15 Chapter 15: Right way to Love (Flash Back)

"Say... it has been 6 years since we first met," he says, looking down at his hands. I smile at the memory. "It's still funny when I think the way you wanted to have that prize, going all berserk over it." He smirks, looking at me.

"I wasn't the only one going berserk," I say, arching up an eyebrow at him. He stands up from the bench and stands in front of me, his hands on his sides.

"It was also fun doing-" he extends his hand and holds my braid and yanks it towards him "-this." I glare at him with mock anger and his grin spreads across his face. He turns and runs away from me while I stand up to chase after him to take my revenge for yanking me by my hair.

"Stop you brat!"

"Catch me if you can, fatso!"

I was trying to match his pace but he was faster. He turned his head to me while running and gave me a mischievous grin without looking ahead of him, he hit a thin chest and falls on the ground. I halted on my tracks as I stare at the three figures in front of us.

"Look who's here playing around." says, the tall-thin kid.

I glare at the fat kid, probably Charlie who was clenching his fist together. I walk towards brat who has already pulled himself up off the ground and was dusting his jeans.

"Hi again, Charlie-the-gang." I wave my hand at the three figures. The three of them look at each other when one of the thin kid clears his throat and speaks up.

"Excuse me but I'm the leader here," he speaks, raising his hand a bit hesitantly in the air while Charlie and the other kid glare at him.

"Oh? I thought Charlie was the one. You seemed so quiet and Charlie always did the talking-"

"No he's not, I am!" intrudes Charlie.

"I thought we decided that already?" speaks the thin kid while the other thin kid stands dumbfounded, watching them both.

"Look! She said you were the quiet one, you don't have that aura around you. We need someone dominating like me." Charlie speaks in a hushed tone, putting a finger on his chest but it was audible for all of us there.

"Umm... guys?" the thin kid makes an effort to finally speak. "Maybe we can sort this out later."

"Hush! Not right now Tommy, this needs to get decided right now!" thin-tall kid scolds, not moving his gaze away from Charlie while Charlie does the same. "I'm older than you so I get to decide!"

"You're making no sense Max! We need someone better for this and it's only me here," says Charlie, giving his all attention to the tall/thin kid probably called Max.

"Let me lead if you guys are having this problem again!" Tommy kid gives a pointed look to both of them.

"NO!" Charlie and Max utter in unison.

I feel the familiar touch of a hand slipping inside my hand. I hold the hand firmly and it pulls me away from the scene. We walk backward, slowly in order to not get noticed. We sneak out and not more than a minute does it take for us to run faster than before.

We are running hand in hand together. Brat bursts out laughing and I do the same after hearing his voice.

"Those three sure are idiots," I say between my laughter fits. He halts, making me stop beside him with our entwined hands. We struggle to catch our breaths between our laughs.

"And you sure are one genius kid," he says, sobering up from his laughter.

"Don't forget to mention evil." I wink at him and he laughs again, throwing his head behind and I love seeing him this joyous, every time.

The sound of his heart full laugh, the sight of the tears that pours from the edge of his eyes, always makes me delighted.

"OH wait! My papa is coming back today. I've to go home early." his face becomes all serious now. I look at him and blink my eyes.

Even though his papa lives in the city but he tries his best to visit his family every now and then. Whenever his papa comes, he never leaves the house. He tries his best to spend as much time as he can with him. Slowly but not easily he has accepted the fact of living most of the time without his papa although his mother does her best to not let him think his father is away. She does the fatherly job as well as the mother's but it's not the same every time, knowing that he has a father to full fill his wishes, it's not the same most of the time but he has started accepting it all. He has understood that for whatever the reason his papa is away, is for the best.

"Oh..." I managed to say. It's a little sad to me because I get to see him less whenever his papa arrives. I'm being so selfish. I know.

I heave a sigh and try to act all perky for his sake "I mean that's good! The brat is finally able to meet his father after a month. Now you could argue with someone else about the things I was so frustrated with hearing again and again." I say, rolling my eyes.

"Hey, come with me at my home?" He looks at me.

"Umm... me? No, no, no. Your family needs to spend some time alone. Besides I'm always here whenever you ask." I say, looking around me.

"But you aren't with me when I am actually asking you." he pouts.

"I didn't mean-"

"You said whenever!" He cuts me off "Papa will be pleased to see you and probably he bought some chocolates with him." He says, pretending to think while putting a finger under his chin. I punch his shoulder, playfully.

