The chaos had started early this morning when Arkan woke up and began searching for the backpack he wanted to take for camping. I had actually prepared one for him last night, filled with snacks and drinks. But suddenly this morning, he changed his mind and wanted to use a different bag.
I was overwhelmed by his endless whining, and to calm him down, I had no choice but to give in and dig through the closet to find the bag he was asking for.
That wasn't the end of it. Another meltdown happened at the breakfast table when Arkan refused to eat the food I had prepared and instead demanded his favorite udon noodles. I had to take several deep breaths to get through the madness of Arkan's behavior this morning.
Rasti, who usually helps me with Arkan in the mornings, seemed to have given up too. She chose to continue tidying the house rather than deal with him.
"But this isn't the bag I want," he whined again. I could feel my temper nearing its limit, but I tried to stay patient and keep calm.
"This is the only one that's still in good shape," I said gently. I looked at Arkan, who was still sulking. Honestly, I was out of ideas on how to persuade him and was starting to accept that maybe he wouldn't be going on his school camping trip today after all.
The faint sound of my phone ringing prompted me to leave Arkan alone for a moment. I figured I'd let him cool down before trying again. It wasn't the first time Arkan acted like this—he seemed to enjoy making his mom scramble in the mornings.
I snatched up my ringing phone and answered without checking the caller ID. I assumed it was Dewo, who usually called to coordinate our plans.
"Hold on, Arkan's being fussy. I'll call you back," I said.
"I'm already in front of your house," said the voice on the other end. It definitely wasn't Dewo's. I quickly pulled the phone away from my ear and checked the screen—Kala?
"Sorry, Kala. I thought it was Dewo calling," I replied apologetically.
"I'm outside," he repeated, and my brows furrowed in confusion.
"What are you doing outside so early in the morning?" I asked, puzzled. Was he planning to take me out for breakfast again, like he had tried several times over the past few days? But each time, I couldn't go because Arkan was being difficult.
"Isn't Arkan going camping today?" he asked.
"I promised to go with him," he added, and for a moment I was speechless. I had completely forgotten he had made that promise.
"Oh... ah, right! Just a second," I replied, then quickly headed to the front door. If someone as busy as Kala had made time for Arkan, I couldn't possibly turn him away.
I opened the door and saw Kala standing there, greeting me with his usual smile. He was dressed perfectly for a camping trip: a T-shirt, athletic pants, and sneakers. He looked like he had really prepared himself.
"Come on in. Arkan's been super fussy since earlier. He hasn't even had breakfast," I sighed, gesturing for him to enter. This was the first time Kala had been inside my house. Usually, he would only stay out on the front porch.
I had asked him to wait in the living room, but he ended up following me to the dining area. Arkan was still sitting in the same spot, facing his glass of milk and sandwich, both untouched.
"Uncle Kala is here to pick you up," I said, and immediately Arkan turned to look.
"Are you ready, Arkan?" Kala asked, walking toward him. Arkan's face lit up with a smile, and he nodded.
"But it looks like you haven't had breakfast yet?" Arkan's eyes widened at Kala's comment.
"Uncle will wait for you to finish your breakfast, okay?" Kala said gently. Amazingly, Arkan nodded again and reached for his sandwich.
"Would you like some hot tea or maybe coffee?" I offered as I noticed Kala waiting while Arkan ate.
"Hot tea, no sugar, please," he requested. I could still hear Kala and Arkan chatting as I made his tea. Finally, I could breathe a sigh of relief—Kala had managed to get Arkan to eat.
When I brought him the hot tea, Arkan had already finished his sandwich and was drinking his milk. It was baffling. Why was he so stubborn with me, but so cooperative with Kala?
"All ready for camping?" I asked as I served Kala his tea. Arkan gave a wide smile, and I felt so relieved at the change in his mood.
"Would you like some breakfast, too?" I offered, since I had made extra sandwiches for Arkan. Dewo usually ended up eating them.
"Sure, if you're offering," he replied with a smile. From his tone, I had a feeling he had intentionally skipped breakfast at home just so he could have it here. But I didn't mind—he had helped me calm Arkan down, after all.
I served him two sandwiches filled with smoked beef and vegetables, knowing one wouldn't be enough for him.
"Mom already packed your favorite snacks and drinks in this bag," I told Arkan while showing him the bag he had refused to use earlier. And like magic, he nodded. Did Kala have some kind of superpower to handle little kids?
"You're coming with us too, right?" Kala asked, looking straight at me. If it were Dewo accompanying Arkan, I definitely wouldn't have joined. I trusted Dewo a hundred percent to take care of Arkan, even though the two of them often ended up bickering. But this time it was Kala—someone I had only known for a few weeks. Sure, he acted kind and helpful, but I hadn't built that kind of trust in him just yet.
"Yes, I'm coming," I answered with a smile. Honestly, tagging along to a kids' camping trip wasn't something I enjoyed, but for Arkan's sake, I was learning to like it.
I let Kala finish his breakfast while I went to change clothes. To match him, I chose something similar—because appearance still mattered, even if we weren't an actual family. I wore a long-sleeved T-shirt to avoid too much sun exposure and a pair of sporty pants in a matching color. To complete the look, I would later put on a baseball cap and sneakers.
"Strange how Arkan listens to you, huh?" I mumbled more to myself. Kala chuckled as he started the car. Involving Kala in Arkan's activities hadn't been my plan, but this man had shown up at my door without any reminder about the camping trip.
"Kids are like that. They're used to their moms, so they think someone else is their hero," Kala said, making me glance back at Arkan who was sitting in the back seat. I let out a soft laugh, realizing there was some truth to what he said.
"So you can count on me when things get too overwhelming with this handsome little guy," he added. But no, I couldn't keep relying on Kala—his time was far too valuable for my problems with Arkan.
"Don't show up too often, then. I might get dependent," I replied teasingly.
"I wouldn't mind. I enjoy it," he said, making me pretend I didn't hear. If I responded, I might get flustered.
"The camping event lasts until noon. Are you sure you don't have anything important today?" I asked, trying to remind him.
"I'm sure. I moved all my meetings to yesterday and tomorrow," he replied.
"Oh, and the meeting with the production house that got canceled the other day—it's rescheduled for next week. Such a bummer. I was really hoping to get everything wrapped up soon," he added. The meeting with the production house, which was supposed to discuss my new commercial, had been postponed. They said they were swamped with back-to-back campaigns from multiple clients, so they couldn't accommodate Boga Rasa's request to speed up the ad production. Kala said we could switch production houses, but Boga Rasa was already under contract with this one until next year.
"I'm getting more nervous too," I admitted honestly.
"Don't worry, everything will be just fine. I'll personally oversee the ad shoot," he said. And ironically, his presence would probably be the very thing that kept me from focusing.
"That's Arkan's school, right?" he asked as we arrived in front of the school, which was much busier than usual today. I held my breath, hoping no one would ask who Kala was. Today, I just wanted Arkan to be happy and didn't want to worry about what others thought of Kala.
"You look tense," Kala teased. I stifled a laugh and glanced his way—he looked so relaxed and cheerful, the complete opposite of me.
"Nope, I'm fine," I lied as I fixed my hair. Of course I was nervous. But it wasn't because of the camping trip—it was because of him.
"It's so strange. We've only just met, but it feels like I've known you and Arkan for a long time," he said, eyes sparkling. After he said that, I didn't dare to look at him—I was too flustered.
What was wrong with me? I felt like a teenager all over again. (*)