That Unusual Coin (VII)

'This coin seems like it's worth nothing,' the child thought as he walked away from on the school on the snowy road. He walked and walked for hours, making his stomach grumble for food. Who wouldn't be hungry on a winter night when you pass by restaurants and bakeries that provided not only food but also warmth?

He stumbles into the ground. His legs were shaking as his mouth breathed out frozen crystals from the very low temperatures. 'I can't feel my legs,' he thought. He crawled with his arms, groping on the cold cement, powdered by the snow. It wasn't long 'til he passed out.

"You're awake," A man says. The child wakes up in front of a fireplace. His eyes moved upwards and saw a chandelier, hanging from the cream ceiling. "W-Where am I?" he asks. "In my home," the man answers, "You passed out right in front of my gate. What are you doing in this winter night? Where are your parents?"

The child looked at his body to see a fur-like blanket on him. "I don't have parents anymore. My father died and my mother ran away with my sister, leaving me alone," he answered, tears were streaming down his face. The man's eyes widened, "What?! How could your mother do that to you?!" The tension in the room seemed high. The man breathed deeply to keep his composure before saying, "Do you have a place to go to? It seemed like you were going somewhere when I saw you."

The child shook his head, "I was only wandering around, Sir. No place in mind." The man went to his kitchen as the child sat up the sofa. "Drink this. It's hot chocolate," the man offered. "Thank you sir." The child held the hot mug and slurped the drink. The warm liquid crawled down his esophagus giving him a sense of comfort. "Sir, why are you alone in this place? I-Is there anyone else around here?" The man turned around, "That's not for you to know, kid."

"S-Sorry," he apologized. The boy glanced at the shelves behind the sofa. There were… coins. "Sir, why are there many coins in your shelf?" He keep staring at the organized coins, each labeled with a small paper beside it. "I'm a collector. It's a hobby of mine. Don't try to take any of those. It's not worth anything." The child thought, 'Not worth anything? Like this shabby old coin that the student gave me.'

"Stay here, kid. I'm going to call a foster home for you," the man says. "W-Wait, sir. I don't want to go to a foster home. Please do not send me away," the child begs. "It's not safe for you to be wandering around the streets. You're too young, you can't live by yourself. People will only mock you, laugh at you out there."

"Please just let me live here, Sir," the child pleads. "This house is always empty. I'm always not around. If I let you live here, no one is going to take care of you," the man responds. "Sir, I can live here by myself. I'll learn how to cook, how to wash my clothes, how to take a bath, everything. Sir, please," he didn't gave up begging.

"Are you sure about that?" the man asks, an eyebrow raised. The child nods with his eyes closed shut. "Okay, then. Live here. But do not destroy the place. There's nothing to rob here anyways," the man shrugs. "Thank you, Sir," the child thanked him, "Sir, here's a coin for you." He lends out that unusual looking coin that the student gave him for his painting.

The man grabbed the coin and looked at it closely. "This is… something rare… how did you get this?" He asks upon examining the coin. "I sold my paintings on the street and a kid gave it to me as payment." The man suddenly gasps, "This is the last coin I've been looking for!" He runs to his shelf and places the coin on a blank spot in the aisle of coins. "Wait, really?" the child asks.

"Yes!" the man answers, hugging the child. "Finally my collection is complete. Thank you… what's your name, again?" the man asks. "Oh, umm," the child tries to recall for it has been long since someone asked for his name, "I'm Jeiro." The man laughs, "Jeiro, if you want to live here, be sure to dust the coins regularly, walk my dog every weekend and you'll have to go to school."

"Of course, Sir! I always wanted to attend school!" the child says. "Call me father," the man responds. The child nods, "Yes, father."

2 years later.

"Hands off the coins please," Jeiro says as he warns the tourists. 'Gosh I really hate people,' he thought. "Attention everyone," his father arrives, "I'd like to say that public viewing of the coin collection is suspended for today. It's father's day and me and my son are going to be bonding." The crowd frowned and left their house one by one. "Hello, father," Jeiro greeted.

"Son, here, I have pizza and everything. I also have coke. Help me prepare," he helped out his father by bringing some of the stuff he was holding to the kitchen. "Father, I thought you have a meeting at Singapore today? Why are you back already?" Jeiro rolls his eyes. "Oh, son, it's father's day. C'mon, we do this every year, right?" Jeiro rolls his eyes once more while taking a bite on a pizza slice.

"Why don't you invite Kyle and Allison over?" His father offers. "I think they'll be celebrating their fathers' day as well. Plus, they're idiots; they'll be lost in our hallways." His father smacks his hand. "Ouch," he whines. "I told you that it's not good to call your friends like that, Jeiro, right?" He says. "Yes, father," he exhales deeply. "By the way, at what University are you attending again?"

"Stardelle, father," Jeiro answers while pouring softdrinks at a glass. "Hey, as much as I'd want for you to study in Stardelle, I can't afford that." Jeiro raises a brow, "Ohh, says someone who owns this huge mansion, twelve cars, a toy company, and a coin collection worth millions." His father giggles slightly. "Anyways, don't bother about tuition. I got a scholarship because of my art skills." His father nods his head with a smile, "That's my son. Very good. You'll be a good CEO someday."