Yesterday's Future 2✔️

24. The need to do one thing in his life right.

10:19am,
Adam's apartment,
New York.

Young Wayne in his red long sleeve top, white chinos trousers and leather sandals sat with legs wide apart on a couch. Alvin and the Chipmunks played on the large TV screen, but his undivided attention was fixed on the Batman toy in his hands, while Daddy worked his wonders in the kitchen. He could hear the crackling and clanking noises and perceive the smoky smell from back there.

The shiny black superhero carelessly fell off from his hand, rolled from the couch down the hardwood floor. His brow drew tight as he leaned forward and looked down to find it. Batman's head had come off and rolled under the table. The way he scrunched up his face said he was not only disappointed but also determined to retrieve his toy that had come apart.

Adam, unaware of the situation was invested in the pancakes he was frying in the kitchen. For some reason, they had to be the best pancakes Wayne had ever had in his life. It was his turn to spend time with his son, while Lily took a short trip to finally face her parents in Port Hope, especially since he was traveling to Nigeria again in a matter of days. Every second he spent with his son was going to be specially spent.

For someone who hated cooking or even being in the kitchen, he was loving it, getting good at it, basking in the glory of it—the art of being a father and the thrill of it—the thrill and need to be the perfect dad, the perfect father figure. The need to do one thing in his life right, and this was his golden chance.

Since he and his ex-wife Lily settled the co-parenting arrangements, he'd been spending more bonding time with his son and life had no doubt been brighter for Adam. Most of his pent up pain, misery and anger had slowly begun to melt away...replaced with a kind of energy he'd never felt before. It was always so raw and refreshing at the same time. He finally had a purpose. His two-almost-three year old son was all he could think about.

Adam heard a loud thud in the living room and instinctively removed his apron, tossed it on the counter and ran out of the kitchen to where the sound came from. Wayne. To his surprise, the bonny little boy was on the floor, standing on his two legs, the pieces of his toy in his hand. Adam frowned as he walked towards him and stooped to his level, then he noticed the box of the toy had fallen too, probably when he made an attempt to come and save Batman.

He ran a hand tenderly down Wayne's black curly hair, and carried him up in his arms, collecting the broken toy the boy held firmly. He wouldn't let go at first but when he did, Adam inspected the level of the damage and assured him.

"It's not that bad. Daddy is going to fix it." Wayne looked a tad more relieved hearing that that he put his hands around his neck.

They entered into the kitchen and he placed Wayne on one end of the counter, far from where all the smoky cooking was going on.

"Shit! Sorry, damn, it's burning." Wayne watched as he hurried back to the cooker where the pan was sizzling hot, and the pancakes were frying, burning. Smoke was in the air.

Adam mouthed a curse under his breath as he picked up the frying spoon, taking out the almost burnt pancakes.

At that instant, he jumped in shock at the sudden sound of the doorbell which seemed louder than usual. The bell came again and he just turned the knob off on the cooker.

"Stay here, I'll be right back. Someone's at the door,"  He looked back from the boy to the state of mess of the kitchen and smacked his lips. The bell came again and he huffed in exasperation.  "Don't touch anything."

Wayne gave him an understanding look and he strode for the door way, adjusting the band grey shirt he wore on blue joggers.

"Yara! Finally. What's up?" She turned around in an instant and her face lit up with excitement.