New Life : A Second Chance

He needed the flexibility to act but his age didn\'t let him. That, and his overprotective Mum.

So here he was, on the way home.

Kyle was in business class, even though he could well afford the first class. He didn\'t like spending money unnecessarily, and would only spend as much as he felt was appropriate. Economy class was too cramped and first class was too decadent, but the business class was just right. It was comfortable and the flight wasn\'t long anyway.

Though he seriously hated flying.

It wasn\'t fear of the plane crashing, but rather, it was that he actually gets airsick. The smell of the pressurized cabin, the plastic aftertaste in the airplane food and the way the plane lurched upon take-off and landing which made his stomach queasy.

All in all, he always prayed that the pilot was good so that when the plane lands, he wouldn\'t feel like to puke everything out. Kay always laughed at him, even though she did take care of him whenever they were on flights. She pitied him but at the same time, couldn\'t help but laugh at the miserable state he often is in - especially for long flights.

This one wasn\'t long - just below two hours. Thus, Kyle gritted his teeth and told himself to just bear with it.

Unknown to him as he was too busy trying to keep the queasiness at bay, he was making all heads turn in the airplane. The way he sat on the chair, his eyes completely focused on the file in his hands, made people\'s heart palpitate as they passed by his seat.

His long eyelashes fluttered once in a while, his lips slightly parted as he breathed through them and whenever his tongue brushed along it to wet it, it made all the stewardess\'s face flush. They had to keep reminding themselves that the young man was still a minor.

As the plane took off, Kyle put down the report and closed his eyes. He felt the plane lurched a bit as it climbed and he gulped, feeling the familiar sensation of the pressure hitting his chest and stomach. When the plane finally stablised, he took a deep breath and opened his eyes.

Only to see the concerned face of one stewardess near him.

"Are you alright, Mr. Smith?" she asked worriedly.

Kyle gave her a sweet smile, saying, "Kyle, please. I keep thinking you\'re calling my father if you call me that."

The stewardess blushed a bit, her ears a bit red as she nodded, "Kyle, do you need anything?"

"It\'s okay, Ms ...?" Kyle enquired.

"Clara," she replied, "Just Clara."

Kyle nodded and smiled again - this time, his Million Dollar Watt smile as he said, "It\'s okay, Clara. Planes just don\'t agree with me. I\'ll be fine in a bit. Thank you for asking."

She smiled at him and went off, only to return with a can of 7-up and a glass with ice. In the ice, was this small round piece of dried sour plum in it.

"Here, whenever I get a bit of an upset stomach, I use my mother\'s traditional method. Try drinking this with the sour plum in it.* It workes wonders," Clara said shyly, "The sour plum is from my hometown and you can\'t get it anywhere else."

Kyle took the drink, his fingers lightly brushing against Clara\'s as he thanked her, completely oblivious to what had happened. His mind was too focused on the uneasy feeling in his stomach to notice that her cheeks were now quite flushed red.

The other passengers noticed, though and so she quickly ran off to hide while another stewardess \'patroled\' the aisle.

The drink did help Kyle a lot and he made a mental note to add that to his list of \'what to take when being airsick\'. As much as he hated flying, it was going to be something that he would have to do a lot, especially when he\'s the CEO.

Definitely, once he takes over, he\'s going to get a private plane and hire the best pilot. His parents found that to be an unnecessary expenditure as they didn\'t travel that much or often, and first class was more than enough. He\'s going to show how much of a necessity it would be for him. Not that he would need their permission if he used his own money anyway.

For the entire flight, Kyle got extra attention from the very caring stewardess. When he refused the inflight meals, they\'d give him peanuts and insisted he needs to chew something. Some even gave him their own private stash of goodies. When he closed his eyes, the stewardesses would rush to be the one to put the blanket on him.

Kyle felt that he was being more smothered than when Kay was with him. Still, he didn\'t resent them for it as he knew they were only concerned for him. The other passengers were jealous, though, and felt that it wasn\'t fair that the good looking ones always get preferential treatment.

Well, tough. That\'s life.

When the plane finally landed, Kyle got up in relief and gave everyone a great huge smile. As he walked off, the stewardesses sighed and hoped that they would be on duty again when he took his flight back.

?? Back Home ??

Patrick was staring at his son, Kyle. Delilah was by his side and she frowned as she listened to his outrageous request.

"Out of the question," she hissed, "You are only 14 years old and you think you\'re old enough to make your own decisions?"

"Mum," Kyle said patiently, "Are you basing your entire decision simply on the fact that I\'m 14? Haven\'t I proven myself time-and-time again that I know what I\'m doing?"

Delilah opened her mouth to retort when she stopped short. She couldn\'t think of one single incident that she could raise to prove him wrong. He had made countless decisions which she didn\'t agree with yet, none of them had been detrimental to him.

"I\'m not saying that I don\'t need your guidance, but I do wish to be able to have the freedom to do what I want to do," Kyle continued, "My path is laid out as the next heir and I believe I\'ve performed up to expectations in that regard."

Patrick nodded, not refuting Kyle. In fact, his performance was beyond exemplary.

Patrick sighed and placed a hand on the shoulder of the seething Delilah who was going to blast at him again, "Sweetheart, he\'s right and you know it."

Delilah clenched her teeth and her heart was torn.

She knew. Yes, she knew.

In reality, she was well aware that there had been nothing that she could teach him for he seemed to learn on his own. She had been fighting that in the entire 14 years of his life, for she couldn\'t accept that her own son did not need her at all.

That\'s why she was tougher on him. A subconscious act on her part to be a part of his life, to be the one that could guide him. That\'s why she resisted so much whenever he wanted to do things. Her bottom lip quivered.

Kyle sighed and came up to his mother.

How could he not know what was going through her mind?

He kneeled down and looked up at her, holding her hands in his as he said softly and gently, "Mum, you have been the best mother anyone could ask for. I\'m sorry for being such a freak."

Delilah\'s eyes watered at that, seeing how tortured his son appeared to be. To call himself a freak? He must have known that he wasn\'t normal yet he didn\'t show a thing. He must have suffered so much, yet she had treated him like a kid.

She placed a hand on his cheeks and asked, "Was it so hard?"

Her son was a genius. How could she, who was so normal, have produced such a child?

Kyle smiled, a sweet and dazzling smile full of love as he took her hand and kissed the back of it. He looked at her in the eyes and said, "Having you treat me like a normal kid made me happy. You didn\'t treat me like a freak. It\'s just that now ... I ... I just need to be free."

Delilah looked at her husband, Patrick, who had been quiet this whole time. He nodded.

Delilah looked again at her handsome son. Capable, mature and growing up too fast.

Her son was like a dragon, stuck in this small pond. He needed to be let free to soar into the skies. She would not be the one that held him back. She knew this day would come, but she thought it was still far in the future. The fact that he was bringing it up now meant he was feeling stifled already.

"Fine," Delilah said with resignation, "I\'ll start on the paperwork immediately."

In Country TZ, there was the \'Child Emancipation Law\' that is similar to Country US, which allowed a minor to act for himself without needing an adult. At 16 years old, a child can petition to the court to disown themselves from their parents and be treated as an adult (legally).

In Country TZ, however, it also allowed a parent to voluntarily allow their child to be treated as an adult without having to \'disown\' them. Thus, the child was still a part of the family yet legally an adult. There was no age restriction, so long as both parents were in agreement. This was the process that Delilah was talking about.

Kyle sighed with relief. That went far smoother than he expected.