Cradle of the Valiant (Duyan ng Magiting)

CH 2 - SYNCHRONICITY

He had been knocking for almost two minutes. He looked at the girl apologetically but she didn't seem to mind. He knows somebody is inside – he can hear them talking loudly.

He was about to turn around when the door was yanked open. A teenage boy peeked then irritably slammed the door shut again.

"My nephew..." he looked at the girl wanting to explain the rudeness that they witnessed but he gave up and gestured for her to follow inside.

She shook her head so he led her to a nearby chair on the porch and told her to wait a bit.

She nodded and he went inside.

"What was that?" He asked the teenage boy who opened the door.

"Dude, I opened the door," he insolently answered.

"Don't dude me, boy. You know what you did was rude. Somebody ought to teach you some manners!" He angrily stepped close to him and he shrank back.

"What's that, John?" His sister got between him and the boy.

"This bastard was rude to me, Annie." He tried going past her but she stepped even closer to him.

"Don't talk to him like that." She shot him a warning look.

"Yeah, dude. You are the one who is rude." He suddenly got his spine back now that mommy is here to stand up for him.

He gritted his teeth and took a deep breath.

"Watch it, boy. Your mom is not gonna be around forever."

"John!" She clearly took that the wrong way.

"No, Annie...I wasn't threatening him. I was just stating a fact. He has to learn how to treat others better because there will not always be someone there to coddle him."

"Then I will teach him to be strong so that he will not have to bow to anyone, ever." She planted her feet firmly as if expecting a fight.

"You are clearly taking this the wrong way but if that is how you wanna raise him, be my guest." His patience is really wearing thin now.

"I don't think you are in any position to lecture my mom, dude. Look at yourself!"

The brat is getting dangerously close to getting his smug face smacked hard.

John decided to let it go. He thought of the young girl waiting for him and decided that it was time to go.

He looked at his room and reflected on how scant his possessions are. Not that it matters. He just didn't find anything worth keeping.

He took some clothes and hurriedly stuffed it in the bag. The longer he stayed, the stronger the compulsion to leave. He couldn't wait to leave the single thin thread tying him to a shallow way of living.

Annie appeared in the doorway, arms crossed. He knew what that meant. He inwardly groaned.

"Where to, this time?" His sister doesn't really want to know.

"Truth is, you are not asking and I am not telling. Let's just leave it at that." He picked up the bag and made his way to the door. His sister did not budge.

"I suppose you are going to pay me back everything you owed before leaving?" Her tone was mildly insulting. She knows he can't.

"I will...just not today," he answered mildly enough but she seemed to take offense even in that.

"Oh...yeah. Because good things are just around the corner waiting for you, isn't that right?"

"What do you really want, Annie?"