Love Call From the Matriarch

The phone's insistent ringing echoed throughout the room. Raul swiftly got up from his seat and answered the phone. When he heard the voice, his face turned pale.

"Raul, I've got a job for you," said the voice from the phone as they coughed.

The voice sounded deep and hoarse through the phone. Accompanied by the chronic coughs, one could assume it was a smoker on the other side.

"They require some young dinosaurs," explained the caller as they continued coughing.

Raul's pupils enlarged, and he glanced back at his family with concern. The caller's identity was still unknown.

"Who's this?" asked Raul, his voice quivering.

After a momentary pause, the caller revealed their identity. "It's me, you brat. Your mother."

"Mom?!" Raul responded in shock.

The tense situation broke down the moment the caller revealed their identity. Raul's anxiety turned into relief.

"How can you not recognize your mother?!" Raul's mother shouted with her raspy and hoarse voice.

"You began smoking again, haven't you, mother?" Raul asked while pressing down on his eyebrows.

"Maybe," Raul's mother said playfully.

Relief washed over Raul when he found out the caller was none other than his mother, who's also Ahmed's grandmother. The woman Raul mentioned in his story.

"Ahmed, say hi to your grandmother," said Raul as he handed the phone to Ahmed.

"Hello, Grandmother!" Ahmed shouted at the phone he grabbed.

"Calm down, little one. You're making me go deaf," said his grandmother while cleaning out her ears.

"It's an honor to talk to you, grandmother," Ahmed said in a respectful tone.

"Aish, don't be this formal. Just call me Nana!" the grandmother said while waving her hand around.

"Yes, Nana," said Ahmed as he saluted.

"Well, whatever. I've heard about your recent exploits, little one," Nana praised Ahmed with a smile.

"Hehe," chuckled Ahmed.

After the short conversation, Raul took back the phone to talk business. Nana inquired about the current stock of dinosaurs and asked if Raul wanted to help with the deal.

Following the back-and-forth call between Raul and Nana, the family wanted to discuss the matter.

"My mother said she'd be the middleman. All we need to do is supply the dinosaurs," explained Raul as he sat back down at the dinner table.

"Can we trust the client?" Amina asked while playfully swinging her fork around.

"Yeah. She said that it was for a public zoo," said Raul as he reached for a glass of water.

"That should be fine," said Amina while putting her fork down.

"It seems like tomorrow will be a busy day," Raul exclaimed as he called Nana back.

"How is it?" asked Nana over the phone.

"We'll do it," said Raul, brimming with energy.

Witnessing the sight in front of him, Ahmed's heart swelled with gratitude for his newfound family. The gratitude extended to his grandmother.

But the conversation was not yet done. They needed the location, expected delivery, and types of dinosaurs.

"What kind of dinosaurs does the client want, mother? Asked Raul as he grabbed his pen and paper.

"Everything you have available," exclaimed Nana with confidence.

"Huh? Alright, then. What about the expected delivery time?" though baffled, Raul moved on to the next question.

"Any time's fine," Nana exclaimed once more.

"Mother, please take this seriously!" Raul had enough of his mother and snapped.

"Where are you anyway, mother?!" added Raul.

"Relax, you brat. I'm enjoying myself on an island not far from Batavia," explained the grandmother as she equipped her sunglasses.

"Island? Dinosaurs? Zoo? Don't tell me..." said Raul in disbelief.

"It looks like you've caught on! I'm going to open a branch of the enclosure here!" declared Nana as she got up from her seat.

"You're crazy… Didn't you learn anything from the past, Mother?!" Raul reprimanded Nana.

"Beh! It's fine! I'm opening this one on the behest of your in-law!" exclaimed Nana as she grabbed some fruit from a tray.

"Huh? You know anything about this, Amina?" Raul looked behind him and questioned Amina.

"He did propose that we open a branch to decrease workload…" said Amina as she reminisced about the conversation she had with her father.

"Hais…" Raul pressed his eyebrows, slightly frustrated.

"You won't do it?" Nana teased Raul.

"We'll do it, mother. It'll be a good experience for Ahmed," answered Raul as he recomposed himself.

"Yay~!" said Nana mockingly.

Before hanging up the phone, Nana explained the vision she had for the 'Dino Park and Enclosure'. She was eager to create another place of observation and wonder.

When the call concluded, Raul hung up with a smile on his face. He seemed pleased to hear that his mother was doing well, even after resigning from her position.

Afterward, Raul turned to Ahmed and uttered, "Looks like we're going on a little trip!"

The chance to work on a big project with his new family ignited a spark that he had long forgotten about. He was eager to contribute in any way he could.

From tomorrow on, the family will be busy with the order. The logistics needed to keep the dinosaur alive while on a voyage were stupendous.

Along with various things, the young dinosaurs also needed to be prepped. Though chaotic, every day was filled with excitement.

Ahmed found himself drowning in work the moment he decided to be part of the journey. He skillfully assisted his father, Raul, with whatever was necessary. Raul's job was to ensure that the containers were up to par.

Not everything worked as planned. Multiple times, they had to redo all the already-done work because of a single error. Not everyone was perfect at their job.

But their unwavering commitment pushed their boundaries. Their passion for the creatures was what drove them to extremes.

Every day until the day of departure was hectic. They were filled with anticipation and hard work, along with excitement. Especially among the new workers. The unity was stronger than ever.

Ahmed, who came a long way from being Bernard, felt his sense of fulfillment and purpose grow.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, he couldn't help but stare at it and smile. He felt like he truly did find where he belonged.

"Bernard? Pfft! Who's that?!" he shouted towards the sun.