Chương 17: Chapter 17
Gabril smiled at Teresa and sat next to the girl.
"Mister," Teresa still looked shocked.
"Shh…"
"From now on, you have to call me Gabril, no matter where we are, whether at home or outside," he said, smiling. "And one more thing, don't speak formally."
"But this is a public van."
"So? It's public transportation, so I'm allowed to ride too, right?" he replied with a smile, glancing at the van with a slightly disgusted look.
"Are you sure it's okay?" Teresa asked again, trying to confirm.
The van suddenly stopped abruptly, and Gabril almost tumbled forward, but fortunately, Teresa quickly caught him.
"Careful."
Gabril smiled at Teresa, feeling embarrassed. This was his first time riding a van. He had never used public transportation before, and he wasn't even allowed to.
A few more people got into the van. What was initially just Teresa and Gabril soon turned into a crowded space. Gabril was squeezed by the people around him. A large man sat next to him.
"Gabril, your bag," Teresa told him to put the bag on his lap.
Gabril's expression changed immediately, looking uncomfortable being there. It was very odd for him to be cramped in public transportation with others.
The van drove recklessly, causing jostling inside. Gabril was tossed around and had to hold his breath because the man next to him smelled bad. His face turned red as he tried to hold back dizziness and nausea. Luckily, the man got off soon, and the van gradually emptied.
"Wh-where do we get off?" Gabril asked Teresa.
"Up front," Teresa replied.
Teresa noticed Gabril holding his mouth. "Are you okay?" she asked, slightly panicked.
Gabril signaled that he was fine, even though his stomach was churning, and he couldn't stand it.
"Stop here, sir," Teresa tapped the van ceiling, and it stopped. They both got out, and Gabril handed Teresa a hundred thousand bill to pay the fare. He rushed out and retched on the sidewalk.
Teresa hurried over to Gabril and saw him crouching, feeling nauseous.
"Gabril," Teresa panicked, seeing him like that.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Gabril stood up, his eyes red.
"But why did you even decide to get in?" Teresa asked as she took a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped Gabril's lips with it. They stared at each other, and Teresa's hand stopped as she gazed at Gabril.
"Uh…" Teresa snapped out of it and handed the handkerchief for Gabril to wipe his lips himself.
Teresa took out her phone and checked the map Amel had sent. They only needed to walk into the housing complex ahead.
"Let's go," Teresa invited.
They walked together toward the housing complex. The houses were as large as the ones in their own neighborhood, but here, all the houses looked the same. This confused Teresa.
"Is it still far?" Gabril asked.
"It shouldn't be, but which house is it? They all look the same," Teresa replied.
They kept walking until they reached the final point on the map. "This might be it."
*Honk honk!*
A car stopped next to them, the window rolled down, and they saw Joan.
"Why are you walking?" Joan asked.
"Yeah, we took a ride. Which one's Amel's house?"
"Get in."
The two of them got into the car. Joan and Amel were classmates, and they were quite close, so Joan knew where Amel's house was.
"This is her house, but the map didn't show this one," Teresa grumbled.
The car stopped at one of the houses on the main road. They got out, and Amel came out of her house.
"Whoa, did you guys come together?" Amel asked. Her eyes squinted at Gabril. "Bril, are you okay? Your face looks so red," she asked.
"Yeah, are you alright?" Joan added.
"I'm fine," he answered.
******
******
Kenzo sat alone in his room, staring at the book on his desk, illuminated by his study lamp. His days were filled with studying, nothing but studying.
*Crash!*
The sound of breaking plates echoed from outside his room, followed by shouting and screams from his parents. Kenzo grabbed his headset and put it on, cranking up the volume to drown out the noise outside. He was utterly fed up with both of them, but he couldn't do anything about it since both his parents were equally selfish.
"Kaka!" Kevin ran in, crying as he rushed toward Kenzo. Kenzo hugged his little brother, trying to comfort him.
"Kaka, Mama and Papa are fighting again. Kevin is scared," his little brother sobbed.
Kenzo picked him up and put the headset on Kevin's ears. He felt deep sorrow that at such a young age, his little brother had to witness something no child should ever see.
Kenzo took Kevin to the balcony of his room, showing him the gloomy night sky. Thankfully, there was still a tiny star shining above, decorating the night sky.
"Look, Kevin, that's your star," Kenzo pointed to a small star above.
"And that big one is Kaka, right?" Kevin pointed to the moon above.
Kenzo smiled and nodded. He told his brother to wait while he fetched his telescope and aimed it at the sky.
"Come here, Kevin," Kenzo invited Kevin to look at the moon up close through the telescope that night.
"Kaka, Kevin wants to go there!" Kevin excitedly exclaimed, laughing as he gazed at the night sky.
Seeing Kevin reminded Kenzo of his own childhood. He had always loved the sky and the moon, always dreaming of going to the moon and meeting the goddess of the night. That's why Kenzo became so diligent in his studies and aspired to work for NASA and become an astronaut.
Kenzo smiled and then aimed the telescope at Kevin's star.
He sighed, staring up at the night sky. He felt exhausted with his family life. His family was a mess—his parents both cheated and constantly attacked each other. They refused to separate and wouldn't back down. Daily arguments were a routine, and Kenzo had grown used to it.
Kenzo tucked his little brother into bed, covering him with a blanket and kissing his forehead. He then left his room and saw that the house was in a state of chaos.
Kenzo quietly cleaned up, his heart aching as he gathered the shards of broken glass from the floor. His face showed the sadness he felt inside, but he never allowed himself to express it, bottling it all up.
His father emerged from his room and saw Kenzo. He merely glanced at him and left without saying a word. Kenzo also looked at him with a sorrowful expression. His father didn't greet him or offer any help.
Slowly but surely, everything was cleaned and tidy again. Kenzo threw the glass shards away in the backyard, burying them.
*Sigh*
Kenzo exhaled deeply after finishing everything, then returned to his room.
...
Morning came, and Kenzo walked to the dining table, greeted by the housemaid.
"Forgive me, Sir. I came late today, so I could only make this," Mbok Sri offered him a plate of fried rice for breakfast.
"That's okay, Mbok. Thank you."
Mbok Sri had been working for Kenzo's family for years, taking care of him and his brother since they were little. Unfortunately, she didn't live with them, only coming in the morning and leaving after preparing dinner.
"Eat plenty, Sir."
"Kaka!" Kevin ran to Kenzo at the dining table, eating breakfast together as Mbok Sri fed him.
"Why aren't Mama and Papa eating with us again?" Kevin asked sadly. The little boy missed the family moments they used to share.
Kenzo felt a deep sadness hearing that, his eyes welling up, though he couldn't let the tears fall.
"Kaka, can Kevin go to school with you today?" Kevin asked.
Kenzo nodded. "But you have to finish your food first."
"Hooray!" Kevin looked so happy.
After breakfast, they both headed to school. Kenzo carried his brother into the car and fastened his seatbelt.
The car drove out of the house and headed toward Kevin's school.
"Kaka Tereeeee!" Kevin suddenly rolled down the window and yelled at Teresa, who was walking along the street.
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