THE WOUND

Chapter 15

Jim awoke just when Aaron started the car. The radio came to life, Bruno Mars was singing 'Just the way you are'. Startled and irked , Aaron endeavored to stop the music but Jim's voice stopped him.

" Dad? " Confusion and excitement clear in his tone.

" Hey Champ , how a..." I interrupted him.

" Champ.. " Making a face , I continued " Only Matt calls him Champ."

Sleep deprived, irritated and furious, I was acting like a teenager.

" Excuse me if I didn't know Matt discovered that word. " he hissed.

Jim tipped his head back to hear my reply.

" Well , Only Matt calls him Champ. Call him something else. " I hissed back.

" I will call my Son anything I want! Any fu...dging thing! You better improve your tone, Savannah Cole." He looked ready to throttle the life out of me.

Jim was moving his head back and forth to see our faces and he looked ready to cry. I stopped my next comment and ran a hand through Jim's soft black curls which were just like his Dad's. His arrogant, vindictive and Man-whore Daddy.

" Jim , we are going home. " Aaron told Jim who was frowning lightly.

We were changing houses and not giving a thought to what it was doing to a barely three year old Jim who didn't know anything about Divorces and marriage.

Jim kept frowning but nodded.

"Matt come also home?" Jim asked in broken English.

" No. " Aaron said.

" Mommy and me miss Matt." Jim pouted, ready to cry again. He was close to Matt and expected Matt to stay with him or close to him. Five months could to that to a child. His bottom lip trembling and eyes threatened a flood of tears.

" Mommy and I , sweetheart and we will meet Matt whenever we want to , Dad won't object. " I said kissing his chubby cheeks and glaring at Aaron , silently daring him to say anything.

Mr. Aaron Cole, guess Arrogant came from Aaron.

" Dad will come too when you meet your Uncle Matt. " Aaron smiled at me, daring me back.

" Matt is Matt ,not Uncle Matt. He is?" Jim asked me. He was grasping my hand and shaking it.

" But Dad will be busy." I smiled back coldly.

" No he won't be busy. Not for his Wife and Son." Aaron countered.

" Dad, he is uncle Matt?" Jim asked again, irked because he wasn't getting any attention.

" Yes he is." Aaron answered.

" No he isn't. He is just Matt. " I denied.

" He is Uncle Matt." Aaron put the Car in fourth gear. The road was clear. It was afternoon but there was hardly any traffic.

" No he isn't." I said increasing the volume of the song playing on the radio, something by the new boy band which was quite popular in USA.

" Dad and Mommy fighting." Jim announced.

" No we aren't. " We both said simultaneously.

Jim shook his head like we were a pair of teenagers and he was the parent. He was looking both angry and disappointed at our behaviour.

We were silent the next hour.

Aaron parked the car near the main gate and we clambered out , he gave the car keys to the security guard and sauntered towards the house.