New Life : A Second Chance

"Kyle is a Smith," Patrick hissed, "The foundation has to be set properly! One has to be strict and disciplined from the start. He has the capabilities, and must be molded from young to be responsible."

"In what way did Kyle ever show you that he wasn't disciplined in his studies? In his work?" Shifu asked, looking at him with his clear eyes, "Did he ever fail in any task you set for him?"

"No," Patrick said with a frown, "Which only goes to show how good his teachings were."

Where was Shifu going with this? What has this got to do with Kyle?

"Did you ever praise him for it?"

Patrick's frown got deeper, "Praise? Whatever for? The tasks are for his own personal development and improvement. I want him to do it for himself, not for praise. He won't get far if he was doing it to get praised!"

Shifu shook his head, wondering about the way Patrick himself was brought up. How could he not understand something so basic and simple?

"We're all human," Shifu pointed out, "Being acknowledged for a job well done is not asking for too much, is it?"

"Have you forgotten? He was only 7 years old when he completed the first task you set for him. He did it flawlessly, yet all you said and did, was simply give him another task. As if the success was something normal and not really an achievement. That it was expected of him."

"Of course it was," Patrick said, "He needs to learn that with his capabilities, people would be waiting for him to fail. He needs to keep on pushing himself, strive more, do more."

"He needed a father," Shifu said softly, "A father's acknowledgment, a father's praise and most of all, a father's love."

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"You keep saying that Kyle is the one that was cold and pushed you away but think about it. Did you ever try or do anything to bring him closer to you?"

Shifu laughed a bit when he recalled something, "Did you know that Kyle was simply an awkward child that did not know how to show affection towards adults? Or, to be more specific, towards adult males?"

"The first time I patted his shoulder and praised him for completing an exercise, he jumped in complete surprise," Shifu revealed.

"He shied away from my touch at first. Not because he was rejecting me, but rather, I could see that he simply did not know how to react. As time went by, Kyle soon warmed up and well, the seemingly playful teenager you know was a result of that."

Patrick listened to all of this in shock.

He had always taken his son's cold attitude as being part of his unwillingness to be close to him. Since Kyle always stood behind Kay whenever Kay went to hug them and kiss them, he never pressed the issue.

Had he been waiting for some sort of signal from him instead?

"With you, he quickly learned that the only way to get any sort of acknowledgment was to do the tasks assigned to him," Shifu went on relentlessly, "Since all you demanded of him was to perform perfectly and provide results, that's all he eventually felt he owed you. In return for the education and training, he provided results."

"Kyle doesn't realise it himself," Shifu said softly, "But he is missing a father figure. Not a father that controls him, but a father who guides him. I may have filled in that void, but deep down … he wants you for that."

Shifu looked at Patrick seriously, "Your son is a gem, but he is also not one that can be dealt with by being harsh. You want to get to know your son?"

"Be a friend first," Shifu said, "Don't treat him like a kid that needs constant disciplining. Start looking at him as a capable adult that is able to reason well. Talk to him, not dictate. You'll be surprised at what he can truly do."

"And how much he is actually willing to listen," Shifu said.

Shifu sighed, got up and patted Patrick on the shoulder as he left, "You can't raise Kyle the same way your father raised you. See your son for what he truly is. A boy still seeking for his father's approval."

Patrick sat alone at the cafe for a long time after that, thinking deeply over what Shifu had told him.

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In a private room, several people were staring at each other as they thought deeply about their next move.

Files were strewn on the table, smoke permeating the air as some puffed away on cigarettes and empty bottles of wine on the table.

"Are you sure about this information?" one asked.

"It's reliable," another answered.

"Still, we can't be too hasty," a larger man warned, "To go against tradition is not easy. We do not have solid proof."

"We have time," the other replied, "Just how long do you think he can hide his disappearance?"

"How come you're so sure he won't be coming back?" another asked, "Are you planning to eliminate him? If Patrick himself can't find him, what makes you think you can?"

"There are many ways to eliminate a threat without actually getting rid of the person, you know," the guy said with a laugh, "You're so old-fashioned."

"It's easier that way. Less hassle," the guy protested.

"The stupid age-old tradition of proving through the Ritual needs to be scrapped," the guy growled, "Our blood is what makes us this powerful and feared. Why stifle it? It's obvious that it makes one weak."

He snorted, banging his hand on one file, "A kid, throwing a tantrum and running away. What sort of Leader is that? Push him, and he falls. We need to uproot him from the ground and take back what is ours."

The others nodded in total agreement.