"To summarize," I emphasized. "Ten o'clock in the morning."
[Yeah, I know] Ter said, sounding weary. [Can you hang up now? I need to take Tingting to bed.]
"Tingting!" I called my niece's name. "See you tomorrow!" I waved goodbye. Tingting, the daughter of Ter and Hill, is about the same age as Fon, The daughter of P'Fah and Typhoon, of course.
It seems these two are close friends. Fon is quite shy and quiet, unlike Tingting who is talkative and rather outgoing, similar to Fei.
[See you tomorrow! We'll have new friends there, right?]
"Yes, her name is Fei. She's the daughter of Uncle's friend. Be friends with her."
[Okay.] Tingting saluted. [Good night. Can I sleep with you tonight?] [Okay] Ter smiled, said goodbye to me again, and hung up. After talking to Ter, I walked over to Joe, who was sitting on the bed waiting for me to finish my phone call.
"Are you done talking?"
"Yes," I smiled, "so tomorrow I'll get to see all three of my nieces and nephews: Fei, Fon, and Tingting." As I get older, one of the joys is that my friends are starting to have children.
I personally love children, and I'm confident that I'm definitely the number one uncle in the hearts of my nieces and nephews because their mothers always complain that the kids ask for me so oftthem
Moms? No, wait. Fei calls Ai Nao 'Papa'. Actually, the way people address each other varies from family to family. For Tingting It's Mommy and Daddy, Fon would be Mama and Papa, while Fei would be Papa and Father. I can't help but wonder what I'd have my children call me if I ever have them.
I was looking through old photos of my nieces and nephews. Haha, they're all so cute! They must get along so well because they're such a vibrant group of adorable kids.
"North"
"Yes," I spun around to look at the person next to me, my smile fading when I saw Joe's serious expression.
"I have something to talk to you about."
"No!" I yelled. "North won't give up! North will never let Joe go. You want to see North's dark side, do you? I suggest you don't force North to do that. Ouch!" I immediately made a pouty face. "Why did you flick North's forehead?"
The other person smiled slightly, affectionately. "Who told you to talk about breaking up?" He said, tickling my waist. I squirmed around on the bed.
"Oh, P'Joe, no! North is ticklish! Ow, ow, ow! I give up! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
"Come and apologize."
"Ugh, that's such a cruel punishment," I whined, before leaning up to give the other person a light kiss on the lips. "I'm sorry."
P'Joe smiled. "Can we get back to what I wanted to talk about?"
I raised my hand to stop him. "How serious are you about this?"
"10"
"…" I froze. This was a serious, level ten reaction… My mind was racing, desperately trying to figure out what I'd done wrong. Did I do something wrong? No, I didn't. Or should I apologize first, admit guilt, and get a reduced punishment?
No, but wouldn't apologizing beforehand after doing nothing seem weird? Or maybe I did something without realizing it? Wait, what am I panicking about? We've been together for eight years, and I've never done anything wrong, you idiot! "Okay."
"North likes children very much right?"
I nod my head.
"I've been thinking about it, when we first started dating, I told you I didn't want children because I wanted to be just Phi and North. But seeing how happy North is when you're with kids, I started wondering if I was being too selfish."
"No, no," I hurriedly denied. "I do like children, but we already agreed not to have any. I'm fine with that."
"North."
"Yes?"
"Let's have a child."
I was surprised. "Really?"
"Yes," Phi Joe moved closer and kissed my cheek. "Having a child will make us happier. I want you to be happy. And I know you'll be a great father. I'll also try to be a good dad."
I grinned widely and hugged him tightly. "I will be a great dad. I love you, Phi!"
"I love you too, North."
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
I left the house in an incredibly good mood. After getting married, Phi Joe and I moved from an apartment to a house. At my wedding, Nao barely spoke because he was drunk the entire time. My friends and I had to help him stand on the stage. But now, Nao has cut back on drinking because Tiger asked him to. Well, more like begged him. With kids around, he can't drink like he used to. If I have a child, I'll stop drinking alcohol too. Everyone already has kids, except for DaoTok and Arthit. I have to brag so that Arthit will want to have kids too.
