Even A Five-Year-Old's Patience Is Limited

"I'm sorry, what?" Penelope paced around the kitchen island, biting down vigorously on her fingernails and her mobile phone held up to her left ear, her mind immediately running to the worst at that moment, "Ryo, it's Jouji's birthday tomorrow, what do you mean the flight got cancelled?"

Jouji, the love of Penelope's life, was turning five today. Within those five years, Ryo had been taking flights in and out of Australia to Kyoto, Japan for continuous business trips, resulting in him having missed a total of two of Jouji's birthdays over the years. It wasn't as if Ryo was missing such an important date on purpose, and he knew Penny knew that. His only son and the woman he married meant absolutely everything to him, but balancing a public service work-life and a home-life in Australia was a lot harder than he remembered. It used to be just working in a fancy office in the city, but now it was like he had to be away from what made him most happy more than ever. He would be home, though. Ryo would never allow himself to be absent for months on end, so his business trips never lasted more than two weeks. However, in return for being in control over one category of his job, he was rarely in control of when the dates of interstate and international trips were.

Ryo huffed, letting go of his suitcase in front of him as he sat down on one of the black leather couches at the airport in Kyoto, "Penny, It's a fourteen-hour flight. I'm not going to be home until the day after Jouji's birthday. I tried, I swear, but no more flights are going out today."

"Ryo..." Penelope stopped her pacing and leaned against the kitchen counter, placing her free hand to her temple, "This is the third time, Ryo. When we made the cake yesterday he only put two candles... Ryo, he already assumed you weren't coming, do you know how heartbreaking it was?"

Ryo only took in a shaky response at the anecdote, having already begun regretting all of his decisions. Jouji was surprisingly a very selfless child, and on his birthday he demanded his parents blow out the candles with him. When Ryo didn't come home on the day, he'd wait until his dad got back to celebrate, but Ryo should've known that even a five-year-old's patience was limited. "Can you just tell him that I'll be home tomorrow?"

"No." Penelope didn't even hesitate. "You need to tell him."

Even though his wife couldn't see it, Ryo nodded. She was right. "Is he home?"

"Noreen offered to take him home," she said. 

The line went quiet for a second. Both of them were in thought. Both thinking about how they could make it up for their child. One thinking if his kid would forgive him, and the other trying to not picture the look on her child's face when he finds out. 

The doorbell rang, and Ryo even managed to hear it. "Is that Jouji?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'll call you back... don't beat yourself up if he gets upset, okay? His friends are still coming over tomorrow for a party, he should be fine by then."

"Sure." Ryo heard the line disconnect, immediately placing his face in his palms and didn't need to think twice to overthink the situation.

On the other hand, Penelope went to greet her jumpy five-year-old and thank her good friend for the favour. There was a short and sweet exchange of gratitude and small talk between the two adults while little Jouji was standing next to them with a bright smile, pretending to understand everything that Noreen and his mother way saying. 

Surely enough, Penelope closed the door, giving her son a warm smile in return, "How was your day, Schatz?"

"It was great, mum! Ali helped me make legos! Ms. Katherine said George's name is said 'Yorgo' in her language! and Aunty Noreen gave us lollies! But before all that, we made nets in maths and it was really hard because my glue ran out, so I didn't want to make it anymore, but Ali was really nice and gave me his sticky tape, and then..." Jouji went on for a little, happily giving him mum a full rundown of his day at school, not even bothering to put his bag down that was a little too big for his tiny body. 

Penelope gave Jouji a bittersweet smile, knowing that what he'll hear next would do anything but make his day better. "That's great, baby. I'm sure Ms. Katherine really liked your glitter shapes," She said in the same voice a mother would use to encourage her child. "Do you want to call dad, Jouji?"

She watched her son's eyes light up, "Yeah! Is he coming home? For my birthday?" but his expression suddenly dropped, and so did Penelope's heart, "He is, right? He said he would. Or... does he have work?... Again..."

Penelope picked Jouji up and bought him over to the couch, trying to prepare a very vague excuse for the child in her arms before sitting him down on her lap, not wanting to throw the blame at Ryo for something he didn't have much authority over. "Should we ask him? I'm sure he's trying his best to make it home for you," she said carefully. "Did I tell you that dad said he really wants you to call him today so he could be the first one to wish you an early birthday?"

"Really? Dad said that?" Jouji gasped.

"Oh, I thought I told you," Penelope giggled, "And of course he did, have I ever lied to you?"

"You said carrots make me see in the dark, but it didn't work! Ali said Aunt Noreen said the same thing to him!"

"I said that?" She laughed, pulling Jouji into a tight hug before letting go to properly look at him, "Should be call dad now?"

Jouji nodded happily and Penelope just hoped it wouldn't ruin his day as much as it had las time.