Page 248 of A King's Oath

“Like me?”

“Fun?”

“I am fun?”

She nodded.

“They are even better than me.”

“No,” she rubbed her eye. “You are the best.”

He kissed said eye — “Thank you. You are the only one who has said that to me.”

“I know these secrets.”

“I know now. You know secrets even I didn’t know myself.”

“Will they come here too?”

“Who?”

“Your mother, father and brother?”

“Or we can go to them. Would you like to? Some day?”

She shrugged.

He frowned — “Why? You love meeting people, talking to them, giving them high-fives,” he held his hand up. She clapped it.

“Mmm?” He nudged.

“Will they like me like you like me?”

“Of course they will!”

“If they don’t, then you will also not like me?”

“Why do you ask that?”

“It’s like that, no? If your Mama doesn’t like somebody then there is something wrong so then you also don’t like them, no?”

“You’re right. If your Mama or Papa doesn’t like somebody then there is a chance they are not good people. But this case is an exception.”

“Expection?”

“Exception. It means that in this case, whoever likes you or doesn’t like you doesn’t matter to me. I will always like you.”

Brahmi’s morose, solemn face lit up. What was this prize that he kept winning over and over again? Was having a child this special? That you became a winner every moment of your life? In every smile, every tear turning into a giggle, in every faithful hold of their palm over your chest?

“I will always like you too, Sam.”

“And you do not worry about my Papa, Mummy or brother not liking you. They are going to love you. You know, my Papa is a scientist?”

“He has a lab and wears a white coat?”

“No,” he chuckled. “But he goes to forests and mountains and even polar regions to do research. My Mummy is a philosopher.”

“What is that?”

---