DK’s face lit up. “I know this will go according to what I have prepared,” he said. Joanna’s eyebrows raised, not knowing what DK had planned for the three of them. He hurriedly called the reception desk and requested a key to a master suite. He gave the key to Joanna and made her see for herself the room he prepared.
The moment the door opened, a wide and luxurious room greeted them. It is clean and well-decorated. But what caught Joanna’s eye was a personally made crib that is placed near the master’s bed. “You really planned this, huh?” Joanna asked while playing with the keys. DK closed the door and placed the sleeping DJ on the crib.
“Yep, because I want our family to have a small space in this hotel. But I did not expect that this room would be vacated today. It is a merry Christmas indeed” he answered. Joanna replied, “But, I am not ready with this kind of setup”. DK hushed her; “Can we forget the past for once? Let’s be a family even if it feels like pretending” he requested.
Joanna felt a pinch in her heart. DK should not be saying those things because he has the right to be with his wife and child, not requiring consent before he does his responsibility. She just nodded and prepared the bed. “Let’s do it. Even just today” she agreed. DK smiled; his heart was filled with joy. It is one of the chances he wished for.
He removed his jacket and lay beside Joanna; her back facing DK. “You know how much longing it took before my prayers were answered,” DK said while looking up at the ceiling. It’s already early in the morning but they are just about to sleep. Joanna did not speak; she wanted to hear more of DK’s side. He faced her back and continued talking.
“How can I even prove myself clean? If only a word is enough to make you believe me. I really did not do anything” he uttered. Joanna remained quiet. The truth is, she does not care about that anymore and plans to tell DK that she already got those things off of her chest before they return to the city. She closed her eyes to sleep.
DK pushed himself to her. His arms wrapped around her waist. “The perfect warmth” he whispered while tucking her next to him. Joanna pretended to be asleep. To feel DK’s warmth brought her to the best sleep and that is also the best Christmas gift she has ever received.
Joanna woke up with a smell of freshly brewed coffee filling up their room. She sat down in the mattress and tied her hair in a messy bun. She glanced at the crib, alarmed that DJ was not there anymore. She stood up and roamed the room. She was relieved when he saw DK pouring the freshly brewed coffee into a porcelain cup.
“Good morning, and still, Merry Christmas” DK greeted. She saw DJ sitting in a high chair near the dining table. “Good morning” she greeted back. “How’s your sleep? Did you have trouble? ‘Coz mine was amazing” DK replied while giving her a cup of black coffee. She smirked, “I slept well. I did not even realize when did DJ cried and asked for milk” she answered.
DK chuckled, “Don’t worry. I did all the job a while ago” he assured Joanna. Joanna took a sip of coffee; DK looked at her and asked, “Is it bland? Or is it too sweet?”. Joanna answered, “It is perfectly blended”. A beeping sound was heard when the bread was already toasted. DK placed them on a plate and served it to her.
“Unfortunately, we skipped the lunch buffet. You were sleeping soundly so I did not bother waking you up” DK said while grabbing a jar of blueberry jam inside the mini fridge. “No, it’s fine. I am not that hungry anyway. Why don’t you eat with me?” she asked. DK placed the jar of blueberry jam on the table and answered, “Just a minute”.
He turned around and mixed a formula baby food in a plastic bowl. He prepared DJ’s food. “All set. Let’s eat!” he exclaimed. Joanna smiled; it is her first time seeing DK being an all-around dad. She felt touched while DK was doing the baby care. He really is making up for the time when he was absent.
He scooped the baby food and asked Joanna, “Am I doing this correctly? Or am I feeding him too much serving?”. Joanna shook her head and answered, “No, you are doing things swiftly as if it is not your first time”. DK smiled, “I’ll take that as a compliment. I’ve read baby care books as well just in case I will be doing things like these. And guess what? Time finally came that I will be the one to do the baby care” he replied.
DK fed his son while he is eating his first meal of the day. Joanna enjoyed their simple shared meal because her eyes were full of love just by watching her husband and her son having a close interaction after months of not being with each other.
A knock was heard from their room. DK was about to stand up but Joanna stopped him. “Let me open it” she offered and went straight to the door to accommodate who was knocking. The door opened, showing King holding steamed buns for her to eat. “You did not come down to eat breakfast and lunch, I was worried so I brought you some of the food we ate earlier,” King said while handing over the boxed food.
King’s eyes widened when he saw DK coming from behind. “I’ll take those. Don’t worry, I can feed my child and my wife. Thanks for worrying for them, but take things from here. Enjoy the rest of the day, feel free to roam around the hotel” he said and turned around. Joanna whispered ‘thank you’ and followed DK back to the dining area.
He opened the box of steamed buns and offered one for Joanna to taste. “You gotta take a bite of this one. The chef carefully made a unique recipe far from the ordinary ones” DK said while placing a bun on her plate. She took a bite of it; it was really tasty. DK really made things personalized for them to experience a more comfortable vibe of Christmas.
“I really appreciate what you did for us, DK. Thank you for not making me and DJ feel so distant” she randomly said. DK smiled but his eyes were focused on DJ. “I told you my intentions are clear. If it takes more than this just for you to forgive me, I am willing to risk everything. You and DJ is my home” he replied, feeling flutters.