"You look really happy," Phi Joe commented.
"That's because of yesterday."
"Because of sex?"
"Because of the plan to have a child," I answered. Phi Joe laughed.
"So, I didn't do my job well last night? What a shame."
"Ah! Nemanutubpui!" I blurted nonsense to dodge the topic. Sometimes I feel embarrassed for no reason. Phi Joe laughed again and changed the subject to parenting.
We arrived at the starting point of the hike, and Phi Fah and Phi Hill's car was already there. I wasn't surprised they arrived first. I quickly got out to see the little girls.
"Hello!" Ting Ting greeted me cheerfully.
"Hello," Fon greeted softly. I crouched down.
"Hey, you two are well-prepared for the hike. I need to be more serious!"
"Ting Ting asked P'guide, It's three kilometers, but the trail is tough because it's steep. If Fon gets tired, I'll carry her."
"I can do it," Fon replied stiffly.
"Carrying her on a steep trail is dangerous. I'll carry her," I offered.
"Fon can do it."
"You're so strong," I patted Fon's head.
Fom avoided my gaze, shy. "Yeah."
I walked over to Ter and TyPhoon. "Hey, I have good news," I said, pulling them aside. "Phi Joe and I decided to have a child."
They both turned quickly. "Seriously?" Ter asked.
"Yeah."
"Congratulations," TyPhoon said enthusiastically.
"That's really great news," Ter added.
TyPhoon asked, "Have you made plans yet?"
"We just decided yesterday, so we don't have many plans yet. We've only talked about it a little," I replied. We discussed supporting children's interests and whether to choose international or local education.
At that moment, another car arrived—it was Nao's. I greeted Nao's mother first. She was very kind, just like Nao, so it was no surprise that Nao grew up to be a good person. Sometimes Fei also took care of Nao like a good child.
"Fei!" I greeted her enthusiastically. "You look adorable today too."
"Thank you, Uncle. You're always handsome."
"Do you want to meet your new friends?"
Fei looked at the two little girls and quickly nodded. "Yes." I led him to Fon and Ting Ting so they could introduce themselves.
"Hello, my name is Fei. I'm seven years old."
"I'm Ting Ting. I'm eight years old."
"I'm Fon. I'm seven years old."
"Fei, call her Phi Ting."
"No, don't call me Phi. It makes me feel old."
They seemed to get along immediately, so I went to tell Nao that I was going to have a child. Nao was as surprised as TyPhoon and Ter.
"Wow, cool."
"Seriously?"
"Congratulations. You won't be reckless anymore."
"Hello, Dan, Jayden," I greeted the two of them. Oh, I'd be watching over Dan and Jayden today too. But why should I supervise them when they're soulmates?
"Dan."
"Yeah?"
"Arthit and DaoTok are here," I noticed a luxury car that had just arrived. Maybe it belonged to Arthit. He parked the car, and I immediately went to greet them. "Hey, come here, I have something to tell you."
They approached, and when I saw Arthit, I suddenly remembered something.
"Phi."
"What?"
"Have you been eating properly lately?"
"Why? Do I look skinnier?"
"No, it's just that you haven't been eating as many trophies as Manchester United."
"Idiot!" He cursed and flicked my ear. Then he immediately turned his attention to the others, ignoring me. "Hey, guys!"
"Oh, he left," I muttered, a bit disappointed. "It's okay, I'll tell Dao instead."
"I don't want to know."
"Ah, come on, Dao, listen," I grabbed his arm. "Relax, take a deep breath first. Do you need to go to the bathroom? If so, go now. I don't want you peeing while I tell you this."
DaoTok shook his head. "No, just say it."
"I'm going to have a child!"
DaoTok's eyes widened with interest. "Seriously? Congratulations."
"Yeah. What about you guys? Any plans?"
"Mm," he frowned slightly. "We've talked about it, but it's better to wait a little longer."
