A Journey from Bitterness to Truth

Matilda didn’t give it much thought. After checking out the details of the person’s workplace and all, she agreed to let him move in. But when the time came for him to show up at her doorstep, both of them were taken aback.

There was Orson, standing outside with his suitcase in hand, while Matilda was inside, both staring at each other in disbelief. After a long silence, they blurted out in unison, “How is it you…?”

However, Logan, upon seeing Orson, burst into excitement and shouted, “Uncle Orson! You’re moving in to live with us?”

“The lease isn’t signed yet.” Orson replied in his usual standoffish tone. “It’s not certain.”

“Stay, please stay!” Logan grabbed Orson’s hand, “If Uncle Orson lives here, Mom won’t be lonely anymore!”

Their words seemed innocuous enough to the adults, but Matilda’s expression shifted, “What made you think of moving?”

“The lady I was renting from got herself a boyfriend who wasn’t too thrilled about me,” Orson explained succinctly, revealing the crux of the matter.

Matilda surmised that the landlord’s boyfriend must have felt uneasy about his girlfriend sharing a space with another man and had decided to stop renting to Orson.

Seeing Orson with his suitcase, Matilda couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy and sighed, pulling his suitcase inside. “Well, you can stay here for the time being. I don’t have many requirements, just as long as my roommate has a clean record.”

A clean record?

Orson didn’t respond.

Meanwhile, Logan came over with a strawberry. “Uncle Orson, have a strawberry!”

“Logan,” Matilda said while moving Orson’s luggage, “Did you wash the strawberry? Don’t give it to our guest if it’s not clean!”

“It’s washed!” Logan chirped happily, handing the strawberry to Orson. “Mommy says we must always serve clean fruit to guests.”

“And you should always eat clean, too,” Matilda said, playfully tweaking Logan’s nose. “Don’t eat too much before bed.”

Orson watched the mother and son interact, somewhat surprised at how well Matilda had raised her son to understand these little life lessons.

“I’ll have four then, and one is for Uncle Orson,” Logan said, looking expectantly at Orson, who had no choice but to eat the offered strawberry, muttering a quiet “Thanks.”

“No need to be polite, Uncle Orson, you’re family! If you want more, just help yourself from the fridge. Mommy won’t mind!” Logan was clearly getting comfortable with Orson, pulling him to the couch, “Do you play video games, Uncle Orson? I got a console.”

Orson’s interest piqued at the mention of games, his voice deepening, “I actually make video games.”

“Wow!” Logan exclaimed, “Uncle Orson, that’s so cool! Are you good at playing them? We could play together!” Orson cracked a rare smile, glanced at the console and asked, “You’re playing Pokémon? Do you understand it?” While Matilda was dragging Orson’s luggage, she called out, “Orson, could you come here and help me sort this out?”

Matilda then turned to Logan, “Logan, slow down with the game. Uncle Orson hasn’t settled in yet. Do you want

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to help?”

“I’ll help!” Logan bounced off the couch. “Mommy, is Chloe’s room going to be his?”

Matilda nodded. “Yes, could you check if the room is clean?”

Logan scampered off to tidy up Chloe’s room, and soon after, Matilda and Orson moved his belongings in and gave the place another once–over. “If you don’t mind, you can use these sheets and blankets for tonight. We’ll look for new ones at the mall tomorrow.” Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Orson grunted in acknowledgment, then asked, “What about the girl who used to live here?”

Matilda’s eyes momentarily filled with emotion, but she casually replied, “Oh, she went back to get married to her boyfriend, so she won’t be returning for a while. She transferred the lease over to me, so you don’t have to worry.”

It sounded almost like she was dead and left the house to you, Orson thought somberly but didn’t voice it. Instead, he simply said, “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. I never expected it would be you moving in; saves me the trouble of getting to know someone new,” Matilda said with a smile from the doorway. “If you need anything, just holler. My boy seems to like you a

lot.”

Orson’s eyelashes fluttered, but he remained silent.