A Night of Desire

Clara Grant watched his adorable little face, a warmth spreading through her heart. She reached out to touch his tiny hand and said with a smile, "Hey there."

To her surprise, the moment her hand touched his, he gripped it tightly and leaned forward, trying to get into her arms.

Clara Grant froze. ’Does the little guy want me to hold him?’

Just as she had that thought, the little one’s mouth opened slightly, and he uttered a few syllables. "Mama, hold..."

It wasn’t perfectly clear, but the meaning was unmistakable.

Clara Grant was taken aback.

The man, who had just pulled out a tissue to wipe the baby’s sweat, froze when he heard him. He immediately straightened the boy up, looked him in the eye, and said in a firm but gentle voice, "Sweetie, she’s not Mama. She’s an Auntie. You can’t just call people that, understand?"

After he spoke, he turned to Clara Grant with an embarrassed smile. "I’m so sorry, Miss."

Clara Grant shook her head. "It’s alright, he’s just a child. Besides, the fact that he’s smiling at me, wants me to hold him, and is calling me Mama just proves that I’m quite likable, especially to little ones."

She finished with a playful smile.

The man smiled back and used the tissue to wipe the baby’s sweat. The moment he finished, the little guy started kicking his short legs again, holding his arms out toward Clara Grant. Completely ignoring his father’s lecture, he stubbornly called out to her again, "Mama..."

The man put a hand to his forehead and apologized once more.

But Clara Grant reached out and took the little boy. "Let me hold him for a while," she said to the man. "You can take a moment to cool down and rest."

The man thanked her gratefully. "Oh, thank you so much."

"It’s no problem. I love babies, so this is a perfect excuse to get some cuddles in." After speaking, Clara Grant turned to play with the little boy.

The little boy giggled, cupping Clara Grant’s face with his tiny hands and trying to nuzzle against her, still calling out, "Mama..."

Clara Grant, her face now covered in his drool, didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She playfully asked, "Little one, do you miss your mommy? Where is she?"

The man, who was in the middle of wiping his sweat, paused for a moment. He then quickly finished and stuffed the tissue into a trash bag.

He looked at his son again, his expression serious and earnest. "Sweetie, Daddy already told you, you can’t just call people things. This is an Auntie, not Mama. You should call her Auntie."

His tone was a bit firmer this time. The baby glanced at him, his little lip trembling pitifully, but he obeyed his father and called out to Clara Grant, "Tee-tee..."

Clara Grant answered him with a smile, playfully tickling him again. Then she glanced at the man and asked, as if making small talk, "Sir, you must have just come from the airport, right? Returning from a trip abroad?"

’This was the main road from the airport into the city, and they had such a large suitcase. They had to be coming from the airport.’

The man nodded in response. "We just got back from the U.S.A."

Clara Grant nodded in understanding, then asked out of curiosity, "And the baby’s mother?"

’Why was it just him with such a young child?’

The man hesitated for a moment before replying, "His mother had an emergency, so she came back a few days ahead of us."

"Oh," Clara Grant said, nodding. She then smiled and gently rocked the baby in her arms. "You’ll see your mommy soon, little one. Then you won’t need to call strangers ’Mama’ anymore."

The little boy giggled again as she rocked him, but the man just stared at his son’s smiling face, lost in thought, his mood seeming to grow heavy.

But a moment later, the corners of his mouth curved into a smile. ’No matter what,’ he thought, ’we’re back home now. The family can finally be together again.’