Helpless

Part 3

The white drizzle in Almaty persisted for several days, and it was during this time that I encountered Malik again. Early in the morning, he was frolicking and playing in the puddles that formed after the rain had stopped.

- "Why did you wake up so early? Didn't you go back to sleep?" I asked.

- "I can't fall asleep... and I don't want to go home either," he replied.

- Unbelievable... How is it possible that such tender eyes bear the weight of wrinkles.

The child, who had been neglected for a long time, emitted a putrid odor. My heart suddenly tightened. "It seems that in the coming days, we need to have to forcibly hand this child over to an orphanage," that thought flashed through my mind once again.

He couldn't join the groups of children either. Whenever Malik approached them, they would run away from him, even mockingly shouting, "Alcoholic, alcoholic, this is the child of an alcoholic." Helplessly, this innocent child fell asleep while sitting.

When his mother regained consciousness and had the strength to pull down the hem of her skirt, she would sway and struggle to get up, making her way home with great difficulty. If she lacked enough strength, she would lie there for a long time. Passersby would occasionally hurl insults or even kick her. In his eyes, they blamed his mother, not Malik. One time, as a man uttered, "You shameless creature!" preparing to kick her, Malik grabbed his leg... However, the punches and kicks landed mercilessly on him, and he cried for a long time, sobbing... He couldn't understand why he and his mother had ended up like this, he felt bewildered and helpless. The child's crying was not because he had tasted the beatings of strangers but because of the bitter sting brought by the staff of destiny.

He was hungry, yearning for a steaming hot meal. Their neighbor, Arman's mother, was a kind auntie. On a few occasions, she had invited him into her home, gently caressing his forehead and saying, "Dear, it's not your fault... The one at fault is that disgraceful Aizhan. If only she had raised you properly and used the hard-earned money on you instead of wasting it on alcohol, you wouldn't have suffered like this." She scolded a little, and then she filled Malik's stomach. The thought of the taste of that meal made him involuntarily salivate.

And then, there was the grandma who often came with a black bag. She was the one who entered the neighbor's gate yesterday. Every time she visited, something good happens. She gave them some money, which was one of the good days. Such moments were like festivals for them. In his mother's words, "Your late father occasionally sends money from the other world". On that day, they would go to the market together. His mother would buy him the things he wanted. Of course, Malik would ask for candies and toys. However, he only remembered asking for something else once: "There's a hole in my shoe, and if I run, stones get inside". So, this was the first time since he could remember that he had actively requested to buy clothes. On the days when his mother was in a good mood, she would go to the market while still sober and bring home some food and items. And, of course, she never forgot to have a few drinks.

- "Don't buy it, Mom, don't buy it," Malik repeated several times and tried to snatch the bottle of alcohol from her hand, but he received a slap in return. After all, if she wanted to buy it, she would buy it and wouldn't listen to anyone. Let her buy it, just hoping to go home, drink, and sleep... His greatest wish was for no one to come to their house... Otherwise, during the last altercation with that tall uncle with yellow hair and the people around him, a bottle thrown at Malik shattered the television. Although that TV wasn't as clear as the one in Arman's house, the picture was still decent. Since then, he could no longer watch "cartoons" or "war" because they were too boring, and he could only play with empty bottles... Life still had to go on, and those who were still alive would continue living their lives... If there wasn't something world-shattering happening.