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Kelly's apartment 7:45am
" Kelly! Where've you been all night? You look absolutely exhausted! " Max was already dressed when Kelly finally made her way back to the apartment.
"Oh...I have to cover a news story..." Kelly said uneasily as she laid the camera down on the table. She wasn't sure if Max ought to know the details and luckily for her, Max didn't ask further.
"I was about to leave. She's meeting me for breakfast. Do you want to join us?"
"Huh? Oh Iris...no..you go on ahead..Arsene's promised to meet me here at eight..."
"Oh okay! Say hi to Lupin and Grognard for me will you? I've really got to go." Max waved as he closed the door behind him.
"Yeah..sure...." Kelly replied, not knowing what else to say. She looked worriedly at the clock as she let out an troubled sigh.
" No problem...."
@-'---
3.25pm
"I got you a little something Max." Iris handed him a paper bag.
"For me?" Max took the bag excitedly and opened it. "It's a..." He felt something fuzzy as he pulled the item out.
It was a teddy bear. A big brown cuddly one. Max accidentally let out an awkward grin as he glanced at the object.
Well... they were both kind of new to this, so it wasn't surprising that she'd be lost at what to get him. Max was speechless for a moment as he attempted to clear his throat. It's nothing personal really...he'd like anything his mother got him ...shouldn't he?
eh....*ahem*...
"You don't like it?" Iris sensed his less than enthusiastic reaction.
"It is.. um.. unexpected."
Iris nodded her head and laughed. " Tell you what. How's about I keep it for you first till we get back?" She offered.
"Kelly says I have too many toys... "He smiled embarrassedly as he tried to explain his behavior, but was quick to include. "...but I really like it. Thanks!"
"I'm glad you do."
Max bit into his second slice of pie and chewed carefully. Sensing that something was amiss, he subtlety looked across the table. Iris' pie was hardly touched as she rested her elbows on the table, her right hand holding the fork where a little piece of the pastry dangled. Max was guilty for a moment about his tactless response and wondered if Iris was offended.
"Is there something wrong?"
Iris snapped out of her trance like state. " O.Oh no.no... nothing is wrong..." She finally took a bite out of her fork to placate Max's doubts. "You know, you remind me a lot of your father..." Iris quickly began again, as if to make conversation.
"Really? He used to say that I reminded him a lot of you..."
"Oh?" Iris was quite surprised. "He spoke of me?"
"A few times... he often said you have a good heart. He taught me quite a bit. "
Iris gave a half-smile as she warily remarked . "I didn't even think he'd talk about me...after well....that."
"Believe it or not, he missed you." Max took another bite. "I could tell....every time he mentioned you he'd get this look ....".
He noticed that Iris had fallen silent. Perhaps it was a chapter of her life she would rather not bring up.
Max put down his fork for a moment as he gave her a solemn look..
"We all make mistakes ... " Max assured her. "Even the best of us."
There was an awkward pause.
"Yves taught you that too huh." she mustered a smile.
Max chuckled as the tension eased. "I had the best to learn from...."
****************
Clean shaven, neat ...and smelling of elbow grease. Yep. That was the best way to describe Yves. Max had thought that was the way his father always smelled, that was until he was old enough to know it came from the factory Yves worked at. His father looked old for his age ~ he was only in his early twenties, but his hands and face seemed weathered beyond his years. It was probably the hard work and the bringing up of a child single-handedly that aged him drastically. His poor health didn't help much either. Nevertheless, he has never complained about the work. He would come home, tired but all smiles to greet Max with his rough but gentle hands. Yves has always treated him as an adult, and nothing was ever too complex to discuss about. As such, Max always valued his father's views, as much as he knew his father valued his...
"Yves? " the young lad once asked. "Was my mother pretty?"
The man gave a tired smile as he sat himself down on the steps. He then reached and lifted his son onto his lap.
"Your mother was very beautiful Max." He paused as he looked at the boy. "You remind me of her sometimes..."
"I look like a girl?"
