章 2: Disappointment
"Did you get the job?", Ryan immediately asked his son as soon as he entered the house.
"No", Riz replied with a flat tone while looking at his fifty-year-old father.
Although his father has entered his fifties, he looks most like he is in his late thirties.
"I see", Ryan gives a short reply as if he is already giving up on his son. It has been a year and yet Riz didn't manage to land a job.
Of course, Riz notices this. He is an introvert after all. The introvert strong point is not their communication skill but it lies in their observation.
He may not be a social type of person but that doesn't mean he is blind.
He is good when it comes to observing people's habits, movements, gestures, intonation and facial expressions. The longer he spends time with someone, the better his understanding of that person.
Riz has been doing it since he was a child. Many teachers and parents try their best to change their children to become an extrovert, forcing them to socialize as if it is what a "normal" person does. Riz is proud of his introverted nature. For him, the loosest part of the human body is the mouth.
The more you talk, the more you are telling people about yourself. He doesn't believe that people will simply ignore what they hear.
During his high school days, he was inclined to sit at the corner of the classroom and watch people.
He rarely opens his mouth unless he has to.
Furthermore, words are the most dangerous weapon that can hurt others unknowingly, even though the words you state are true.
He wasn't always like this, but when he was an elementary student, he was hated by all his classmates.
'Nobody likes a bitter truth. Just feed them with sweet lies. Let their ears hear what they want to hear.' A conclusion that he made based on experience.
Without giving his son another thought, Ryan went to take a shower. He was tired and didn't feel like talking, especially since he and his son didn't share many interests.
Ryan likes football, sports cars and superbikes just like other normal adult men would.
Riz, on the other hand. has different interests such as buildings, animes and novels.
Seeing his father doesn't give a damn, Riz returns to his room and plugs his ear with an earphone. Listening to music might distract him for a while.
To be honest, he has never been close to his parents since he was a child.
Maybe it is because his parents were always busy with work that he grew up without feeling a need for parental love.
He starts to rely on himself more than others. He believes that whatever problem he faced, he needs to solve it himself.
No matter how many friends you have, you will always end up alone during your hardest time.
Friendship is a joke. In this era, people are often focused on their own interests, and it can be difficult to find someone who will truly prioritize helping others without any ulterior motives.
He simply can't fathom there are people who are willing to sacrifice themselves for others without getting anything in return. It is a stupid thing to do.
That's why he has few friends. They were merely there so he could find group members for any group project in school.
....
Ryan who is already at the dining table sits down and starts to eat while chatting with his wife.
"I met Fabian today". Ryan told his wife.
Fabian is Ryan's childhood friend. Both of them grew up together.
He is a successful engineer and businessman.
Although both of them have different careers and wealth, it doesn't affect their friendship at all.
"How is he doing?". Rosana asked her husband.
"He's doing good as always. He got his second grandson last week." Ryan told his wife.
"Congratulations. That's good news indeed." Rosana can't help but feel happy about the news. She is reminiscing about the past. About how time has moved so fast just like any old people would do.
While thinking about it, Rosana thought of her jobless son.
Both of them are only a year different in age but her son is jobless while Felix has started his own company and already has his own family.
She sighs in her heart thinking about why her son is different from Fabian's son, Felix. "I can't describe with words how I envy Fabian to have such an excellent son. He married such a beautiful wife, while Felix himself is a successful young businessman. Now, he even got his first child. His life is perfect as everything is going well for him." She stops for a moment before asking her husband, "Did he tell you about his job interview?".
"He did. What a disappointment". Ryan replied to his wife. He was really ashamed when Fabian asked him about his son. It has already been a year since he graduated but his son is still jobless.
Ryan really has very high expectations of his only son.
This is maybe due to the fact that Ryan himself is putting his own ambitions on his son.
Ryan only studied until high school but that doesn't mean he is unqualified to further his studies.
He got an offer to further his study with a full scholarship but his situation at that time prevented him from doing so.
Perhaps due to this, he put so much hope in his son. Deep down in his heart, Ryan felt that his life would be better if he furthered his studies.
....
Riz is listening to music in his room but unfortunately overhears his parents' conversation.
He feels a little sad when he hears his father's words but that is it. He already grew numb about it.
As for crying, he even forgets when the last time he cried was. He just doesn't feel anything at all.
He knows very well that his father was surrounded by high-achieving people at the university.
They're talking about their children's occupations and achievements.
As a result, his father couldn't help but set high expectations for him too.
How ironic, he has been a good son for years. He achieved many academic awards every year from elementary until he graduated from high school.
He had just been jobless for a year and now he was called a disappointment. As if he never achieved anything in his entire life.
Indeed, the terms 'children' and 'investment' were only separated by a thin line.
It can easily be confusing.
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