"Does Daddy need to work late?" Munchkin sounded disappointed.
"Yes. Daddy has a lot of work lately," I attempted to explain to Munchkin.
"But isn't Daddy the boss? Do bosses need to work late too?"
The little guy tilted his head to one side as he asked, and I could not help but burst into laughter.
I had not told Munchkin much about how companies operated. All he knew was that his daddy and mommy would leave the house to go to their jobs and that they worked on their own careers.
Other than that, every concept he had formed about work came from watching
TV.
Since TV shows always portrayed bosses as the ones who asked the employees to work overtime, Munchkin naturally thought that was just the way things worked.
After spending more time with Theo, he had gradually begun learning more about Theo’s identity and now knew that Theo's role was the same as the bosses he saw on TV. Naturally, he thought that Theo would act just like the bosses he watched in his shows.
I smiled gently. "Of course, bosses need to work late. It's the same as giving up some of the time you would usually spend sleeping to complete the handicraft tasks your kindergarten teachers gave you."
I gently tapped on the little nose I saw on the screen.
"Alright then."
The little guy's head drooped in disappointment. It seemed like he had accepted the situation.
However, a short while later, he raised his head again to look at me. "Mommy, can you ask Daddy to come back earlier today? I made a new kind of meatball for you guys today."
I was delighted that Munchkin had taken the time to prepare meatballs for Theo and me. However, I did not dare give him a definite promise that I would get Theo to go back.
"Alright, Mommy, good luck."
Perhaps it was because Theo often worked late nights and coupled with the nature of my previous work, Munchkin gladly accepted my vague answer and even wished me luck.
Guilt washed over me after I hung up the phone. I gazed at the busy traffic on the interchange and the towering buildings erected all over the city. These were all sights that boasted the city's prosperity.
We were so close to each other, but we could not spend time with the child. The thought of that made me miserable.
I strode out into the office without another minute's hesitation.
When Theo heard me pushing the door open and walking out, he hurriedly raised his head and asked, "Why did you take such a short nap?"
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