A disgrace

Sucking out the surrounding oxygen, a volcanic voice erupted: "You're a disgrace!" Heart-wrenching words resonated throughout the room, leaving a tense silence.

Standing before the furious figure was a much taller and more athletic silhouette. Opposed to the beet-red dwarf, he exuded a calmer demeanor.

With eyes that spelled out rationality, the tall figure looked at the enraged dwarf. His gaze looked at the dwarf, trying to calm him down.

When they had locked contact with one another, the dwarf's voice wavered for a fleeting moment.

The dwarf continued shouting, "What possessed you to choose such a worthless thing?!"

"Father, listen to me, please." The tall man begged his father to listen to him with one knee on the floor.

The father's expression remains unchanged, his eyes beaming with fire, disapproving of his son's choice. He returned to his desk and leaned back on the chair with his arms crossed.

With nothing else to say to one another, the room fell into silence. It took a while before the father talked again.

"Son, you are the most talented person amongst your peers!"

"Yet, WHY?!"

"Why have you chosen this paleontology instead of business?!" his father screamed at him at the top of his lungs.

"You've not only squandered my money but also my time!" his father exclaimed.

"Father, please," he begged, only for his pleas to be ignored.

"No! You're lost! You have no clue what you're doing!" his father bellowed at an even higher volume.

"I know what I want, father! I want to be among those who conserve!" No longer able to tolerate his father, he raised his voice.

"If you so wanted to be preserved, then be a pickle!" his father yelled until his breath ran out.

"That's—what I want to do is conserve, father!" In reaction to his father's ignorance, he screamed, "Not to be preserved!"

After a heated argument between the two of them, the room fell into silence as they collected their breaths.

"Fine, alright. What exactly is this paleontology thing?" His father leaned back on his desk with his notebook and pen out.

He sat down on a nearby chair and began explaining to his father. "It's the study of prehistoric creatures," he explained as he swung his arm around, trying to explain it better.

As he continued to describe paleontology, a smile formed as he mentioned, "including dinosaurs." But his smile didn't last long.

"Dinosaurs?! Son, we are collectors! Not those dull academics!" His father took a deep breath before retorting.

"Father, what do you think would happen to the world if there were no academics? The world would not function as it is now!" he pointed out.

His father was baffled by what he just said. His father assumed his position and then rested his head on his left palm.

As the conversation continued, his father quietly sat and took notes along the way.

With his father's initial resistance waning, he leaned back, casting a troubled look with his furrowed brows and copper-like pupils.

With uncertainty in his mind, he remained resolute. His father, on the other hand, displayed an array of emotions, such as anger and disappointment.

"Father, please. Just let me do this one thing," he groaned as he rubbed his unruly black hair.

"No!" His father remains obsolete. "I've done everything I could to get you this far! You are destined to grow our empire!" His father reacted even more fiercely than before.

Veins popped out of his forehead as he screamed out, "At the cost of my wellbeing?!" He clenched his fist in frustration.

The room once again felt devoid of air. They looked at each other. Their emotions were at their peak, and they were about to surge.

"Huh?" His father brushed the moment off.

Every day since childhood, he has never had a true friend. Those who stayed by his side were moved by his stature, not by his individuality.

"Your wealth is the reason for me not being able to make any genuine connections with others," he exclaimed, his voice trembling with sadness and frustration.

Although he said that, there was once a time when he had someone he could truly call a friend.

It was back when he just started elementary school, a time when he lived with his mother.

His now-deceased mother raised him as a single mother. His father hadn't come into his life at this point yet.

His mother enrolled him with tremendous effort, and he managed to attend a school near her workplace. It was convenient, as she could drop off and pick him up faster than his peers.

Even through the years, he can't forget her beautiful face. Engraved in his mind were her black, almond-shaped eyes and her round brows.

Before all the chaos happened in his life, he often reminisced about his mother. Especially when she embraced her warm smile.

Although she had a full-time job, her corporate contract wasn't of the highest caliber. Thankfully, it was just enough to support her growing son's needs.

At the cost of sacrificing her own needs, he faced little to no hardships in his early life.

Every day, he would play to no end, unaware of the struggles his mother had to endure.

