「 The Professor & I 」VOLUME II

(325) Norm

Charles' POV

Jimmy glanced up, lips twitching transiently at my humorous tone, but almost immediately returned his devoted attention to the vividly manufactured toy.

Hating to rip away anymore of his freedom, I readily relaxed my left arm and allowed him to drag it along as he pleased while he played in a candid fashion. Mimicking crashing noises and intimidating roars, Jimmy animatedly swooped his reptilian figurine around like it was energetically engaging in a vigorous battle.

Honestly admiring the masterpiece of his striking imagination, I strenuously recovered from my supine position with just one hand, finally grasping how difficult it really was for Lynn to independently accomplish this simple motion on a daily basis.

In the arduous process, I inadvertently caught a glimpse of my Rolex. Dismay spontaneously flooded my veins and my focus naturally fell to the monotonous rotations of my automatic caliber that agonizingly emphasised every single passing moment.

Hurriedly, I darted my eyes around the disturbingly pale room, sighting my chair in the far left corner of the area—toppled on its side with my backpack totally unzipped and its contents partially spilling onto the chalky flooring.

"You look distraught," Jimmy remarked astutely but all my eyes arrived at was just a detached front as I glanced back at him.

"I wish I could say I was not," I lamented in a troubled tone and tediously scooted back, heaving a vexed sigh as I reclined against the metallic headboard.

"What's wrong?" Jimmy prodded instinctively, albeit averting his gaze as if shy to demonstrate his true concern.

"I made my wife a promise that I'd be home by morning," I admitted shamefully as images of an utterly panicky Lynn relentlessly floated into my mind.

"And I'm afraid I'm going to have to break it," I confessed, staring uneasily at my second hand that ticked away regardlessly.

"It's fine," Jimmy replied unhesitatingly but I peered up only to a despondent face.

"People break promises all the time," he confided with a sulk as he listlessly stroked his miniature dinosaur.

"I'm sorry, Jimmy," I conveyed in an empathetic tone, tenderly squeezing his palm, but he just peeped at me with a glum expression.

"Perhaps you'll be delighted to know that's not the norm where I live," I consoled, maintaining a cheerful smile at him.

"Do you live in heaven?" Jimmy sought, slightly mocking and with a tinge of sarcasm, but his eyes sparkled with the hope that he received a satisfactory answer.

"Uh- No..." I sputtered in amazement, frankly taken aback by the peculiar question, and his eyes rapidly swelled with disappointment.

"I live in New York," I revealed composedly and the boy's enthusiasm was immediately rekindled as he straightened his posture.

"So everyday you get to see tall buildings and skyscrapers?" Jimmy investigated with an eager gaze and I was absolutely torn, awfully reluctant to again dash his wondrous expectations.

"Well... Where I come from, we actually get more grass and forests," I described discreetly and Jimmy flashed me a confused frown as I inevitably warped his impression of the grandeur city he conceived.

"It's a county called Westchester," I explained plainly.

"There, my wife and I run a school for gifted youngsters," I announced with a contented smile but Jimmy scrutinized me awhile with a raised eyebrow.