"Ah," I nodded. DaoTok went to greet the others. It seemed like he didn't really like kids, but everyone changed when they met adorable nieces and nephews.
We chatted for a bit before starting the hike. Since our group was quite large, we hired two guides. They told us the trail was three kilometers long and quite difficult because of the steep incline.
"We need to pay four hundred," Phi Hill said. "Does anyone have cash?"
"I haven't carried cash in a long time," Phi Fah replied.
We looked at each other. No one had cash, including me.
"Joe, it's time to sacrifice your watch," Arthit said.
"Screw you," Phi Joe shot back. "Do they not accept transfers?"
"No," Phi Hill answered. He went to ask Nao and Tiger. "Sorry, does anyone have four hundred baht in cash? We'll transfer it later."
Nao and Tiger shook their heads. "Dan, do you?"
"No, I don't have that much on me. Mom, do you have any cash?"
"I didn't bring anything," Mom replied. "Nao said he'd cover it."
"We should have brought cash," Nao muttered. It was hard to believe that five millionaires didn't have four hundred baht in cash. Lesson learned: always carry cash, even if transfers are more convenient.
"Hill, you said not everyone accepts cards or transfers. Why didn't you bring cash?"
Phi Joe asked.
"That was my mistake. I've only been using transfers lately. Do you have any, Arthit?"
"No, not in my wallet or my bank. My husband handles everything."
DaoTok muttered, "You shop too much. Uncle Direk told me to manage the money." Then, more quietly, "I know you use my fingerprint to transfer money while I'm asleep."
"Just a little."
"I see the transactions."
"You check every day?"
"Yes, which is why I'm cutting your allowance next month."
"Don't!"
I glanced at Arthit—Dylan Castle—the world-famous singer who had won the Top Male Artist award. He was always kind of… pathetic.
Fei spoke up, "We gathered four hundred baht." I watched as the three little girls pooled their money together.
"That's so cool," Phi Fah said, bending down. "They're so responsible. The dads are useless. Thank you."
"It's leftover from our pocket money," Fon answered.
"We'll pay you back," Phi Fah smiled.
"Thanks, Fei," Tiger said.
"Ting is very reliable," Phi Hill said, patting Ting's head.
"Of course," Ting said proudly. I smiled at her confidence. Everyone must have felt the same way, even if they didn't say it outright. It was embarrassing to borrow money from children.
"Sorry," Phi Joe whispered to Phi Hill. "I'll transfer you a million later."
"No need," Phi Hill sighed. "If you had just sold your watch from the start, we wouldn't be in this situation."
"What's wrong with my watch?" Phi Joe sighed too. It had become an inside joke that whenever cash was needed, Phi Joe would sell his watch—because he had once done it to buy me a duck plushie.
"You should've said so earlier," Arthit commented.
"And you, why don't you sell yours?"
"Mine's only worth two hundred, not enough," Arthit replied.
"Idiot. Aren't you a brand ambassador for a watch company? Didn't they give you any for free?"
"I already sold them all. Not enough to live on," Arthit said while watching DaoTok play with TyPhoon and Ter.
"I made two million, spent twenty thousand."
"You don't save anything. No wonder your father left the finances to your husband."
"North," Arthit turned to me. "Why don't you manage Joe's money?"
"No, no," I quickly shook my head.
"Do you want to handle my money?" Phi Joe asked, also shaking his head.
"No, I'd lose it. I'm forgetful. I often misplace my cards, wallet, phone. A mess," I admitted. "I let Phi Joe handle my money."
"You must have a lot if you're letting Joe manage it."
"Changing the subject, I have good news."
"What is it?"
"Phi Joe and I have decided to have a child."
"Wow!" Arthit exclaimed. "Seriously?" He turned to Phi Joe, who nodded.
"Congratulations. I'm the only one without kids now."
"Any plans?"
"No. What about you two?"
"We just decided yesterday, so we haven't made many preparations yet," I answered, then walked over to TyPhoon and Ter. "How are you guys?"
