Chapter 415 - How Can You Have A Stepmother? (1/2)
Jean really enjoy being the cool uncle for the Schneider children and he was glad that his own son, Terry, could grow with them. Since he was afraid of marriage and not wanting to have children himself, this is the best arrangement for him.
He remembered the time when he finally became Terry's legal guardian and asked the boy to call him father. Though this was his biological child, Terry was also easy to handle because Terry was already 15 years old at the time, so he was not at all troublesome.
Jean felt very blessed, because he did not have to face the stress and chaos of having a child that had to be raised from a baby, and yet he still had these extraordinary children in his life. He knew he was very lucky.
He was not at all personally against being a father. He had discussed this several times with Billie. But he really couldn't take the next step. The thought of having children who would later suffer if their parents got divorced was enough to bother his mind.
He understood that among the perfect Alchemist community, no one had divorced before because everyone only married when they were very confident with their partner. Some would even stay in a relationship for up to 200 years before deciding to get married.
But he was not there yet. He was not entirely convinced that his relationship with Billie would last forever. There were some things that were not fully compatible between them, and after 15 years together, the two still couldn't find a common ground. Jean did not want to bring a child into this world, when he wasn't sure about his own life, that was why he still didn't want to have children of his own.
Maybe ... maybe if someday he could find a partner whom he could trust with his life … who could restore his faith in the meaning of 'family', just like Finland when she met caspar Caspar, he may want to have a child together with her. Never say never, he thought.
He looked at Terry, London and Rune with great affection. These children were very sweet. He would never trade them for the world.
”Why are you looking at me with such strange eyes?” Terry asked suddenly. ”Were you poisoned by Marion? I know Lauriel taught her a lot about poison.”
Jean flinched at Terry's blunt question. ”Eh, what are you talking about? Marion is a nice girl. You must not be prejudiced.”
Terry covered his mouth in surprise because Jean openly defended Marion. ”Gosh, Father ...? Don't tell me you harbor a crush for her? Does this mean that I will have a stepmother?”
”What do you mean? How can you have a stepmother? Your mother and I are not married.” Jean glared at Terry. Finland, who heard the father-and-son talk coughed and immediately drank a lot of water to ease her throat. She was the mother they were talking about.
Her family was indeed quite unique. She and Jean had a biological child together even though they were not married, they never even dated. So, Terry now called Jean as father and Finland as mother, but if later Jean married a woman, Terry shouldn't call her stepmother because technically Jean never had another wife before.
Jean chewed his food slowly, pretending not to hear Terry's silly questions. Suddenly, his cellphone rang and he saw the name on the screen of his cellphone: BEAUTIFUL AND AWESOME MARION.
Speaking of the devil, he thought, amused.
He picked up the phone, ”What's wrong? Are you missing me already? That is fast. Apparently I'm very charming indeed.”
Terry, London and Rune simultaneously turned their heads away (holding back their vomit), while Finland only frowned. Jean now looked like one of the playboys in his movies.