Anyone who has grown up in a home filled with volatility and sinister secrets or who has seen it will agree that child abuse is wrong and repulsive. In this story, a preteen undergoes the struggle of wanting to come clean about her abusive parents b...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Achilles and I were still hanging out at the same location five days later. My illness was a little bit better. Yesterday, the pharmacy employee discovered us on the sidewalk. He observed that I had a severe cough and was ill. He went outside and crossed the street to give me some cough medicine when it was almost dusk that day. It was the grape-flavored mix, and I was grateful that he had given me something to prevent me from passing out. Normally, passing out on the streets wouldn't be noticed by anyone. I encountered some people who are keeping me busy.
People here have been so kind to me. Achilles has been preaching to me about how sincerely religious he was; his granddaughter used to accompany him on Sundays to church. He recalled his first baptism as a young child. He had the impression that he was free of all the negative emotions that had been bothering him. It's amusing that he has a vague idea of what his Kalani looks like. I can't judge because I'm so intrigued by it.
What are you thinking about? Achilles asks.
"I'm still looking for my parents; they're out here somewhere."
"I'm entirely confident you'll find them."
I agreed by nodding. "Me too."
I spotted some people walking to the food stand, where they were enjoying free hot soup and coffee. This is my opportunity to obtain some for myself and Achilles.
"The customers were providing soup, and they also have coffee."
"That's fantastic; let's go." Achilles gets his stick and follows me.
The woman turned to look at Achilles as we waited in line to order soup. She seemed to have never encountered a blind man before, so she was anxious about him. Her expression disgusted me with its look of disgust. She had her blonde hair up in a bun and was dressed in a floral dress. I couldn't help but wonder what had caused her to feel so repulsed. Perhaps she had just witnessed something unpleasant or was simply having a bad day.
"Excuse me, miss."
Achilles is trying to encourage me to remain silent. "Don't stress over it."
"I'm sorry, but I have no choice." In order to address the woman, I went back to the line. "I'm not trying to be obnoxious or anything. But don't make remarks that are offensive to my friend."