"Okay, I'm coming with you," I say, hitting him in the stomach and run away from him while he groans behind me in pain and I squeal with excitement at the thought of chocolates.

~~~

The front door of the house creeks open and we enter together hand in hand. Sweet aroma of vanilla greets my nostrils and I close my eyes, inhaling the scent deep within me. I open my eyes and look at the small living room.

In front of me is a set of small wooden chairs against the wooden floor, a small mat in the middle where a wooden table stands, wall decorated in pink-beige color, enhancing the wooden furniture. We move forward and towards the nearby room to meet his parents when we stop midway after hearing some noises.

"Adam! Your son would be needing answers for that!" his mother yells.

"I don't know how to tell him... I don't know what reasons to come up with!" Mr. Adam utters in an exasperated tone. "Either way I don't want him to think bad of me."

"You're doing this for the good... right?" Mrs. Adams voice was trembling, she was crying. I have a bad feeling about whatever they were discussing.

"I don't want my son to hate me more than he already does." Mr. Adam's voice was weak.

"I don't hate you, papa!" I swivel my head to my right and found the spot empty where merely a second ago brat was supposed to be standing.

This is not really a good time for me to be here, I must go.... but I can't. I want to hear what's happening here. If this is something which could hurt brat in any way, I will stay here as long as it takes and hear out the things so I could decide whose being at fault and help him ease down with his pain.

"Son, I missed you so much." I hear him kiss someone.

"Mommy? Papa? What were you guys talking about? Why would you think I hate you?" He questions them.

"Son, I would never want to hurt you. You know that right?" says Mr. Adam in a low voice.

"I know papa, what's the matter would you just tell-"

"Papa is seeing someone in the city," exclaims Mrs. Adam.

I clamp my mouth shut with both my hands, trying to prevent the voice that was going to come out of shock. I hear no words from anyone for a while. I guess everyone was in a bit shock.

"Seeing someone? I don't understand?" brat's voice was a bit hesitant.

"Yes... Papa found someone else for his own likeness." I feel bitterness loathing from the voice of Mrs. Adam.

"But papa would never do such thing... he's a townie and we don't do such-"

"He was a townie!" Mrs. Adam yells. "You always wanted to know the reason why we came back from the city since the start? This was the reason. Your father never wanted us to figure out what was he doing or by any chance let the person, whom he is seeing, know that he already has a family of his own." Mrs. Adams voice breaks down in the end.

"P-papa? Why are you looking at mama with wide eyes?"

"Did she already know? Was she hiding it all this time? Is it all true?"

"PAPA! TELL ME!" I couldn't resist the tearing voice of brat and I peeked through the door and saw Mrs. Adam crumbled on the wooden floor, her eyes red and watery while Mr. Adam is looking at her disbelievingly, his body crouched down and brat stands with mouth agape, water pouring through his eyes in front of his papa.

His brown hairs sticking to his sides and the shine from his blue eyes, disappearing slowly. The pride he held for him was vanishing.

Mr. Adam rubs his face with his hands and looks at brat and into his eyes. Mr. Adam just nods to his questions and his eyes widen.

"No.... no, this can't be true." he backs away from his papa who was near to touch his face and I see water pooling out of his eyes too. "Every day I would wait for you to open your arms and lift me in the air just like Sarah's papa."

"Every day I would wish for you to check my homework and play with me."

"Every summer I would wait for you so we could go fishing just like Sarah does with her dad."

"Every winter I wanted to build a snowman with you."

"Every season... every day... every second.... I would wish you could be here." he chokes on his words "but you would be already doing things what I wished for but strangely it never crossed my mind..." he takes a deep breath "...just not with me but with other special people." he looks into his father's teary eyes and his father shakes his head weakly and mouths the word 'no'.

"No son, I-I love you." Mr. Adams stutters admitting, his voice very weak.

"Papa, can I ask you something?" Mr. Adam nods at his words, giving him permission to continue. "What made you give up on your family for a person who just came into your life?"

"A family who was with you in your good and bad times."

"A wife who was with you ever since when you first loved her."

"A child who wanted nothing but your love and to be in your care."

I couldn't stop my tears from flooding out of my eyes after hearing his words. It was like someone stabbing in the heart again and again. If I feel this horrible, how would he be feeling right now? How would Mrs. Adam be feeling? If only I could sooth them somehow if only I could lessen their pain somehow. His mother was covering her mouth with her hands while her tears pool out.

"You've quite grown-up son." his father half smiles at him with teary eyes. He stands up and strides towards his son and pats his head. "Can I be with you guys just for this day?" his eyes pleading.

"You've always been with us just for a day or two why not one more, it doesn't matter anyway...." his papa stiffens at his words.

"And you said you wouldn't hate me." his papa shakes his head, looking down.

"I don't hate you, it's just.... my trust that has broken into pieces." he pauses for a moment."Trust to love, trust to care, trust that made me wait for you and trust.... to become someone I truly admired."

The past tense he used for his relationship with his father clenched my heart. He believes that he has lost the role model of his life.

"If my blood related didn't love me right, didn't teach me the right way to love... How can I expect others to do it right for me?" my heart squeezes for him.

I want to tell him he's not alone, he would have me always by his side, I would make him happy somehow but... it all seems so hard and impossible because no one can replace a father and his love. I just want to tell him anything that can make him smile again but I can't and it even felt impossible to think. His world is crumbling down but all I can do is see it with him while it all shatters into pieces.

Mr. Adam moves towards his wife and holds her hands into his and they both look into each other's tearful eyes "Why didn't I get to see him while he was growing up? When did he become so mature?" he chokes on his words while Mrs. Adam tries to stop her tears but fails immensely. "Honey... I lost my only child," he speaks in a hushed tone. Mrs. Adams shakes her head and before I could hear some more, I was being dragged out of the house. I look up to the person holding my hand.

The person I first saw and assumed to be a brat isn't a brat at all but a piece of glass, very fragile who just broke without knowing. The pieces which will soon be put back together but the cracks will always remain there, a reminder of a deep scar.

"I was just leav-"

"No don't." he looks at me with no emotion in his eyes while I search for something but his eyes reflected emptiness. "I wanted you to be here with me and I'm glad you're here. Just don't apologize, it's not like...." he pauses. "I could walk you home anyway." he changes the subject suddenly and I look at him while he averts his eyes.

"You could talk to me whenever you like," I say, tilting my head to make him look into my eyes and he just walks close to me while looking down on the street. I hesitantly hold his hand in mine, gripping it tightly but he doesn't respond to my touch and we move silently towards my home.

For the first time he was so close but felt too far, it was like worlds apart.