Chapter 61: Worsening work atmosphere
Knoa swung his feet back and forth as he sipped on his juice while observing his father. He frowned after looking at the tray of his father’s food untouched. His small feet tried to reach his father’s legs below to gain his attention, but as he stretched his body, he slightly slid on his chair.
Thud.
The small sound of his glass hitting the table quite loudly snapped Knox’s dazed state.
"Knoa!" He quickly leaned forward to catch the glass that almost spilled its contents over his son’s head. He then whirled over to him after safely placing the glass on the table. "What are you doing, little guy? Why are you slipping out of the table? Do you want to get down?"
Knoa grinned. He successfully caught his father’s attention. Knox swept him up and fixed him on his chair properly, then he knelt beside him and checked his seat. Knoa lifted his small hand and rubbed his father’s head, mumbling in his tiny voice, "Papa looks...not here."
"Not here?" Knox asked, confused. ’Ah, did he mean I looked lost?’ he then thought, realizing how he must have been after that encounter with Kayden. He sighed and forced a smile. Ruffling the kid’s head back, he added, "It’s not ’not here’. It’s called ’lost in thought’ or ’being in a daze’. When you see people staring blankly, they are thinking deeply about something."
The little kid nodded, "Then, Papa, what are you thinking deeply?"
Knox paused momentarily. He stared at his son’s twinkling eyes, waiting for his answer as though he had been preparing for that question ever since earlier. Did the kid realize his troubled mind? His wide, innocent eyes blinking at Knox were like a pair of jade beads, somehow lightening his heavy feelings.
Knox answered, masking his anxiety behind the same pair of eyes, "I’m thinking when your Uncle Franz will be here."
"I’m here now," a slightly feminine voice came from behind Knox. He looked back and saw Franz looking down at him. "Sorry, I was late. I had quite a fight with one of my suppliers so it took me too long to get what I needed. Is this your lunch?"
Knoa waved at him, "Uncle Franz! Hello~."