taynew drabbles ﹆

together then and now

[TEXT]
new: hi tay, are you busy?
tay: not much, why?
n: can you look after my daughter for a while?
t: of course, I'll pick her up
n: no need, I'll just drop her off in your place
t: okay, drive safely
n: will do. Thanks.

Twenty minutes have passed and Tay hears a knock at his door. It must be New and his daughter. Ever since New had a daughter, Tay was very fond of her and even asked New to take her to school because he'd nothing to do. When Tay opened the door, New's daughter immediately ran up to him and Tay picked her up in one swift motion.

"Hey, sorry for the trouble," New started as he looked at his daughter, who was over-excited in Tay's arms. "No, it's okay. Does your wife still have work?" asked Tay.

"Yeah, she flew out of the country this morning for an emergency. She was crying nonstop when she woke up and her mom's out of her sight" New said as he looked at his daughter, but she was very different from her energy that morning. "She didn't stop crying until I told her I was leaving her to you for a while," New added. Tay laughed softly, "I thought she'd cry even more when you told her you were leaving her too," and looked at the child in his arms, clinging to him and looking around Tay's flat as if it was her first time.

"It's as if you're his father and not me," New joked.

"Come on, everyone loves me," Tay said cheekily. New smiled "Can't argue with that, Mr. Vihokratana Anyway, I've to go. I'll pick her up later, okay?" said New as he leaned towards his daughter. Tay helped the child turn towards his father so he could give him a kiss on the forehead.

When New had left, Tay asked the child, "so what do you wanna do?"

"Uncle Tay," the child began, "I want ice cream." Tay laughed softly and set the girl down, "Sorry kid, Uncle Tay doesn't have ice cream".

"Then let's go outside! Come on, Uncle Tay, let's go outside!" the child said excitedly, pulling Tay by the hand to the door.

"You're just like your father, you know that?" said Tay.

"i don't want to be compared to daddy! I'm just like mommy," the girl said, continuing to tug Tay, but he didn't move from his spot.

"Oh really? I'll tell your dad what you said," Tay teased the child and smiled.

"Uncle Tay please just buy me an ice cream and I'll behave," the child pouted and begged again. Finally Tay gave in and they agreed to have the ice cream delivered to his place because it was too hot outside.

While they were eating ice cream on the couch and watching Endgame on TV, the kid suddenly asked a question. "Uncle Tay, why are you alone in this house?" Tay looked at the little girl, who looked at him curiously.

"I just like being alone. Why is that?" The child looked down at her ice cream and began to eat again. "I want to live in this house with you."

Tay tilted his head in confusion. "Why? Aren't you glad you live with Mommy and Daddy?"

"I'm happy to live with them, but I don't want you to be alone. Sometimes my mommy and daddy are strict, and then I think about living with you," the child replied. Tay thought that New's child was as smart as her parents.

"Thank you for worrying about me. You're smart, you know that?" Tay patted the child's head as she nodded. Tay turned sideways to the child and left the movie. "Hey, if mommy or daddy are strict with you, you've to obey them, okay? They're just doing what they think is best for you." Tay knows he's just talking to a child, so he also knows he should be careful with his words. They continued the movie until New's daughter fell asleep on Tay's lap, and Tay fell asleep too.

Tay woke up with a flash on his face. It was New taking a picture of them. It was dark, too, and Tay knew they'd slept so long. "done with work?" was the first thing Tay asked quietly when he saw New, trying not to wake the kid up. New nodded and picked up a plastic takeout bag.

"Have you two eaten yet?" asked New. Tay shook his head and looked at the sleeping girl on his lap. "Unfortunately, I didn't buy any rice. Let's just cook rice and have dinner," said New. Tay wanted to slowly move the girl to get up, but New stopped him. "I'll manage"

New was in the kitchen preparing their meal. While waiting for the rice to cook, he slowly looked at the photo he'd taken earlier. 10-15 years ago, this was New's dream. A family with Tay. But the future had other paths for them, but he's still grateful to have Tay by his side. He smiled softly as he felt Tay enter the kitchen and kept his phone.

"Don't worry about her. She's still fast asleep," Tay assured him.

"Has she been behaving?" asked New.

"She did, because she said so if I bought her an ice cream". New laughed softly at his daughter's behaviour.

There was a long silence until Tay broke it. "New." New looked at Tay and mumbled a small "mhm."
"Your daughter told me that whenever you and your wife are strict with her, she wants to move in with me. I told her that you two are only doing what's best for her."

New looked to the ground, "Thank you for telling her, but isn't that too much for a child?" asked New.

"I think it's fine. We've all been through strict phases from our parents, right?" laughed Tay softly. "She also told me she didn't want me to be alone," Tay added.

"I feel guilty. I admit that sometimes I think she's alone. So she seeks out company. It's just that we're busy with work. Me with the business, and my wife with her errands," New confessed. Tay walked up beside New and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm here if you think you can't handle it."

New looked at Tay, "Thank you, Tay, for always being there for me." Tay smiled, "Of course, what did New Thitipoom say before during an interview? 'Tay Tawan Vihokratana can never leave this guy right here, New Thitipoom Techaapaikhun'" Tay laughed at the memory he'd recalled.

They were there for each other then, and they're there for each other now.