3 Chapter 3: Death Or Chocolate
Knock, knock.
No response.
.
.
Knock, knock.
.
.
Knock, knock, knock.
.
.
.
Knock. Door opens.
"Ouch!"
"Oh! I'm sorry Mrs. Adam. I thought you wouldn't be coming out." I said, embarrassed that I almost knocked her forehead.
"No, Sarah its fine" she smiles, making the embarrassment flush away. "I was a little late today than usual. Come on in dear."
"Uh... no, thanks Mrs. Adam but I came here to say goodbye to you." I say, still blushing slightly from embarrassment.
"To say goodbye? Sorry child I don't understand?"
"That is... I'm leaving for the city finally and... you know the reason and all." I said, hesitantly.
"Oh! It's good to hear... for a townie like us to go city is one of the hardest decision." She looks down at her hands, remembering some worst memories that I know for sure. I take her hand and pressed it reassuringly, conveying silently that I can feel her pain.
"I'll try to find him... and if I do, I'll knock some sense into him and if necessary I'll drag him to you." she laughs sadly while a small tear trickles down her wrinkled cheek. One thing she does know quite well is that it wouldn't be that easy to reach him which is also disturbing part for me.
"Just don't get lost in the outside world," she says, looking into my eyes, knowing the painful reality that she has experienced. Mostly townies who would head for the city they wouldn't turn back to the town and mostly would turn back within a short time.
It's amusing how people act, they would leave their birthplace forever or would come running back like a dog to its owner but in the case of Mrs. Adam, it's hard to say either.
"Yes, madam!" I try to mock to lighten the atmosphere and apparently it worked.
"I wish blessings of Almighty be with you, have a safe trip, my child." We bid our goodbye's and I head towards my destination.
~~~
The whistle blows signaling the departure, black smoke ignites through the chimney, the engine forcefully pulling the wheels back and forth. I peek out of my window, waving mama and Maria goodbye.
I can see the glistening eyes of mama while Maria keeping a firm hold on her. I smile sadly towards their direction and they wave back, giving me back the same sad smile. Mama brings up a handkerchief towards her nose and blows into it.
It's going to take them awhile without me but they will manage, I sure am going to miss them.
I sigh and close my eyes, leaning back comfortably on my seat, I do a mental check of things that I will need there and things I will have to do.
If only things had been the same, I wouldn't have been on this train.
The train is moving at a good pace. I feel warm wind hitting my face through the window. I open my eyes and look outside, I see a green valley, it's so relaxing to have a look at such a beautiful view, it refreshes the mind and gives your thoughts a new direction. I close my eyes again, relaxing and remembering the same feeling of the warm wind I had felt when I first met him. It was the summer when I turned five...
Paddle. Paddle. Paddle. Paddle.
HARDER!
My lungs are sour. I'm getting out of air but I need to paddle.
HARDER YOU PATHETIC KID! Paddle harder...
I hit something small on the road, something breaks and my bicycle dangles left and right. I lose control and hit a nearby tree, making myself fall and hit the ground, face first.
"Oomph!" it hurts real bad but still I don't give up. I stand and move towards my bicycle. The small side wheel was broken somehow, I leave my bicycle behind and run towards the finish line, holding my breath I run as fast as I can, not caring about the pain I'm feeling.
I just want to win this race and get the prize and show everyone that I was the toughest competition.
"YAAAYYY!!!" I scream with excitement as I make it to the finish line but no one cheers for me. I look at the crowd of the kids standing in sideways of the race track but everyone was just staring at me, expressionless like I was some unearthly creature to them.
A kid on the bike was near the finish line. He hit the line and everybody roars with excitement, cheering him up.
"Hey!" I shout but nobody hears me. "Excuse me? I came here first!"
they don't count me as the winner why?
Okay, this is getting on my nerves. I can't let him win.
I move the kids away surrounding him and snatch the big chocolate bar he was holding which was the prize.
The crowd went silent and everyone's glaring at me.
Now, this is scary.
"I came here first! So I'm the winner!" I say, trying to put on a brave act.
"It was a bicycle race, not a running race!" the kid says, snatching back his prize and the crowd scoffs. My blood boils and I snatch back the prize again, holding it with a death grip this time.
