You Can't Make A Mechanical Heart Now

Chapter 2

Alec went down to the basement, and as soon as he did, laying down on his makeshift bed of dust, the thundering of footsteps came followed by the laughter of children, two girls and one boy. The girl that raced with her brother was the eldest. She had blonde hair - which she got from her mother - that was tied into half a ponytail and grey eyes - which she had gotten from her father - to match her beauty. The boy was the middle child. He had dark brown hair he got from his father and brown eyes he got from his mother. The two older siblings were the most frantic and crazy ones. They fought and they played and they talked and they complained. Rebellious and smart little ones were they. Then there was the youngest sibling. The little girl looked like her mother, blonde hair tied in a braid and brown eyes. She was the favoured one because she was sweet and smart although a little shy.

The eldest one, Agatha, was 9 years old. The middle child, Sebastian, was 7. And the youngest, Annika, was 5. Annika didn't remember her mother unlike her older siblings. Agatha said she was only a year old when mother suddenly disappeared. Sebastian couldn't remember much of their mother, but he could remember a few. Both Agatha and Sebastian told Annika about their mother, how sweet he was, how pretty he was, everything they thought about their mother. Their father had told them their mother left them and ran away, but they knew that wasn't true. Their mother loved them dearly. They promised to each other that when each of them were older, they'd go look for their mother.

But for now, little Agatha and Sebastian were racing each other down to the dining room, Annika and their father following them behind. When they entered the dining room, they were in time to see the new maid placing down the last plate of pancakes on the table. They smiled and greeted her, "Hey, Nicola!"

"Hello, little ones," the maid, Nicolas, greeted back with a smile.

"Hey, Nicola, why is there a fourth plate?", Sebastian asked.

"Isn't your mother going to eat with you?", Nicola raised a brow.

"Mom? Mom left a long time ago, didn't she, father?", Annika asked, confused.

"A-ah... Nevermind. Go eat your breakfast before it gets cold. And then, I have ice cream prepared for you three since it's New Year!", Nicola said, changing the subject.

That seemed to work as they said, "Yay!" but Agatha remained skeptical.

Nicola approached their father, Jonah, and asked, "Master, may I speak with you for a moment?"

Jonah nodded and they exited the dining room for a moment. Nicola was silent despite being a talkative one when Jonah hired her. Nicola had a lot going on in her mind, so many questions. Why did the master mention of his wife when the children knew their mother had left? The master had said his wife stayed in the basement, but who was that man that went back down the basement after washing the dishes? She had many more questions, questions that bothered her and confused her all the more.

"You wanted to speak with me, Nicola?", Jonah said once they had gotten out of the dining room.

"Ah, yes, master, you said... uh... I won't be working with anyone. There was a man that came from the basement this morning and washed the dishes before going back to the basement. I'm wondering who is he?", Nicola asked.

"...," Jonah furrowed his brows and had a crestfallen look. "That... was my wife...,"

If Jonah had lived many years, he'd be sure to have many regrets. He has regrets, yes, but the regret that pains him most is when he basically outcasted his wife into hell for three four years. He knew what he did was wrong. He learned that last night. He was at a club with his friends, all having women and men on their laps including him. They were talking and spitting bad about their spouses, and that's when realization hit him when one of his friends said, "My wife's got the nerve to smile at me. That bitch...," When was the last time he'd seen Alec smile? When was the last time he'd heard his voice? When was the last time he'd heard him laugh? Or play the piano with Agatha and Sebastian? Or sing lullabies to Annika? It's been four years he could barely remember.

He went home that night, not very drunk unlike he usually would. He wanted to make things right with his wife and so he made his way down the basement, walking up to Alec who was stiffly kneeling towards the corner on his makeshift bed of dust. Asking him to come to bed with him was one thing and part of his plan to get his wife back. He knew his wife would eventually leave the room when he slept so he tried to stay awake, but then he woke up the next morning and found Alec gone. But before Jonah had came stumbling in his home, he had called one if the previous maids he had fired when he made his wife a slave and asked if her daughter would be interested in working for him, no interview needed. They agreed and that's when Nicola came the next morning, preparing breakfast to encounter Alec.

"Nicola, all you need to know about my wife is that I've wronged him terribly and I know what I've done, so... I need your help in my plan to get him back.", Jonah said.

"Anything you need, master, but one question," Nicola said.

"What?"

"Why have your children suspected that their mother left?"

"...I lied to them. You have to understand that it's becoming trend that wives are being shown as weak and useless now.", Jonah said. "Please do not tell my children,"

"I promise. But, you know, the president is thinking of putting an end to discrimination of wives," Nicola replied.

"I hope he will.  Thank you, Nicola. I'll make sure to double your pay," Jonah said, feeling kind.

"Oh, no need, master! It's fine!", Nicola said, shocked that her master would pay her double because of something so little as keeping a secret.

"I insist, Nicola," Jonah said. "Now, accompany my children for a while. I must get my wife. Wouldn't want to waste such a good breakfast."

"Of course, master," Nicola says before Jonah left to go to the kitchen to enter to the basement.