Denial is the Way

The next day came as Ender sat at a café. He was on his third muffin, barely taking a sip of his tea as he waited for his parents to appear. 

 

When Ender first entered the café, his looks attracted everyone. 

 

He had short dyed blue hair with long bangs split in the middle. His looks were soft even though his green-brown eyes were sharp. But his plump lips and baby face softened them. 

 

Ender’s surrounding aura made it seem like he was a young master, so the people could not help their stares. 

 

But when they saw him eating with the worst type of manners, the people looked away in disgust. Ender did not mind; he ate the way he did to get people to leave him alone. 

 

When Ender was getting ready to start on his fourth muffin, the door to the café opened, showing an older couple. 

 

They had the air of refined, rich people. They looked around before their eyes landed on Ender. 

 

Walking towards Ender, they sat down. The woman picked up the menu from the table, looking through it. At the same time, the man raised his eyebrow at the number of muffins Ender consumed.

 

"Mother, father-" Ender started only for his mother to cut him off. 

 

"Did you call us here to tell us you are pregnant?" His mother did not look away from the menu as she started to look at the different teas. 

 

Ender's mouth hung open like a fish while his father had a surprised expression. 

 

It took a second for his father to smooth his expression as he asked with a firm stare, "Is this true?" 

 

"I-I. Yes. But mother, how could you have guessed that?" Ender felt tongue-tied as he looked at his mother. 

 

His mother calmly set the menu down, looking at him with soft eyes. "Honey, I gave birth to seven kids. It is not hard for me to guess that you are pregnant. How far along are you?" 

 

Ender forgot that he had six other siblings since he isolated himself. He barely went out unless it was to hang with his friends. He spent most of his time at home, writing stories. 

 

That was why his parents never complained about his lifestyle, since they had other children with successful jobs.

 

His family used to be poor, but they started to grow in wealth after the fourth child. Ender is the youngest of his siblings, and when he was born, his family was wealthy. 

 

So, Ender did not experience the struggle like his other siblings. Since he was the youngest, his family pampered him a lot. 

 

Ender put down the muffin he planned to eat as he answered, "I am only three weeks." 

 

"We should go home and call the family over to tell them." 

 

"Who is the father?" 

 

His mother and father simultaneously spoke. His mother sounded happy to have the family all together again, while his father was mad. And not mad at him, but angry with the person who knocked him up. 

 

Ender swallowed at his father's question, feeling his appetite leaving. He already felt sweat falling down his forehead. "The man…uh, left. I do not know where he is. He disappeared out of nowhere." 

 

His parents did not look happy when they heard those words. 

 

"Do you want the second eldest to look for them?" His mother asked with a bit of a threatening tone. 

 

Ender quickly shook his head. 

 

The second eldest was his oldest sister. When his sister was sixteen, she joined the mafia, and in just a year, she became the boss. Now, she is close to her forties and has an empire. 

 

He still does not understand why his parents are okay with their child being in the mafia, but he decided not to question it.  

 

His father agreed with his wife. Ender quickly shook his head because the guy did not exist, so that they would find no one. "It is fine. I am okay with raising a child on my own." 

 

His mother sighed but let it go, "Maybe it will be good for you. You did isolate yourself from everyone. It would be best if you had something or someone in your life. I was close to getting you a pet." 

 

"Ah, mother, you know I am not good at taking care of pets. Remember the fish I had?" 

 

His father laughed. But he ended up covering his mouth so that he wouldn't let his laughter out anymore. Ender could still see his shoulders shaking. 

 

He rolled his eyes at his father before picking up the muffin again and stuffing his mouth. Ender's appetite came back. 

 

His mother hit her husband before pulling out her phone to send a text message. She quickly typed a text before turning her phone off and putting it away.

 

Ender and his father's phone made a ding sound, indicating that they had a new message. His father did not take his phone out, but Ender did. 

 

Ender saw that his mother sent a text message to the family group chat. 

 

Mother: Family meeting tonight. There will be some exciting news. 

 

Elder Brother: Did En (Ender's nickname) finally decide to end isolation?

 

Elder Sister: I have some gifts from my last trip for En. 

 

Second Eldest Sister: Oh, I would love to see En. I have some new sweets for him. 

 

Third Eldest Sister: I bet I have better gifts for En than everybody else. 

 

Second Eldest Brother (5th child): Keep dreaming, third sister, I did better. 

 

Third Eldest Brother (6th child): I am only coming if En will be there for me to spoil. 

 

Ender felt his cheeks becoming red at his siblings' behavior. When he said they pampered him, he meant they spoiled and sheltered him until he finally decided to isolate himself. 

 

He loves his family, but they baby him to the point of smothering him. 

 

Ender looked at his mother, wanting to tell her to cancel the meeting. But he changed his mind at his mother's face. She wanted to see everyone together, so he could not ruin it for her. 

 

So, he finally texted back. 

 

Ender: The news deals with me, so I will definitely be there.

 

More messages started to come in after he spoke those words, blowing up his phone. His eyes began to blur at the number of texts before he decided to turn off his phone. 

 

He put his phone back in his pocket, ignoring the messages. 

 

His mother smiled at him, "I cannot wait for us to come together." Then she stood up. Even though she reviewed the menu, his mother never got anything. 

 

"I have to decide what we will be eating. I will see you tonight, honey." His mother was already walking out of the café without her husband. Her mind was on dinner. 

 

His father sighed at his wife walking away without him. He stood up, giving one last glance at Ender before saying, "Be safe, and I will see you tonight." 

 

"Okay, father." 

 

His father walked out, leaving Ender with his thoughts. 

 

Now all that is left is for me to tell my friends before going back to the main house tonight. Ender thought as he finished his tea before standing up to pay.