"We talk all the time. Why are you asking?" Ter frowned.
"Hey," I clicked my tongue. "I'm going to have a kid."
"Again?" Ter said.
"Listen to me," I said. "How did you get your kids to call you 'daddy' or 'papa'?"
"How?" TyPhoon asked.
"Yeah, how did they start using those names?"
"We called ourselves that first," Ter replied. "And they copied us."
"Same."
"I see," I nodded.
"What do you want them to call you?" Ter asked.
"I'm still thinking. I don't want to copy."
"North?" TyPhoon joked. "That'd be unique."
"If they call me that, I'll cry. 'Daddy and Papa' is too common. What about 'ayah'? That sounds nice."
Everyone laughed.
"And Phi Joe?"
"Ayah and papa."
"Ridiculous," Ter chuckled. "But think about the kid."
"I'll just call my kid 'kid'."
"My head hurts," DaoTok said, shaking his head with a smile. "Kids, don't run. It's dangerous," he warned the little girls running on the straight path. They obeyed. Fon slowed down and approached us, looking shy with her hands clasped together, wanting to talk to DaoTok. He crouched down to listen.
"What is it, sweetie?" He called her that because of her big, sweet eyes.
"To... today... today you look pretty."
"Thank you."
"Yeah," Fon replied and ran off to play with her friends. I watched her fondly.
"She's adorable," I commented. Watching the three little girls play made me feel at peace. I walked over to Nao.
"Friend."
"What?"
"I'm going to have a kid."
"You already told me."
"And Dan?"
"No."
"I'll tell him later," I said. I saw Dan and Jayden together. I wanted to listen, but that would be too obvious. "You're very committed to your mission of spying on them."
"Of course. But I've already said they're soulmates—they won't break up."
"DaoTok said there's not just one soulmate."
"When did you talk to him?"
"When you weren't looking. DaoTok said that in life, there isn't just one soulmate. If we lose one, we might find another with even stronger karma." Nao whispered, "You didn't know that?"
"Yeah, so what?"
"I'm wondering if Tiger, as my partner, would leave me for someone else."
"If he leaves you, the world will end," I replied. "Why are you doubting your husband?"
"I'm just joking. I don't doubt him at all. But I'm thinking—what if Jayden finds someone else and breaks my brother's heart? He's still young."
"So what? He'll grow up."
"You act like only Jayden will mature. If this drags on, when will he realize? Ten years later? My brother will be thirty-six. Jayden might marry someone else. The end."
"So what do we do?"
"I need ideas."
"You have a lot on your mind."
"Like what?"
"Kids."
"Two things."
"And my job."
"Have kids and raise them, like me."
"What do you usually do to find out if someone likes you?" I thought.
"Yeah, what?"
"Ah," I patted his shoulder. "Create jealousy by having a rival. People tend to act more when there's competition."
"Oh," Nao nodded. "Who? Are you going to be the rival?"
"No, idiot," I replied. "Find someone else. Aren't there plenty of people who like Dan? Ask around, maybe someone is already pursuing him."
"You're right," Nao nodded again. "Wait, why is this path so steep?" He asked, noticing that the trail was indeed steep and slippery, with the sound of a waterfall in the distance. "Fei," he said worriedly, but Fei shouted.
"Papa Nao, be careful! It's really steep."
"...Yeah."
I chuckled softly.
"Fei takes good care of you."
"Yeah, thanks to him, I've learned a lot." Nao moved carefully with Tiger nearby. I spoke with a few groups and found that this hike was exhausting. Three kilometers wasn't far, but the ups and downs of the hills made it difficult. When we reached the waterfall, we took a break.
"How are you?" Phi Joe asked, concerned.
"Doing great, and you, Hía?"
"I'm good too."
"The ones enjoying this the most must be the true adventurers," I said, looking at Arthit and DaoTok, the adventurous couple who had climbed many mountains. I saw children playing in the water, watched over by their parents. They said the water was cold. TyPhoon, with his camera, was acting as the photographer.
