his family had come to treat Pond as their own even before he and Win got married. This would be the first time when both of Pond’s biological parents won’t be present for a school event and it’s a Mother’s Day event to boot.
“When would the school’s event be held?” Bright asked determinedly as he glanced at the wall clock mounted on the wall opposite his dining table.
“So your mom can’t come today, Pond?” Charm, the young mother of one of Pond's classmates asked Pond who was conspicuously alone in a sea of mothers and their children.
“Yes, she needs to rest to protect my baby sister,” Pond answered politely as he glanced furtively at the venue’s entrance, slightly worried that his grandma Kannika hasn’t arrived yet.
“Such a complicated setup this child has, don’t you think?” Hannah, another young mother commented petulantly.
“Hush, he will hear you,” Charm warned her when she saw Pond lower his head sadly.
"Of course, he knows that his family is not a normal one, right? Poor child, robbed of a normal childhood just because his parents couldn't work things out between them," Hannah scoffed as she crossed her arms over her chest. At this point, Pond raised his head and looked at her in earnest.
“Both my Mama and Pawi are happy with how we are now, ma’am. I am happier now because I have a very big family. Not everybody can claim that they have three fathers,” Pond said respectfully but the young mother just rolled her eyes and pretended not to hear the child’s explanation.
"I don't care what the law says. For me, a family should still consist of a mother and a father. Imagine what values their setup imparts to the child," Hannah commented drily, unaware that someone who had just arrived overheard their conversation.
“At least we did not raise Pond to be judgmental,” a low voice said drily and Pond whipped his head back so fast he almost suffered from whiplash when he heard the familiar voice.
“Pabi! Why are you here?” Pond asked as he welcomed Bright with a fierce hug.
“I took a break from training so I can be with you on this special occasion," Bright said simply as he went down on one knee to be at eye level with Pond.
There were murmurings all around as the mothers present couldn’t help but gush at the UFC MMA fighter known worldwide as Bright “Mapanoi” Chivaaree-Opas iamkajorn who stood there hugging his son while clad in casual tight-fitting denim jeans, black boots, and white muscle tees underneath an unbuttoned printed shirt. His longish hair is secured in a tight bun at the back of his head but what took away everyone’s breath was how his impassive expression was broken when Pond hugged him and the fighter broke into a radiant smile.
“Am I late for the reunion?” Another familiar voice broke the pregnant silence permeating the air and both Bright and Pond turned toward the owner of the voice.
“Pawi! You are also here!” Pond beamed happily as he skipped towards Win and threw himself into his father’s open arms.
“Mick told me about this, why didn’t you call me?” Win said tersely as he held out his hand to Bright who casually kissed him on the cheek, pleasant surprise etched on the fighter’s handsome face.
Everyone present couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the two tall men’s imposing presence. Win came clad in a beige trench coat over a black VIVID shirt, khaki slacks, and white loafers. His runway fashion look was the perfect contrast to Bright’s casual street fashion and it made them look better together.
“I thought you wouldn’t be back for two more days?” Bright asked as he casually slipped a hand on Win's waist.
“I cut my trip short when I found out that someone flew from Las Vegas to attend our son’s school event,” Win answered pointedly and Bright’s eyebrow rose in understanding.
“Were you threatened to lose the title of being the best father?” Bright chided his husband who drew himself up to his full height before cocking his head to the side confidently.
“Not one bit. My name is Win and I always win,”
“Uhm, Mister Opas iamkajorn?” A young teacher cleared her throat nervously before addressing the two.
“Yes?” Bright and Win said in unison and the teacher blushed slightly at how the two men regarded her intently.
“The program is about to start. I will show you to your places,”
“Won’t we be sitting with Pond?” Win asked in confusion when he belatedly noticed that Pond is already out of sight. The boy slipped away silently while his fathers were engaged in small talk.
“No, sir. They will be seated elsewhere for their presentation,”
“Oh, I’m excited!” Win gushed animatedly as he craned his neck to try to see where Pond went.
"Let's go, love," Bright said in a low voice, and Win felt his heart skip a beat when the fighter held his hand so they both could follow the teacher leading them to their seat. He squeezed Bright’s warm hand with his own, wordlessly expressing his fondness and how much he missed his husband who he has not seen for months now because of the fighter’s tight training schedule.
“Will you be leaving immediately after this?” Win asked as they both settled into the seats reserved for the parents.
“I asked Coach Guy to let me stay for five days. No, I forced him to let me stay for five days,” Bright corrected himself with an amused snort while still not letting go of Win’s hand even if they are already seated.
“Why?”
“Because I miss my family and I want to be the one to be here for Pond like how my mother always found time out of her busy schedule to attend my school functions then,” Bright explained animatedly, and Win hummed in response.
