“I don’t want to,” Kyle rejected without hesitation.
“I don’t want to either,” Juan assented.
Davin felt himself choke on his own saliva. These two children. Can’t they just respect me for once?
If it isn’t for the fact that I need their help, I would really love to pinch their arrogant little faces and smack their buttocks.
After repeatedly telling himself to calm down and suppress the urge to smack them, Davin stroked Juan’s head persuasively. “Please help me out just this once, ok?”
“No,” Kyle retorted heartlessly.
However, Juan hesitated. “Any rewards for helping you?” he asked with a sheepish smile.
Davin frowned slightly at his question. However, he soon realized that having the room to discuss any terms and conditions with them was much better than outright rejection.
Time was short on him, hence he had no choice but to agree with their terms. “As long as you two can help me, I’ll promise anything you asked!”
Kyle sized him up thoughtfully, as though he was contemplating something.
Juan too contemplated for a short while before a smile appeared on his face. He then whispered into Kyle’s ears, and Kyle’s defensive attitude changed after listening to his brother.
“Alright, we can help you, Uncle Davin. But you must promise to help us with something too.”
“What thing?”
“I can’t tell you now, but when we need you to do it, you must help us.”
Davin stared at the twins dubiously. Well, what tough missions can two kids give me? At most, it would be about asking for good food or sneaking them out for some fun. Considering how much of a hurry he was in, Davin agreed to their request without a second thought. “Fine. That’s a deal.”
“Deal!”
After a brief discussion, Davin returned to the living room and announced confidently. “Grandpa, it’s time for some real magic.”
Before Russell could answer, someone suddenly whipped a feather duster on Davin’s body.
The sudden episode made Davin stifled in fear. He turned around to see his mother standing about one meter away from him, and her gaze was burning with rage.
“Grandpa! Help!”
Seeing how pitiful Davin looked now, Russell immediately stopped Sophia and asked her to calm herself. “At least wait until he’s done with his magic show before you whip him.”
Now Davin was bewildered. Grandpa, didn’t you promise to help me stop Mother?
“Magic show? Very well.” Sophia gritted her teeth madly. “If you fail your magic, I’ll make you jump around like a monkey instead!”
Davin suddenly recalled those dreadful times as a kid when Sophia had chased him all around the house with her feather duster and how he had screamed like an idiot while escaping from her.
That’s my childhood’s greatest nightmare!
“Mom, if my magic works, can you not-”
“Shut up and do your magic!”
Davin pouted his lips helplessly. Compared with his nephews, his mother was one tough character to handle, especially when she was in a fit of rage. He would have no ground to defend himself, let alone bargain for mercy.
“Ladies and gentleman, please take your seat and I shall begin the show.”
Sophia called Jonathan over to watch the show before taking her seat.
All of them were now seated on the arch-shaped sofa and fixed their gazes on the entrance.
Suddenly, Kyle ran across the entrance.
“Hmm? Shouldn’t Kyle be at the kindergarten now?”
“Mom, wait until the show is done first. You can ask after that.”
Sophia sulkily kept her mouth shut.
The next moment, ‘Kyle’ ran across the door again, but he was wearing a different shirt this time.
“You call this magic? He just changed his clothes.”
“Mom, if you’re going to make noise and interrupt the show again, you might as well take your leave.”
“You brat!”
“Be quiet! Let’s enjoy the show first,” Russell ordered for them to stop bickering. With that, Sophia glared at her son again and shut up.
Kyle and Juan took turns to run across the entrance repeatedly, and their interval of exchange became faster and faster.
Wait. No way Kyle can change that fast? The elders thought in confusion.
By the end of the show, both Kyle and Juan appeared together by the entrance and they made a funny but cute face at them.
Sophia was deeply surprised by their appearance. “Goodness! Are my eyes playing tricks on me? How could there be two Kyles over there?”
“Yes! And their clothes are different! It can’t be his reflection or double vision from our side!”