"Typhoon, could you take a picture of us?"
"Of course," Typhoon approached, took the camera, and snapped a picture of me and Phi Joe. Then he showed it to us. "How does it look?"
"It's great, you still have the talent," I gave him a thumbs-up. TyPhoon was a professional photographer, busy but passionate about his work. Phi Fah was not only a doctor but also the director of his family's hospital and managed an affordable psychiatric clinic with no consultation fees. He opened the clinic out of a passion for helping people. He always made time for Fon.
Ter used to work at a veterinary clinic, but after having a child, he quit to take care of them. Phi Hill continued his family's property business. He initially studied medicine out of obligation, but not anymore. They were raising Ting well. Arthit was a singer, songwriter, and producer. In almost all his videos, the credits read "All in Dylan." DaoTok was a famous illustrator, highly sought after. He had recently held his own exhibition.
I was a professional gamer, planning to win one more championship before retiring. It was exhausting, with months of training. The stress and competition with talented young players made it tough. I preferred being a streamer and consultant. Phi Joe was now the president of his company.
My team, Mick and Field, had the same thoughts. Maybe Team NoHope would start streaming together. Mick and Tul were married; Tul worked as a lawyer. They didn't have children yet. Ikkyu and Field were engineers. Kyu had a girlfriend but wasn't married. Field was still single.
Reminiscing about our time studying together made me feel nostalgic. Even though we had gone our separate ways, we remained friends. After resting, we continued our journey. The scenery was beautiful. You could hear birds and the waterfall, and the weather was pleasant—not hot despite it being summer. We crossed a bamboo bridge over the waterfall. The path became more difficult due to the mud.
I was completely exhausted. I shouted to Ter, who was ahead.
"Ask the guide how much farther."
Ter asked and answered, "Still far."
"North, do you even realize what you left behind!"
I turned to Nao. "What did I leave behind? What nonsense is it this time?"
"Here," Nao said, holding up my dumb duck keychain that was hanging from my backpack.
"Ah," I sighed. "Just put it in my bag."
"Are you okay?" Nao asked as he tucked the keychain away.
"Who came up with this hike?"
"You."
"Right. Why didn't we choose an easier place?"
"Jackfruit!" Nao pointed. I saw a jackfruit tree. "Wild, huh?"
"Maybe someone planted it."
"No," he pointed to the ground. "There are motorcycle tracks."
"Oh, impressive that they got a motorcycle up here."
"What do we do about Dan?"
"Not now," I answered, hearing a noise behind me. I saw TyPhoon sitting down. "Are you okay?"
"Sorry, I need a break." He looked pale. Phi Fah was fanning him. Phi Fah looked worried.
"I'm causing trouble for my friends!" I mumbled. The guide said there was a resting spot nearby, better than this muddy area. TyPhoon followed, even though Phi Fah wanted to carry him, but that would be dangerous. When we arrived, many people immediately lay down, including me.
I saw Nao's mother nearby and approached her.
"How are you, Auntie? Sorry for suggesting this."
"It's okay, this is fun."
"Honestly, I barely took in the scenery. Are you really okay?"
"Yes, and you, North?"
"I'm good."
"Is your mother doing well too?"
"More than well," I answered honestly. No one was stronger than her.
"Next time, I'll bring her to visit you."
"I'd love to see Nich again."
"She'd be happy to be called 'Nich'," I chuckled.
"I'm older."
"But you look younger," I joked. "Is your restaurant still open?"
"Sometimes. I don't have as much energy. And your mom, is she still selling?"
"Yeah, she never stops. She was born to be a merchant, so it's hard for her to stop."
"That's true. Staying home all day is boring for adults," she smiled. "You're going to have kids, right?"
"Yeah," I nodded. "Any advice?"
"You're doing a great job."
"Thank you. I'm nervous about raising a child," I admitted.
"But raising twins—that's incredible."
"Because they're good kids," she smiled proudly at her children. It made me smile too.
Twins... Having twins sounds fun.