Chapter 4 Long Road To School Part 1

Chapter 4 Long Road To School Part 1 

  "I had a miserable life at school because of you!" 

  The words were stuck in my throat, burning like acid, yearning to be shouted at the shitty old man in front of me. For years, I had dreamed of this moment, of finally releasing the grudges I held against him. But now, faced with the reality of his presence, all I could feel was overwhelming fear. Fear of what he could do to me, fear of the memories that would come flooding back if I dared to speak.

  And why shouldn't I be afraid? That man had made my life a living hell, day after day, year after year. He had turned a blind eye to the bullying, the torment, the endless cruelty I had endured at school. He had never cared about the tears I cried, the bruises I hid, the scars that would never fade.

  But do you care how I get myself to that place? It's a very long road but I'm gonna tell you. It was also the first time I met him, the boy that changed my life.

  30 years ago, my old life. It was April 2012, and I was just a curious 7-year-old boy playing outside my house. As I ran around, I noticed two children who appeared to be my age walking by our backyard. I overheard their conversation and became intrigued.

"By the way, which school did you choose to attend?" the beautiful kid asked the normal girl.

"Oh, me? My parents enrolled me in a private school," replied by the seemingly energetic girl.

"Me too," said the beautiful kid.

"That's great! I hope we're in the same class," the normal girl said with a smile.

"Then, let's see each other there," the beautiful kid replied, returning the smile. "Yeah, let's go to school together!"

Their conversation piqued my interest, and I couldn't help but ask them about school.

"Excuse me, may I ask you what school is?" I said to them.

The beautiful kid and the normal girl exchanged a whispered conversation between themselves, and then the normal girl said, "Hey, isn't he the son of our Mayor?"

"Yeah, he probably is 'cause we're near the house of that shitty man," replied the beautiful kid.

"Why doesn't he know what school is if he is the son of our Mayor?" the normal girl wondered aloud.

"Maybe his father doesn't have time for him because he's more focused on corrupting the people's money," the beautiful kid said, her voice full of bitterness.

At the time, I didn't understand why the beautiful kid had such hatred for my father. But it wasn't until I went to school that I learned about the horrible things he had done to her family.

"Hey, what if he heard us?" the normal girl whispered to the beautiful kid.

"Uhm, have your parents told you about school?" the beautiful kid asked me.

I shook my head from left to right.

"Oh, I see. Then, school is where we, children, go. There, we'll be learning things like writing and reading. Teachers will teach us many things that will help us in the future. Also, in school, we can make friends because we'll have classmates who will study with us," the beautiful kid explained.

"Where do I find the school?" I asked, eager to learn more.

"We have two schools in our town, one private and the other public," the normal girl said.

"What's the difference between those two schools?" I inquired.

"The private school is for those who have a lot of money. They have very advanced facilities and their teaching is also very good. While the public school is for those who don't have that much money. Their facilities are good, but not as advanced as the private school, and their teaching is pretty normal," the beautiful kid answered.

"Oh, I understand now. Thank you very much!" I said, as they turned and left.

  When I entered our house, I asked my mom. "Mom, can I go to school?" She didn't answer.

After that, I asked my father. "Dad, may I go to school?" My father clicked his tongue and ordered his driver. "Get rid of that kid out of my room. Now! You know what to do." "Yes, sir, Mr. Mayor." the driver said

And the driver leads me towards the door. While I looked disappointed, the driver asked me. "Do you want to go to school?" I said yes. "Then tomorrow, after I take your father to his office, I will take you to school if it's fine with you." Out of excitement, I immediately accepted his offer. Then tomorrow came, and he picked me up from our house after dropping my dad to his office. "Hop in the car; we will go to school," the driver said, and so I did.

While he was driving, I asked him a question. "What do you think of school?" and the only thing he said was, "That's the place you should be right now." He kept driving.

But something bothered me. Our town is surrounded by a river, and our city is connected to other cities by a bridge. When you cross the bridge, you are in another city. But as I remember our town has its own private and public school, so why do we have to cross another city if we have schools already in town?

As the car ran, the number of buildings and people lessened, then our vehicle stopped. I asked the driver. "Why did we stop? Are we at school yet?" the driver replied. "No, our car has malfunctioned. I guess it's a mechanical problem." Then he checked the car's engine and said, "As I expected." Then he called me. "Justin! Can you go outside? I need your help." And I left the car.

The driver then called out to me, "Justin! Can you go outside? I need your help." Without hesitation, I stepped out of the car and asked, "What can I do for you, Mr. Driver?" He pointed towards the road ahead and said, "If you walk straight ahead along this road, you will see a mechanic shop. Ask them that we need a tow truck because our car malfunctioned. I'll stay here cause I need to contact your father and tell him that his car needs repair. You got it?"

  I nodded and started to walk ahead.I walked farther and farther away until I could no longer see the car. The sun was beginning to set, casting an orange glow over the deserted road. I could see the shadows of the trees stretching out in front of me, and the tall grass swaying in the breeze. The only sound was the crunching of gravel under my feet.

  The darkness slowly enveloped me, and I could barely see the road in front of me. I was beginning to feel tired, my feet ached and my stomach grumbled with hunger. I couldn't help but wonder where I was, and if the driver was still waiting for me. But despite my doubts and fears, I kept moving forward, determined to find the mechanic shop and get help for our stranded car.

  After a long and tiring walk, my body gave up, and I fainted.

  As I lay there, unconscious, my mind drifted away to a place of darkness and cold. The coldness seeped into my bones, and I felt as if I were being consumed by it. The darkness was so thick that I couldn't see a thing, and it felt as if I were lost in an endless abyss. My thoughts became muddled, and I couldn't distinguish reality from imagination. I couldn't help but feel a sense of hopelessness wash over me as I lay there, alone and lost in the darkness. 

"It's so dark…and cold. Please, somebody, please find me…" I silently pleaded in my mind, as I lay there, feeling the coldness and darkness closing in on me.

"I found you."

CHAPTER 4 -END-

To be continued.