When his mother would be at work, he would hang out with a girl named Anita.

She was his next-door neighbor and classmate. She was like a playful sister to him.

Both would often explore the neighborhood, climb trees, and create scenarios together. Their friendship remained strong throughout the time he was there.

Regardless of any opinion he had, he was always shut down by Anita's words. Anita would drag him along with her whims. Which reluctantly made them inseparable.

One day, Anita had another one of her whims. She wanted to see cows. The idea came after she had watched a television show about pastures.

"Hey!" Anita shouted from above the apartment's stairwell.

With a popsicle in his hand, he looked up with a puzzled look and muttered, "Hm?"

"I want to see some cows!" Anita declared as she waved around her arm.

"Turn on your television," he said mockingly.

Anita pouted in response and then shouted, "I mean, in the flesh!"

"Anita, we're in the city. Where are we going to see cows?" he responded.

Anita's immediate response was, "Bus."

"The bus?! We don't have enough money for the fare!" He scruffled his hair.

"Nuh, huh, I've got the money. I can cover yours too," Anita said, pointing at him.

"But—" he stammered.

Anita cut him off at his tracks, and her determination showed no remorse. "No buts! We are going there, and you are coming with me!"

"Hakuna Matata," she reassured him.

That day, two children ventured into the wilderness of the countryside. With the powerful force that is Anita, he had no choice but to come along as she purchased their bus tickets.

While the children were having fun by themselves at a ranch, their parents grew worried as the sunlight began to disappear.

With no signs of their children coming back, they went ahead and contacted the authorities. In the hope that they can help search for their missing children.

Minutes passed by, and Anita's mother's emotions erupted. "You're the one to blame for this! If it wasn't for your son, my sweet Anita would've been back right now!"

His mother had nothing to say except "I'm sorry" as she bowed her head down.

But when her head was facing the ground, a familiar figure appeared in front of her. It was her son holding the hand of Anita.

In light of this discovery, Anita's mother's anger turned into joy as she saw her daughter in front of her. She embraced Anita tightly, relieved to see her safe and sound.

Although her son was right in front of her, she continued bowing down repeatedly to Anita's mother, saying how sorry she was.

He witnessed the scene with a confused look plastered on his face. He approached his mother and held her hand tight.

"Mom, what are you doing? He said this as he looked up at her closed, almond-shaped eyes.

"Hmph! Never let him near us ever again!" Anita's mother declared with a puffed-up chest.

Her words hung high, as they were filled with anger. It left him bewildered, as he felt that nothing serious had happened. At that time, he didn't know what made Anita's mother so full of anger and resentment.

The next day, Anita's father got a brand new, higher-paying job. With a swift decision, they decided to relocate to the inner part of the city, where the wealthy lived. He had never seen Anita since.

If losing his close friend wasn't enough, another tragedy transpired not long after the incident happened.

On his twelfth birthday, before he went to school, his mother had promised to take him out to dinner at his favorite restaurant.

Yet tragedy struck as he was on his way back home from school. He heard an ambulance with its siren blaring, going in the direction of his home.

Worried, he ran as fast as he could back to his home, even sacrificing his precious backpack given to school.

When he got back, he found his mother's face covered in a thin veil. Shocked, he asked a nearby paramedic what happened to his mother.

"Mother? Ah, I'm sorry, kid. It seems like a hit-and-run," said the paramedic.

"Please, save her!" he begged, tears running down his face.

"We will, kid, don't worry," said the paramedic while scruffling his hair.

"Don't make empty promises," said another paramedic from afar.

Alas, it was an empty promise. They couldn't save her, and she passed away in the surgery room. Before he had the chance to grieve, his father appeared and swooped him away.

With nothing going on in his life, he buried himself in books. He found solace in these books, especially those about history.

From then on, nothing mattered to him. Whether it is his social life or his relationship with others,.

After his fierce argument with his father, he returned home to his apartment, which he bought with money he gathered through his journalism.

Once inside, he opened his brand-new closet door and let out a deep sigh.

Without prior notice, a soft voice spoke behind him: "You'll do."

Before he could react, he was forcefully shoved into the closet. With no other choice, he tucked himself in, hoping that something would stop him.