Autumn is a second spring

150. Talk

Seth slowed the car to a stop in front of the duplex, his hands tightening briefly on the steering wheel. The porch light cast a soft, familiar glow on the front yard—the same yard his son had tended with Fluke for years, back when things were still simple. Back when this place still felt like a home, not a battlefield.

Ann sat beside him, shoulders trembling from hours of quiet crying. Her eyes were swollen, her voice already broken before she even spoke. "I don't know, P' Seth. Are we... are we really going to talk to him like this?" she whispered. "What if he doesn't listen, P' Seth? What if he slams the door on us?"

Seth let out a sigh that seemed to sink into his bones. "I don't know either Ann," he admitted. "But we can't just sit back and watch him sever ties with us. I thought... I really thought he would cool down. That he would drop this idea on his own. Ohm had never been reckless like this."

Ann shook her head, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand. "I never imagined he was serious. Not our baby. He always came back after a fight. He always softened first." Her voice cracked. "I can't— I can't let him walk away from us, Phi. I will beg him if I have to."

"We will fix it," Seth murmured, squeezing her cold fingers. "Together."

They stepped out of the car and walked toward the gate. The lights on the fence wall were on—something Ohm only ever switched on when he was home. Ann let out a faint, hopeful breath.

Seth pressed the calling bell. The sharp ring echoed inside the quiet duplex. A second later, he glanced up at the CCTV camera mounted above the gate. "He is looking at us," Seth murmured. "He must be."

The locks clicked. The gate slid open.

Ohm stood there—loose T-shirt, breathable knee-length shorts, slippers, hair slightly damp like he had showered not long ago. His expression was unreadable—neither angry nor welcoming, simply... blank.

"Why are you two here?" he asked, voice flat.

Seth exchanged a glance with Ann, then cleared his throat. "We would like to talk. If you... don't mind, can we come in?"

Ohm hesitated for just half a second before stepping aside.

Ann nearly sagged with relief as they walked past him. Ohm closed the gate and headed toward the duplex without a word. They followed quickly, afraid he would change his mind.

Inside, Ohm gestured toward the living room sofa. "Please." Then he disappeared into the kitchen.

Ann clutched Seth's arm, whispering shakily, "He let us in... He let us in, P' Seth..."

Seth nodded but his expression was tight, heavy.

Ohm returned with two glasses of warm water and set them carefully on the coffee table. Ann looked at the glasses, and for a moment, something in her expression broke—Ohm remembered they didn't drink sugary beverages, didn't drink tea, didn't like cold water. Even after everything, he remembered.

He sat opposite them. "Say whatever you came to say."

Seth cleared his throat. "We were... hoping you would reconsider this whole cutting-ties matter. Isn't it too extreme? We have never hurt you deliberately, Ohm. We may have been negligent but—"

Ohm let out a small, humorless scoff.

Ann winced and quickly intervened, her voice trembling. "Ohm... we are sorry. For everything. For the times you felt neglected.  We didn't intend to neglect you.  Things just... happened. I couldn't be by your side during your recovery, and that's something we will regret forever." Tears filled her eyes again. "I am so, so sorry, baby."

Just then Seth shifted—too abruptly—and his arm knocked into the glass of water. It tipped over and splashed all over Ann's blouse.

Ann gasped and stood up, dripping. "Oh—oh my god—"

Seth grabbed the glass before it hit the floor. "Ann! I am so sorry— I didn't—"

Ohm stood up, gaze flicking from the wet floor to Ann's drenched clothes. "It's fine," he said in his usual calm monotone. "Come with me. I will get you something to change into."

Ann nodded gratefully and followed him down the hallway.

In the bedroom, Ohm pulled open Fluke's side of the closet and took out a soft blue T-shirt and loose pants. "These are probably Fluke's. They should fit you."

Ann swallowed, touched in a way she didn't know how to express. "Thank you, Ohm."

He nodded and stepped back, leaving her to change while he went to the storeroom to get a mop.

When he returned to the living room, mop in hand, Seth was no longer sitting where he had been. He had moved deliberately to the far end of the couch.

Ohm froze for a split second before letting out a breath. "Don't you think that its a bit a of an old-school trick," he said dryly as he began mopping the floor. "Spill water on someone so they have to leave the room."

Seth chuckled, not bothering to deny it. "Old-school, yes. But effective, isn't it?"

Ohm finished mopping and leaned the mop against the wall. "Say what you wanted to say to me alone."

Seth stood and followed him toward the open kitchen. Ohm put the mop away, wiped his hands on a cloth, and set a fresh glass of water on the counter for Seth. Seth took the seat at the high kitchen stool.

"Want anything else?" Ohm asked. "Tea? Coffee?"

Seth chuckled. "Honestly, I want a neat whiskey. But I can't. I am driving your mom home."

"We can call a chauffeur," Ohm said flatly.

Seth shook his head with a small laugh. "You are being too harsh on her."

Ohm said nothing.

Seth took a sip of the water and exhaled with exaggerated satisfaction. "Do you remember your Khun Pu Tuat [1], Ohm?"

Ohm leaned against the counter. "Not clearly. I was six when he died."

"He adored you," Seth said quietly. "More than you know."

Ohm frowned. "Why are you bringing him up now?"

Seth set the glass down and folded his hands. His tone shifted—quieter, heavier, almost nostalgic. When Ann found out she was pregnant with you, she was overjoyed. She wasn't trying to match Tessa's pregnancy. It was... real excitement. The kind that comes when a woman longs for her first child." He paused. "Everyone in the family was thrilled. Your Khun Pu. Your Pa, Lung. Me. Everyone."

Ohm's expression remained neutral, though his fingers curled subtly around the edge of the counter.

"That was when your Khun Pu Tuat heard the news," Seth continued. "And he summoned us to the Ritprasert mansion."

Seth rested his elbows on the counter, his voice dropping into something almost weary. "Your Khun Pu Tuat... he wasn't just strict, Ohm. He was a retired army general. He spent most of his life serving the military, and he carried that discipline everywhere—even into the family." He gave a faint, humorless smile. "Growing up, it felt less like a home and more like a training camp. We had drills, routines, punishments. If I slipped up, even once, the disciplining was... harsh."

Ohm said nothing, listening.

"I got used to it," Seth continued quietly. "But Ann... she didn't. She was the youngest in her family, the most pampered. She had always been bright, bubbly, free-spirited. She struggled there. That's why I used business as an excuse to move abroad with her."

He let out a breath. "But then she got pregnant with you. And your Khun Pu Tuat... he practically ordered us to stay until the delivery."

[1] Pu Tuat - Great grandfather ('Khun' was added as a form of respect to the title.)