“Love has never been remiss with these kinds of activities before but Gunsmile told me that her pregnancy is a bit complicated,” Win said contemplatively as Bright drew small circles on the back of his husband’s hand using his thumb.
"I'm glad that you have finally mended your relationship with them," Bright enthused and Win smiled wanly, still jet lagged from the long flight.
“They both treat Pond better now, especially Love. That is my only concern actually since I don’t want Pond to have insecurities like what I had growing up,” Win whispered grimly when the light was dimmed and they were asked to stand for the national anthem followed by a short prayer.
“Pond is a smart kid, and he gets all the love he can from our families,” Bright began the moment they both got back to their seats.
“I feel guilty that I forgot all about this schedule. It’s a good thing the fashion event ended without any glitch so I was able to book an early flight home when Mick told me about this. Did not expect you to be here too,”
“We might be hours apart but I would drop everything if our son needs me,”
“Only our son?”
“I missed you too, Kratay,” Bright whispered huskily, and Win valiantly suppressed a shiver that started from the base of his spine as an involuntary reaction to his husband's soft tone.
“Shush, don't start. We're in public," Win warned earning an amused chuckle from the fighter.
“Sorry,” Bright mumbled apologetically but Win knew better than to assume that the fighter was sorry for what he had just done.
“There will be time for that later. Look at how the mothers are looking at us like they are judging us,”
“Let them judge. My husband is the most handsome of them all,”
“And so is mine,” Win said as he looked fondly at Bright’s eyes. Their attention was called towards the stage when a short teacher took to the microphone and addressed the crowd.
“And now, let us sit back and enjoy the performance that our children prepared for us. Presenting the 2nd-grade students of PBES," she announced proudly.
Thunderous applause filled the mini stadium as the students entered the stage from the back. They lined themselves neatly on the stage, standing close to each other with just enough space to make hand movements. As the music started, the kids started to move in sync with each other as they did the hand signals for the song’s lyrics.
Thank you for teaching me how to love
Showing me what the word means
What I’ve been dreaming of
And now I know there is nothing that I could not do
Thanks to you
For teaching me how to feel
Showing me my emotions
Letting me know what’s real
From what is not
What I got is more than I’d ever hoped for
And a lot of what I hope for is thanks to you
“And now let us listen to a message that one of our top students wrote. This won first place in the Mother’s Day on-the-spot letter-writing contest that was conducted last week. Let’s give a round of applause for Pond Naravit Opas iamkajorn!”
Pond stepped forward while his classmates all stepped backward to make more room for him. The piece of paper shook in his hands as the boy slightly grew anxious with all the eyes on him. But when he caught sight of Bright and Win looking at him with encouragement, he felt all his fear gradually dissipate. The boy smiled at his fathers before fixing his eyes on the words he wrote on the paper.
“Dear Mama,
I would like to wish you a double Mother's Day greeting because soon you will give birth to my baby sister. I hope she grows up in a happier house than what I used to have with you. Don't worry, Mama. I am not angry at you for everything that happened before. What is more important is you introduced me to my true father and for that, I will forever be thankful because now I have three fathers who love me so much.
Mama, I know things weren’t easy for you when I was born but I still appreciate how hard you tried to make things okay for all of us. Even if things did not turn out the way we wanted to, I am still thankful because you let me live with my Pawi and Pabi, they are the best dads a kid could ever have and I could not thank you enough for leaving me in their care.
Mama, even if we are not together anymore; I want you to know that I have always loved and respected you for making the hard decision of letting me go so I can be happier. I know it is not easy for mothers to let their children live with others but I will always be thankful because you chose the option that would benefit us both even if it will make you look like a bad mother. Thank you for choosing my happiness above anything else. I love you so much. Your son, Pond,”
There was deafening silence and all you can hear were sniffles from the audience. Win smiled despite glassy eyes and Bright sighed harshly to dispel the tightening in his chest. They have all gone through a lot before Pond officially became an Opas iamkajorn but the two are just glad that the experience did not leave lasting scars in Pond’s psyche as the kid grew up to be more mature for his tender age of eight years old.
Win broke the impasse by clapping loudly along with Bright and the others followed suit, filling the venue with appreciative applause. Pond smiled at his two fathers with teary eyes before doing a wai which the two men respectfully returned.
“I love you,” Win mouthed at Pond while Bright blew a flying kiss towards his son, and Pond's smile shone brighter than all the klieg lights on stage.
“Mama couldn’t make it today but I am proud to say that my fathers both came for me. I love you both, Pawi and Pabi! Happy Mother’s Day to both of you,” Pond said in a slightly broken voice as he tried to choke back his tears.
Bright and Win blushed slightly as all eyes focused on them amid the unending applause. In response to Pond's acknowledgment, they both stood up and wai-ed towards everyone in the venue. Win held out his hand and Bright grasped it firmly, a silent reassurance that even without his biological mother, they would make sure that Pond would have the best home that every child deserves.