บท 23: Reaction
"Where have you ever seen someone lay an egg?" he thought as he tossed and turned in the small bed, the only one in that little house and the only one available to him. It was already hard to believe the news he read one day, that a rooster had laid an egg. It was incredible, since a rooster is a male animal, but for a man to lay an egg was simply unbelievable; yet it had happened... And the worst part was that it had happened to him.
Lowo N'air felt so embarrassed by this situation that he didn't have the courage to tell his friend Sorriso. What would his friend think, after all? He then carefully got up so as not to step on his friend, who was lying on the floor on top of some old blankets, and went to the corner where he had hidden the egg.
It wasn't imagination. There was the egg he had laid, as real as his earthly existence. For Lowo N'air, that night had been long, almost endless. With deep-set eyes from insomnia, he got up and began to change clothes slowly.
"Good morning, Lowo N'air. It's good you woke up. Yesterday was Monday, and you rested well staying at home. Today is Tuesday. Are you ready to look for a job with me?"
Lowo N'air nodded yes, and soon the two were having coffee and eating some eggs. Afterward, they would head out to look for a job. Lowo N'air's luck, however, remained the same; no one accepted him for work anywhere. He tried the neighborhood grocery store, the modest bakery, the diner, the butcher shop, and the tire repair shop. It was as if he had something on his face that made people unwilling to accept him.
"Don't worry, Lowo N'air. This is just a phase, and soon you will be working. Go back home, and I will do my errands. We'll talk in the evening."
With a sad and downcast look, Lowo agreed and had taken only a few steps when he bumped into a young man who was part of a group of troublemakers from the area. Unfortunately, there wasn't even time for Lowo N'air to apologize, as before he could open his mouth, he was tripped and, as soon as he hit the ground, started being kicked mercilessly.
Sorriso saw that scene and ran to rescue his friend. He didn't even think that he could end up with the same fate as Lowo N'air, and, running with determination, delivered a flying kick to Lowo N'air's attacker, who fell heavily to the ground. The group of troublemakers was made up of boys aged 15 to 17, all strong and healthy. Used to easy prey, they had no idea what the young Sorriso was capable of doing to defend his only friend.
The others watched, unsure of what to do, until one of them reacted and aggressively advanced on Sorriso, who gave him a trip and knocked him to the ground on top of his still downed companion. The other four observed whether there was a way to win that fight easily. After all, they were in greater numbers and decided to all attack Sorriso at once, who defended himself as best as he could, but was outnumbered. Sorriso took numerous blows until he could no longer bear it, yielding to the pain and exhaustion and falling to the ground.
One of the young men came and stepped on his head, delivering a verdict:
"Don't mess with us, man! You don't know what we're capable of."
The sentence wasn't punctuated because Lowo N'air had found a piece of rotten wood and had no doubts about defending his friend. The young man who was hit by the piece of wood fell unconscious, and the piece of wood in Lowo N'air's hand broke. But he decided not to let go of it and would never abandon his only friend, Sorriso. Feeling confident, Lowo N'air threatened:
"You're a bunch of cowards. If you think he's alone, you're completely mistaken. Mess with my friend, and you'll see what I'm capable of."
Sorriso got up and advanced toward the others, who were puzzled. After all, there were already three of them on the ground, and even though it was three against two, they obviously noticed that Sorriso was good at fighting.
"You got lucky this time, but next time we meet, you won't have the same luck. And you, Sorriso, we will still find you alone. Remember, we never bothered you, and you should have done the same, stayed out of our way. You'll see how bad it is to have enmity with us."
"If you want to settle the score, come now, you three."
Lowo N'air threatened, feeling strong.
"Forget it, Lowo N'air. We need to make money, not start fights."
"Hey, Sorriso, I saw you were with your friend looking for a job for him. Forget about it, man. All of us here are children of the neighborhood's merchants, and we'll do everything to tarnish your image. So even your service won't exist anymore. Let this be a lesson to you not to mess with the merchant's children."
Ignoring what he heard, Sorriso advised Lowo N'air to take another route home while he continued to earn his honest money with his dedicated service. Lowo N'air was more than sad and, now back in the little house he shared with his friend, walked slowly, thinking about what the future might hold for him.
After walking for a few minutes, absorbed in his thoughts, he barely noticed when a child came out of a store and crossed the street without realizing that a car was coming at high speed and was likely to hit the child. At that moment, his thoughts paused, and his body acted as if propelled by the desire to save that child. He ran, more than he would have, though he was obviously still weak from the numerous experiences he had gone through in the laboratory. Still, he managed to develop good speed and, in an incredible leap, snatched the child from in front of the out-of-control vehicle. With the child in his arms, he rolled to the side, avoiding the fatal accident that could have happened.
After the near-accident, the car skidded a few more meters before crashing into a pole. From inside, a concerned driver, rubbing his hands on his head, approached the young Lowo N'air.
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