"Ha ha ha!.. No Max.. " The man chuckled. "I meant you have a good heart..." he gave the boy a playful nudge.
The lad was pleased. "That's coz' I'm a good guy..."
Yves paused for a moment as the smile faded a little. He seemed to be deep in thought.
"Max... do you ever think that a person with a good heart could do bad things?"
"Hmm.." Max pondered hard for a moment. "Maybe the person don't know that he's doing a bad thing?"
"Maybe.."
"But if he says sorry, he becomes a good guy again right?"
Yves didn't answer him immediately.
"What's most important is in here!" the young lad remembered his father's teachings as he pointed at his heart and giggled. " You said it."
His smile finally returned. "I guess you're right Max... even the best of us make mistakes." Yves took off his cap and adjusted it on the young boy's head. "Looks like you'll be set to teach Yves a thing or two about life soon ."
"Yeah." Max chirped happily, then declared.
"So I'm a good guy, you're a good guy, and Mother's a good guy.. coz we all have good hearts!"
Yves nodded his head as he gave a muted smile. He then realized that the sky was turning dark.
"It's getting late."
Gently, he carried Max in his arms as he got up from the steps. The young lad snuggled up to his father's warm chest and rested his head on his shoulders. The smell of grease on his father's clothes didn't seem to bother the child much, it was as if he seemed attached to it. Yves let out a smile again as he noticed Max let out a little yawn.
"Come on Max, let's go home..."
*******************
"You miss him a lot don't you?" Iris spoke again.
"Yeah..." Max replied. "Can't remember the last time I talked about him..." he gave a weak smile.
"So em...Miss Kincaid's been taking care of you all this while?" she asked as she redirected the topic again. She was glad to see the boy's face brighten up.
"Yep. Kelly's the best!" he beamed. "She's pretty strict with the curfews, but she trusts me to take care of myself. Then of course there's Grognard and Lupin..." Max accidentally let slip out their names, and was met with an almost immediate response.
"Lupin?" The name seemed to strike a chord. "Arsène Lupin? You know him? Isn't he a wanted ma..?" Iris spoke with a tinge of nervousness in her voice.
Max held his tongue. He wasn't supposed to go around telling that he and Kelly knew Lupin in person . Even Iris who had only been here a couple of days was aware of his 'reputation', no wonder she seemed nervous. It was sure to invite unwanted attention.
He thought for a while. The cat was already out of the bag, and Iris is family...
"That was the past. He's a good guy guy now and he's a really good friend.. " Max quickly insisted as he looked at her nervously. "You wouldn't tell would you?"
The tension was back again. Max was worried that Iris would disapprove. Worse, Kelly was sure to be angry that he had told Iris without consulting them first, but it was something Max felt that she would have to know eventually anyway. It would be very difficult to keep his friendship with Lupin and Grognard a secret ...
"If you say he's a friend Max." Iris finally assured him. "Your secret is safe with me."
Iris paused again as she pressed for more information. "Does Miss Kincaid know?"
Max was relieved that Iris understood. "'Course she does! She's the reason Lupin drops by the office." he gave a impish wink. " Kelly says they are just friends, but Grognard and I don't think so. Grognard's with Lupin you know. Betcha' didn't know that Lupin has help did ya?"
"No I didn't." Iris smiled as she shook her head. "I'd really like to meet them someday."
"They're pretty busy at the moment, haven't seen them since Monday. But I'm sure they'll be pleased to meet you. I can't wait to introduce you to them."
"That's good to hear." she managed a smile.
Max stopped for a moment as he looked at her. "Just one more thing...."
Iris replied uneasily. " ....yes?"
"Are you going to eat that?" he pointed at her pie as they both broke out into laughter.
"Here...I'm full anyway." Iris pushed the plate towards Max as he happily dug into the pastry with the fork. All that talking has made him hungry.
Iris watched as Max was occupied with his third helping, but her mind was already somewhere else.
"Max...that's something I've been meaning to discuss with you......"