"Whatever, I reached first!"
"You fat ugly girl! Give me back my prize!"
"WHAT! Did you just call me FAT and UGLY?"
"Yes! Look at your trousers they're all torn up and dirty" I look down at my trousers and the rude kid was right. It was torn from the knees and muddied. I was embarrassed but not as much that I would give up my prize.
"That doesn't make me look UGLY or FAT" I pressed my tongue out to him.
"That just makes you even uglier and fat!"
okay, that ticked me off.
"What! Apologize to me or forget the prize you brat!" he clenches his fist.
"NEVER!" he grabs the side of the bar and pulls it towards him but I apply equal force to my side.
"You brat! I won't lose to you!" my grip tightens on it but he doesn't falter either.
"Stop calling me that you ugly and fat!" everyone around us started chanting 'fight, fight, fight'
Okay, this brat again ticked me off.
I loosen my grip on the bar and he falls on his side on the ground with the bar in his hand.
Ooh, he hit hard. Well, he deserved it. Hah!
"Ouch!" he held his head in his hands, trying to absorb the pain.
I move where he dropped the chocolate and pick it up and started moving away from the crowd when I hear some fast footsteps approaching towards me, I turn back and the brat jumped over me, making me fall and I hit my head on the ground with force.
"Ouch!" This also hurts very badly.
He got off of me with the bar in his hand but I suddenly grabbed his brown hairs in my hands and yanked him down now he again hit his head on the floor.
Two can play that game.
"You fat!" he said while grabbing his head in his hands. He moved towards me and grabbed my ponytail, harshly.
Okay, this also hurts.
Maybe I should stop admitting it every time? It must be obvious.
I grabbed his collar and we both started yanking each other while the chanting felt like background music 'fight, fight, fight'.
"Stop!" a young voice called in the background and the music that played paused. A soft hand grabbed my shoulder and we both were separated from each other.
"Manners please children!" the lady scolded us and we both lowered our head in embarrassment.
"Son, when you go outside the home you show what your parents teach you and this is not what we teach you," she says, glaring at the brat and then I notice his disheveled outfit, his hair going in every direction and his face and clothes dirty.
Now look who's looking ugly. Huh!
"Sorry mother." he apologizes embarrassingly, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink.
"Say sorry to the girl."
"But I didn't do anything!"
"Did or not it's better to apologize."
"Sorry," he says to me with fury in his eyes and teeth gritted. I smile, sarcastically as if I'm avenged and hand over the prize to him.
"And you miss, should behave more like a girl."
okay, this was my time to be embarrassed.
"You should also apologize to him, to make it equal?" his mother asks sweetly and not in the same way she asked her son.
Well, I can do it for the pretty lady.
"Sorry," I say, glaring at him and he passes me the same avenging smile.
Ah! I hate this brat.
"Good, both of you are nice children. Now let's share the chocolate bar with everyone."
"But it was my prize!" Brat cries.
"Son, Behave. Sharing is caring." she smiled at her son and I could see the glow in her eyes.
She is a nice and pretty lady. I wonder why she has a son like him, he must be adopted. Yeah, he is.
Brat gives his bar to his mother and she unwraps it, giving every child a small piece from it and now everyone's happy and slowly the crowd's dispersing leaving me, brat and his mother. His mother gives me an extra piece unlike others and I gleam with joy.
"And this is for you for behaving well." she smiles fondly at me and I grin at her, revealing my white teeth. While the brat murmurs something like ugly.
"You're a pretty girl." she compliments me. I look at the brat to see his reaction to his mother's words and I can see the disgusted look in his eyes.
Oh my! This is so priceless. I giggle at her words particularly after witnessing his reaction.
"You can come to our house any time to play with my son." I look at the brat and he looks at me, too shocked at his mother's sudden invitation.
"Mommy! Let's go we are going to be late, dad's coming home today!" he tugs at her mother's hand and walks away. He didn't go far when he looks back at me and mouths some words that I could probably understand were
Fat.
Ugly.
Girl.
Oh! He knows how to irk me. This war has just started brat!
