The sky that night was dark, there was no stars at all and only a vague moon showing its light. The wind was strong that it made the leaves scattered on the street flew like birds. There were only a few cars and motorcycles passing by unlike usual. A small drizzle slowly descended on the wet street after the heavy rain this afternoon.
Bobby sucked on his cigarette hard before pressing the green button on his cell phone. Nicotine substances that poisoned his body made him relaxed but at the same time also made him feel uneasy.
"I'm scared... I don't know what I'm supposed to do..." said someone across the phone. The voice was filled with anxiety and worries.
"You know you only have two choices: it's either you undergo abortion or you take care of that baby, but keep in mind that the poor baby will grow up without knowing his father. Whatever your choice is, I will pay for everything, there's no need to worry about money." Bobby answered
with his deep, soothing voice.
The woman across the phone took a deep breath before answering, "Goddamn it, Bobby, I can never let this baby live without a father."
Bobby threw away his cigarette and answered, "Then come with me the day after tomorrow. I know where to go and I'm gonna accompany you throughout the process. It's better to do it as soon as possible before your baby bump gets bigger, Jenni."
The girl named Jenni then hung up after agreeing with what Bobby said. She was the girl that Bobby dated for over 2 years, their relationship was all sunshine and rainbows before Jenni told Bobby about her pregnancy. Jenni's baby was 2 weeks old, but Jenni only found out about it four days ago. She initially wanted to keep the baby as long as the father of her baby, Bobby, was willing to take responsibility for his actions and marry her. On the other hand, Bobby, who had been accepted at the military academy at that time, did not want to take the responsibility as he was about to start his bright future and he would not let anything get in the way.
Bobby took out another cigarette from the pack. It was the God-knows-how-many cigarettes that he smoked that night. No matter how many cigarettes that he sucked, it would not cool down his heart, which even colder than the cold of that night's wind.
Bobby looked into the convenient store, there was a disabled person who just came in. His right leg was amputated, so he had to use a crutch. Living up to his cold-hearted self, Bobby did not intend to help at all, he was just there observing the disabled person. For some reason, Bobby was interested to keep his eyes on him, eventhough Bobby never cared about anyone before.
The man took two packs of baby diapers and two cans of milk. He glanced to the right, left, front and back before walking out of the convenient store carrying the unpaid baby diapers and milk. The convenient store keeper was asleep, so he did not realize what this man was doing. The man also did not realize that Bobby who was sitting on the bench outside of the convenient store had been observing him.
After he left, Bobby, full of curiosity, immediately followed him. The man walked in a rush, like there was something urgent that demanded him to arrive soon. His move was sure but several times he almost fell because his crutch was caught on the rocks of the road. A small drizzle descended and made his old, dull shirt wet. He walked about 100m and stopped at the front of a closed store. Bobby also stopped and hid behind a car parked in front of the store.
The man sat down, placed the diapers and milk in the floor and picked up a box covered with a worn blanket next to a dusty bag. He unfolded the blanket and cradled a baby who had been placed inside the box. 30 seconds passed, he did not say anything but just gently rubbed the baby's head several times. His eyes signaled that he loved the baby more than anything in the world. The baby hold the man's forefinger with its hand as if the man also meant the world to the baby.
"I'm sorry, little one, I have to do this so that you won't starve." He whispered to the baby.
He kissed the baby's forehead softly. Though it was dark, Bobby could see the sincerity emanating from his eyes. He could also hear the man sobbing quietly.
"I promised to sacrifice anything for you even if it risks my life, just like how your mom sacrificed her life for you to be here." he continued.
Unconsciously, tears streamed down on Bobby's face. Bobby who hated crying the most in this world, Bobby who only cried when his mother died three years ago, Bobby who never showed his emotions, Bobby whose heart was as cold as the ice in Antarctica, just cried after witnessing the touching, heartfelt moment of a father and his child. He instantly felt like he was the most vile man in the world over what he had in mind for a few days and what he said to Jenni earlier. A mixed feeling of guilt and disgust wrapped him like the blanket of the man's baby. He turned around, walked slowly and took out his cell phone from his left pocket.
"Jenni, let's raise our baby together."
