40- The Secret
"Bunny, I think you just gave him a heart attack," Mei whispers to Shu. They were staring at Ta, who stood frozen in shock.
"What did I do?" Shu asks.
"You just claimed that Uncle Zee is your father," Mei reminds her.
"Ah... That's true, right? What's the shocking part anyway?" Shu is still confused.
Mei softly smacks her forehead. Shu whines in pain and immediately glances at Mei with sharp side eyes.
"Your joke is not funny..."
"Am I joking right now?"
Bear watches these two girls fighting like there is no tomorrow. He realizes that, by now, maybe he's the only one who is still sane and wide awake.
Even he can't count on his boyfriend now!
"Excuse me, but I think we should take things one by one, slowly and clearly. Shall we?" Bear's voice resonates around the room.
Everyone falls into a deep silence.
Bear is ready to take over the situation. First, he taps Ta's shoulder to make sure he's awake. After checking on his boyfriend, he hands two chairs to Mei and Shu. Then, when everything is settled, he grabs a chair and sits, facing Mei and Shu.
"So, we did introduced ourselves. The reason why we're here is... I don't know why my boyfriend has turned into a nosy aunt, but according to him, he picked his friend up twice in this area, specifically around this kindergarten," Bear explains.
"Let me guess... Your friend's name is Zee, right?" asks Mei.
Ta and Bear nod. They exchange looks and simultaneously gaze at Mei.
"So, you two are boyfriends?" Shu suddenly asks. Ta glances at Bear, waiting for him to answer.
"Err..."
"Bunny, he mentioned that a few times already..."
"Oh, I thought he was joking. I mean, they look kind of like brothers. They look alike," Shu smiles at them. "You know, old folks say you're soulmates when you almost look identical to each other," she continues.
"Is she okay with that?" Ta asks Mei. Shu grins widely, flipping her hair and gazing at Mei.
"Sir, I've been raised by a yaoi girl. What did you expect..."
Mei playfully smacks Shu's lap for exposing her.
"Let's get back on track, shall we?" asks Bear. Both girls grin widely at him.
"What do you want to know?" asks Mei.
Ta and Bear look at each other. Slowly, Ta scoots forward, leaning a bit closer to the group as if they're talking about something secretive.
"I've known Zee for almost three years now. I know where he goes most of the time. But not once did he mention this area until he called me to pick him up several times here. And each time, he asked me to pick him up at this very kindergarten," says Ta.
Mei sighs. She glares at Shu, who turns her head back and forth between Ta and her.
"Bunny, would you mind showing this gentleman around?" Mei asks Shu. The little one slowly nods. She looks at Bear and sticks out her tiny hand to him.
"Come... Let the adults talk..."
Bear giggles as he nods and grabs her hand. Shu ushers him outside, leaving Mei and Ta alone in the room.
"That girl... She's sassy. Not to mention how calm she is, like she blends so well with everything. No judgment, nothing..." Ta shakes his head in disbelief.
"I might get scolded by her later but anyway, that's how she was brought up," Mei sneers. Ta eventually laughs in tiny.
"Now, let's talk about Zee.." Mei suggests.
***
"Zee is here for his social work."
"Does Shu know about it?"
"Why are you asking?"
"Because you chased her out like that..."
Mei smiles. She slowly rises from her seat and walks out of the room. After some time, she returns with a black file and hands it to Ta.
"Shu knows about the social work, but she has no idea that Zee is actually serving community service as per a court verdict," says Mei.
Ta checks the information in the file. He frowns as he reads the paragraphs, one by one, trying to digest what was really happening to Zee.
"Zee was part of a group of boys who were runaways called The Lost Boys. They ran from home and lived on their own around the area. They were quite outspoken and menacing, not to mention daredevil enough to fight the police and even the government," Mei calmly explains.
"I thought it was a rumor!"
"Well, some people still think it's just an urban tale—a way to encourage people to stand up for themselves and be brave. The group has been an idol for teenagers. That's how big they were," Mei says as Ta takes out a picture from the file. He sees a younger version of Zee, looking very different in the picture.
"However, when things got out of the adults' supervision, they tended to go off course, and eventually, they fell into darkness..."
Ta reads the next document. Lines of sentences from the police force and even the juvenile court detail Zee's criminal records, most involving violence and extreme actions.
"One day, his friend hastily came to Zee while he was visiting someone. The boy had been caught stealing money from a drug dealer he worked for, and the gang was hunting him. While trying to escape, both of Zee's friends got shot, leaving him as a key witness to the case," says Mei.
"How did he survive the attack?"
Mei smiles.
"Zee is a bright kid. He knew he couldn't save himself for sure, so he had already planned his escape route. He directed himself and his friend to a specific police station where he knew someone he could trust. But before they could arrive, his friend got shot in front of him. That's when the police heard the gunshots and ran to save Zee."
Ta keeps staring at Zee's picture. His friend had been keeping a dark secret behind those charismatic and calm features. He had been hurt and lived in worse conditions before. His youth days were not as beautiful as a normal teenager's.
"He wasn't charged for that incident; instead, he eventually volunteered to stand as a witness. However, he was guilty of conspiring with illegal activities, including drug dealing. For that, he was sentenced to community service by the court," Mei continues.
"So, you're telling me he's been doing his service at this kindergarten since then?" Ta asks.
"No. He was doing his service at a primary school near the campus before he recently changed the location to our kindergarten," Mei says, handing a photo album to Ta. It was from the previous school where Zee volunteered.
"His sentence isn't that long, is it?"
"It's quite short of time, but, he only got a chance to fulfill the service two years after he was convicted. Before that, he was excused by the court because he was taking care of his bedridden mother, who had cancer, while also being busy with his studies," Mei continues.
"His mother died when he was still a freshman..."
"Yeah. After that, he started doing his service."
"You seem to know a lot about him. Are you two somehow connected? Are you his ex-?"
"As the headmaster of this kindergarten, I needed to check his background before allowing him to join us, even as a social worker," Mei answers in a professional tone.
But Ta's intuition tells him there's more to the story.
"I'm not talking about professional terms. We both know that," Ta says, putting the file on the table. "You seem to know him all too well. The way you talk about him feels like you know what happened to him in the past," Ta says, staring deeply into Mei's eyes.
Mei smiles slightly, shakes her head, and lets out a heavy sigh.
"As someone who provides him a place to do community service, I can only provide you with this much information. Beyond that is not my business anymore. For now, I'm glad he's with us. So, there is nothing to be afraid of," says Mei.
Ta frowns, words stuck in his throat. He thinks for a moment before mustering the courage to ask.
"Perhaps... Has he ever mentioned someone named Pandora?"
Mei suddenly goes pale.