THE WOES OF A SINGLE FATHER ; BATFAMILY && SUPERBAT

Chapter 13

He adopted a role

Called being a father

So that his child would have

Something mystical and infinitely important:

A protector

by Tom Wolfe

  ★  

"Do you think he is alright?" Jason leaned forwards to the front seat and asked.

They had stopped at a petrol station since they are running out of fuel. While everyone stayed in the car, Tim had excused himself to the washroom. Ten minutes passed, but there are no signs of the boy coming back.

"You know," The lack of reply from Bruce confused Jason. "It has been quite a while. Maybe you should check on him."

"This happened last year as well, Jason." Bruce shrugged his shoulders.

Jason furrowed his brow. Bruce's attitude was unsettling. What the hell was wrong with Tim and the old man? Jason knew that it was a depressing day. But did it mean everyone had to act like they were suffering from constipation?

"And you never asked Tim?" Jason stared into Bruce's eyes through the back mirror. Narrowed blue glanced back and forth, refusing to meet Jason's sharp gaze.

With an exasperated sigh, Jason leaned back in his seat and kicked on Bruce's. "You know what? You should honestly go and check him up! He might have drowned in the toilet bowl for all we know!"

★

Bruce stared at the door in front of him. He had been standing in front of the washroom for a minute now. Any more seconds passing by with him standing in front of the toilet is going to make him seem suspicious. Clearing his throat, Bruce knocked on the door twice.

"Tim," He called in a concerned tone. "Is everything alright?"

There was no reply from the other side. Bruce leaned closer and knocked on the second time. "Tim, I know you are in there. Open the door and let's talk. Okay?"

"O-Okay..." The reply was weak and soft. Bruce listened as the boy shuffled behind the closed door. Then, the door creaked open. Tim slowly walked out. The boy wiped his hands on his pants. His gaze was on the floor. Instantly, Bruce frowned at the sight in front of him.

"Tim?" When he called, the boy did not raise his head. His gaze was still on the floor, his hands grasped around his pants. The only option left for Bruce was to crouch down and get a better look at Tim's face. Then, Bruce finally noticed the boy's puffy eyes.

"Tim," Bruce's tone is gentle as he cupped the child's cheeks in his palms. Slowly, he guided Tim to look into his concerned gaze. "You don't have to hide this from us. We understand."

"I... I don't want to make everyone worried..." The tears were starting to form in the boy's eyes again. Instantly, Tim lifted his arm and wiped them away. "I am okay, Bruce. Really. But my heart hurts. It feels like if I buried this feeling underneath any longer, I might suffocate. I still remember them in my mind. And it hurts to think about them."

Bruce couldn't help but blame himself for Tim's sorrow. How could he not notice the change of behavior in the boy on this day? How had he been foolish enough to think a nine year old would be okay on the anniversary of his parent's deaths?

How could he be so blind?

"Why didn't you tell me?" With his thumbs, Bruce wiped the tears from Tim's eyes. "We could talk through this. It will make you feel better once you talked about how you feel."