The Gift(2)

I got home at dawn and the first thing I did was to hide my new gear. I just put it in the closet for now because I didn't have any good hiding spots. For all my preparation I didn't look for a place to hide my illegal weapons.

I went to take a shower because I stank of alcohol. While I was in there I heard Naomi knocking at the door. I panicked I was still tipsy and I did want her to find out because this could bring to some dangerous questions so I tried my best to sound as sober as possible.

"Yes grandma what is it?"

"Ethan are you ok, it's quite early for you to be awake and why are you in the shower at this hour?"

"I'm ok, I just waked up from a nightmare and I came to take a shower to try to wash the feeling away."

"Oh, Ethan, try to get some shut-eye after you came out."

"Grandma I'm fine, a little hungry but that's it. Since I woke up so early after I get dressed I'll come to help you downstairs."

"Just don't push yourself too hard ok. You're doing already enough you don't need to burden yourself with so much adult stuff, your still a kid."

"This is the least I can do."

She left and after a few more minutes I came out of the shower and as always I looked in the mirror. It has become a routine of mine that every time I came from training to look in the mirror and see my progress. Normal people don't perceive the progress they made day by day but thanks to my memory I can watch my transformation like a slideshow, from the scrawny little kid to the young man in front of the mirror now. I think is because of the fact that I've been training since young like crazy my body is more developed than it should be. I'm now 1,80 meters tall, with long black hair that I usually had loosely caught in a ponytail behind my back. I didn't have much facial hair, I had a beginning of a mustache but I usually cut it when it starts to show itself. The tiny body I had back then transformed itself into a slime muscular one. I wasn't buff and if you looked at me with my clothes on I seemed pretty average, a little buff than a normal person but nothing else. This fact was further enhanced by the fact that I liked to wear loose clothes. Although I was a little disappointed I couldn't really complain, because if I had too much mass on me I would start to get slow and the most important thing in a fight is speed, usually the person who strikes first wins. All in all, I was very proud of how my body turned out.

I came downstairs to have breakfast with granny.

"So your birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks and I was wondering if you wanted something special."

"Not really, I don't really have anything specific in mind. I have all the things I need and thanks to the stuff I make with mister Li I have a pretty large amount of money saved so if I ever need something I can just buy it. The fact that you've taken care of me for almost fourteen years is the greatest gift I could ever wish for."

"No, I'm serious Ethan, your birthday is supposed to be a special occasion once a year when you get what you want, and ever since you could talk and get out of the house you've been able to get money on your own, and don't try to lie to me because I know for a fact that you started to sell your drawing when you were like three. Since then you didn't ask me for anything you even started to buy me presents, very expensive ones at that. I feel that I failed as a parent since I could never give you something you truly wanted for your birthday and all the presents you give me are so great."

"Granny, don't say that! You're a great parent! You taught me the most important life lesson, how to be a good person, and that's all I'll ever need. Besides birthdays are overrated, there are a million other holidays when I get presents what's the big deal. So what if I buy expensive presents, money comes and goes but family is forever"

"Sweetheart, I'm not saying that I dislike the fact that you give me gifts. I just feel that I didn't do enough as a parent because ever since you were young you helped in the shop, you helped me with the repairs and when something broke you would buy a replacement for it with your own money. You even put more money in the bedroom drawer when you see they are running low. Don't try to lie although I'm old I'm not old enough that I forgot how to count. You've taken care of this place just as much as me, maybe even more."

"Grandma I'm just worried about this place, about you, I know how much this place means to you so I try to keep it as good as possible for you."

"That's the problem! Those are things for adults to worry about, not for kids. You've been behaving like an adult for such a long time and that makes me think I failed you, that because of me you had to grow up faster, because I wasn't good enough you didn't get to have a normal childhood and you had to grow up to take the responsibility of raising you off my shoulders."

She nearly started to cry and guilt came and hit me like a tidal wave.

"Granny if you want to give me a gift how about for starters we hold a party where I can invite my friends and have lots of food and fun."

"Ok..."