Sunshine's daddy

Professor Bible Sumettikul has a strong, handsome and cold aura. Invariably dressed in all black or dark colours, the only playfulness allowed in his attire can be found in the subtle pattern of his socks and underwear. Sometimes it's little hearts, or bunnies, or rainbows. But of course his students won't ever get to see that.

As they won't ever see him with his niece Rose, an extremely cute four-year old girl who adores him. He's helping his sister Violette raise her, since the girl's father (Bible's older brother Sam) suddenly died in a car accident with his wife three years ago.

Since then, Rose has brought some much needed chaos to Bible's life, spending long weekends with him every two weeks.

At the beginning, it was a big shock for Bible, grieving his brother and having to look after a baby while also working as a teacher was more than a handful. But it proved to be a blessing, and Bible will always be grateful to have her in his life. Thanks to Rose he wasn't consumed by the loss of one of the persons he loved most (and looked up to, too). Now he finds traces of him in her, his brother is not entirely gone. They both have the same mischievous personality.

When Rose is not with Bible, he's mostly focused on work. He's not just any professor, last year he took on the role of vice-Principal of his university, a role he takes seriously. He also takes his teaching vocation very seriously, always striving to help his students find a deeper meaning in Economics. According to Bible, it's not just about making money but about changing people's lives for the best. Of course some will never get it, they are just there to make their parents happy or they see his class as a hurdle they have to jump in order to have a well-paid job.

But when he finds a different kind of student, the one who will end up vibing with the same concepts as him... that's when Bible remembers why he chose this career path and he can come back home after work with a sense of fulfilment.

***

8:30 am. Jeff overslept again. He moves around the house while getting dressed in a hurry with the first clothes he finds. He rushes to Saint's bedroom to find him already awake, waiting for his breakfast, a toy in his hands and a wide smile on his face.

"Oh well, we're already late, so what?" Jeff thinks while giving him a big hug, and some kisses and tickles just to hear him laugh. Jeff slows down and they get ready together, with the toddler chatting all the way to the school. The school entrance is empty because the bell already rang and Jeff takes Saint's little hand in his to cross the playground and deliver him safely to his classroom.

A new face he has never seen before, of a twenty-something new teacher appears at the door, blinking repeatedly when she sees Jeff.

"Sorry we are a bit late..." says Jeff, smiling charmingly to the wide-eyed young woman.

Then he lowers down to speak to his son: "Have a great day, Saint! Mummy will pick you up today. See you later alligator..."

The little boy laughs and hi-fives Jeff's hand, and the parent leaves without sparing another look to the teacher who is still slightly open-mouthed and flustered by the handsome person who brought Saint in.

***

Twelve hours later, in an affluent residential area conveniently close to the university, Bible comes back home from work. Today wasn't an easy day and he can sense a splitting headache coming. He takes his necktie off, opens the first four buttons of his shirt and sits comfortably on his sofa, his bare feet on top of the seat, and a glass of single malt whisky with a dash of water on the table beside him. He looks through the windows of the balcony towards the lights of the sleepy city outside. He has checked on the website and knows he's online.