Glimpses

The Love Explosion

It was an ordinary day in the Daoming household. Daoming Si's little family were gathered in the kitchen, having their breakfast before everyone went off to their own busy schedules. But no matter how busy he was, Si always made it a point to have breakfast and dinner with his family, if he was not overseas or out of town.

On this very ordinary morning. he sat stirring his coffee as his eyes twinkled at his wife, sitting opposite him. There was not a day that went by without him being grateful that she was his, and he was hers. And the little human sitting between them was theirs.

The said little human was not quite himself, today, though, as he sat there tapping the edge of his cereal bowl, in seemingly silent reflection, unlike his usually chatty self.

Si cleared his throat, "Ehem, son, your mind seems to be wandering this morning. Anything bothering you?"

His son, lost in his thoughts, did not answer him. Until his mother started waving her hand in front of his face. "Earth to young master Daoming! Anyone there?"

The little boy awoke from his daydream with a start, as he blinked at his parents. "Are you okay?" his mother asked him. "You looked like you were pondering world peace!" Shancai tried hard to stifle a giggle. Her son's antics never failed to amuse her.

The little boy now looked at his parents seriously. "Mama, Papa, where do babies come from?"

Both of them gasped in unison. This was totally unexpected, coming from the mouth of their five-year-old son.

Si again cleared his throat, looking nervously at Shancai. "Why do you ask, son?"

"I heard my friend Darren talking about it in school. He said his mother told him that she picked him up from a garbage can," his eyes started to water and his voice grew shaky. "That can't be true right?"

Shancai got up from her seat and cradled the little boy in her arms. "Of course it's not true! Babies are not garbage, so don't listen to him and get that silly idea out of your head. You hurry off to school and I'll tell you where babies come from tonight before you go to bed," she told him, ignoring Si's incredulous look at her over their son's head.

As soon as she had closed the front door after sending him off to school, she turned around to find her husband looking at her with a smirk. "Good luck with that talk tonight."

She scowled at him. "You were sooo much help back there," she told him sarcastically.

"Well, you offered!"

"That doesn't mean you don't have to help me out!"

They both stood there in silence, until Si stepped forward and pulled his wife into his arms. "I know, I'm sorry. We'll talk to to him together tonight, ok?" She nodded silently, allowing herself to embrace him in return.

Suddenly she pulled away, her eyes narrowing as she looked at him. "Wait, what do you plan on telling him?"

"The truth, of course!"

"DAOMING SI!" she smacked him on the arm, hard.

"Owww! I really knew there was a possibility of violence in our marriage when I proposed to you that time in the wanton shop. I knew I wasn't wrong," he said ruefully as he rubbed his arm. "Okay, okay, I was just kidding! Do you have any better suggestions?"

"I'll think about it," Shancai sighed. "I'll let you know if I can come up with anything. There surely must be a better answer than garbage cans and storks," she sighed again. "You had better head to work."

Si wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace and kissed her on the top of her head, before reluctantly pulling away and heading out the door.

His cellphone beeped in the middle of the afternoon. He picked it up and read the message that had just come in with a chuckle. His wife was brilliant.

That evening, both Si and Shancai got the little boy ready for bed, and they tucked him in, getting into the bed with him, one of them on either side. He looked at the both of them seriously. "Mama, you told me this morning that you would tell me where babies came from."

Shancai drew a deep breath. "Son, you know how your Papa and I always call you our little star? 小星星 (Xiao Xing Xing)?"

He nodded at them. Si continued, "Well, do you know how stars are born?"

The little boy gave them a thoughtful look. "I don't think so, tell me Papa!" he said, as he snuggled closer against them under the blankets.

"Stars are born when there is an explosion of gas and dust in the sky, and then they come into being, twinkling brightly for everyone to see."

"So, in the same way, babies are born when there is an explosion of love, between Papa and Mama, and then they come into being, a bright little star in each family that they belong to."

After they had finished speaking, the little boy was silent for a while and his parents looked doubtfully at each other, unsure if he understood what they had told him.

"So that is why you call me 小星星? I am your little star? I came from a love explosion?"

"Yes, son," Shancai told him gently.

The little boy threw his arms around her neck and hugged her tightly. "I'm glad you didn't pick me up from the rubbish bin" he whispered against her neck." Si put his arms around both of them and hugged his little family tightly to him.

Si and Shancai remained in their embrace until their son fell asleep, and then they slowly untangled themselves from him, tucking him into bed as they dropped light feathery kisses on his face. They tiptoed out of his room so as not to wake him.

Once outside, Si turned to his wife and gave her a long, lingering kiss. "What was that for?" she asked him, after she had caught her breath. "To say thank you," he told her simply. "You're an amazing wife and a mother, I don't know what I would do without you. I love you," he pulled her close to kiss her again, more passionately this time, pouring all his love and gratitude into his kiss.

When they finally broke apart, he grinned and looked at her. "Love explosion, huh? Let's create another star," he said, lifting her up with her legs around his waist, as he carried her towards their bedroom. She squealed with laughter, wrapping her arms around his neck.

From the crack in his bedroom door, a little boy watched his giddy parents, a smile on his face. Tomorrow he was going to tell his friend Darren that he was no way picked up from a garbage can. He was born like a star, from a love explosion.
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AN: I apologise for any scientific errors as this is intended to be just a fluffy one-shot. Please feel free to correct me for any mistakes!

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